Personal Life Media

FINALLY THIN! is the ultimate companion to any diet--featuring ten steps that will give you the information and motivation to achieve your own success on any weight-loss plan.

I had the privilege of speaking with Kim Bensen, an incredibly inspiring individual. She's struggled with her weight her whole life and finally lost over 200 pounds and just celebrated her 5-year anniversary of keeping it off. Her book FINALLY THIN! is open, honest, and encouraging. Kim unabashedly shares her "warts and wrinkles" ~ all the embarrassing stories of her food addiction. She's been there and relates to those who struggle. In FINALLY THIN! Kim gives an overview of all the different diet programs out there and offers her book as a companion to whichever plan is right for you. She also provides over 70 yummy recipes.

Kim Bensen is a marketing and PR Expert, wife, and mother of four children who was obese for much of her life, weighing as much as 347 pounds. Five years ago, she lost 212 pounds on Weight Watchers and has never looked back. Her story has garnered her thousands of fans and followers as well as a host of national media: She has appeared on the Today Show, Extra, Fox and Friends, 700 Club, and numerous local TV and radio outlets, as well as in People, Women's World, Prevention, and Cooking Light. She does a weekly 3-minute segment on Better TV (affiliated with Better Homes and Gardens) and her weekly column, "Here's the Skinny," runs in several newspapers across the country. Her website has over 7,000 subscribers who log on for diet tips and recipes, and her recently launched product line, Kim's Light Bagels, is carried in 800 major supermarkets on the east coast. She continues to lead Weight Watchers groups in CT, where she lives.

The following is additional Q & A with Kim, not a transcription of our conversation, so be sure to click to listen!

Carrie:  FINALLY THIN! is your journey to weight loss—and keeping that weight off.  Although not always obese, you have battled a food addiction and its challenges since childhood.  Tell us a little about your own personal experience.
Kim:  I live with my loving husband and four children—ranging in age from 7 to 22 in Southern, CT. In high school I fluctuated up and down 10-15 pounds in a yo-yo cycle that would haunt me for years. In college the spread of pounds grew to 30, then 40. I lost weight for my wedding in 1984, but soon gained it all back and more. Shortly after we were married my eating got out of control and for the first time in my life I was over 200 pounds. For the next 10 years I struggled up and down in the 200 pound range; for 10 years after that in the 300 pound range. I tried every low carb, high protein, low sugar, shake-supplemented, pill popping, bar munching, body piercing weight loss program in existence. Guess what? They ALL worked! But after a while I would feel deprived or discouraged and fall off the wagon, gaining back all that I had lost ... and then some.

Carrie: Eventually every-day activities became increasingly difficult for you.  How was your health suffering? 
Kim:  My cholesterol was astronomically high. Eventually even my walking was limited. When I sat down my stomach came to the end of my knees. I had no lap for my children and, if I continued along the same path, my children would have no mother at all. I was eating myself to death. Then, on October 1, 2001, I cried out to God in a desperate, broken prayer which would change my heart ... and my life. Three days later, with renewed determination and hope, I walked through the doors of Weight Watchers® (again) and weighed in at 347 pounds. I "knew" I would eventually quit and gain the weight back, but I was hoping to be able to breathe a little easier and – possibly – fit into plus size clothing stores again (which I had outgrown) before that happened. The idea that I might actually become thin never even entered my mind.

Carrie: What was the next step?
Kim:  For two years I planned meals, counted POINTS™, drank water, weighed, measured, and kept track of my points on a “tracking bracelet” I had made. For two years I focused on changing recipes and behaviors from the inside out. For two years I watched the scales inch downward, and my once hopeless spirit began to soar. The more I put into it, the more fun it became! I was actually ENJOYING my new way of eating!  Week after week I stuck with it. There were challenges and plateaus. There was hope and victory. My journey was long, but it didn't matter any more. I loved what I was doing! I could live with this! For the first time in years I was under 300 lbs ... then 200 lbs ... then, on October 7, 2003, I reached my goal.

Carrie: How much weight did you ultimately lose?
Kim:  In the end I lost 212 pounds, lowered my cholesterol more than 200 points, lost an inch and a half in each wrist, and went down from a size 6x to a size 6. The weight loss has made countless practical differences in my life: I can fit in any chair, buckle up in a car, and get toys out from under the middle of my boys' beds.  I can fit socks inside my shoes and can wear over-the-counter jewelry without extenders. I even joined Curves to help me with toning and maintenance.

Carrie:  How did your weight loss change your profession?
Kim:  My weight loss has not only changed my health and my looks, it’s changed my profession. In 2005 I became a leader for Weight Watchers® and began cooking for my members.  Today I write a weekly weight loss column called Here's The Skinny and I’m the Diet Editor for Better TV and Parents TV.

Carrie:  How is your book a companion to any diet?
Kim:  FINALLY THIN! doesn't sell anything. No one diet. No product. Nothing. It's written from the perspective of someone who loves food, loves eating and has always had trouble being satisfied with a "normal" portion of food. It's written by someone who always yo-yoed and never thought maintenance — happy, enjoyable maintenance — at a healthy weight was possible. It's a book of hope ... and a book of every trick, tip, mantra and recipe I used to get where I am today. No matter what diet you are on, whether you've had surgery or are "just cutting back" FINALLY THIN! can help you stick with it whether you have 10 lbs to lose or 210.

Carrie:  What suggestions do you give to readers trying to find the diet that's right for them?  How do they know if it's a good fit?
Kim:  FINALLY THIN! offers a “Diet Quiz” with practical questions that help readers think through what their needs are.  I also have a “Diet Shoppe” which is simply a short, unbiased summary of 30 of the top diets on the market from Atkins to the Zone. There are a lot more tips and helpful guidelines, but that's a brief overview of a few of the takeaways from the book.

Carrie:  You have created some terrific recipes including Broccoli Crunch, Jalapeno Poppers, and Angel Food Layer Cake, just to name a few. Do you have a favorite recipe?
Kim:  I would have to say my Hot Artichoke Dip ... hands down. Or my Bruschette ... definitely. No. No. Wait! Either my Downeast Chowder or my Chicken Pot Pie or my Family Cheesecake. It's really hard to say!

Carrie: I understand you have a new bagel line?
Kim:  A year ago friends encouraged me to take to market one of my favorite products – a 110 calorie, high fiber, low fat bagel — in six yummy flavors. Today we ship Kim’s Light Bagels to all 50 states and are in major grocery store shelves across New England, New York and New Jersey. Our goal? To get out of the shipping business and be in the supermarkets of EVERYONE who wants a tasty, portion controlled, New York style, kettle boiled bagel!

Carrie:  How have these experiences shaped you?  And, what will readers take away from your book?
Kim:  There’s a lot about my story that isn’t easy to share, but my goal is to encourage others. You need to feel the depths of my bondage to food, so that you can see how great the possibilities are of overcoming yours.  No matter where you are today, reaching your weight loss goal is possible. No weight is too much. No time is too long. The only way you'll never lose weight is if you stop trying.  Come on ... it’s YOUR turn now!

WIN:  Kim has not only agreed to provide a free copy of FINALLY THIN! for our book giveaway contest, she's also throwing a bunch of FREE Kim's Light Bagels into the mix. To be entered to win the book and/or bagels (two separate drawings), simply:

• Comment on the Words To Mouth website and/or
• Call 206-309-7318
• You MUST be subscribed to the Words To Mouth e-newsletter to find out who wins!
• Deadline: January 15th, midnight EST

We'd love to hear your story ~ your challenges and successes. Whatever they are, 2009 is a NEW beginning, so I encourage you to pick up FINALLY THIN!, visit Kim's website and just BEGIN...

Kim's Helpful Tips for Moms:

• To foster healthy eating habits, Kim suggests asking kids "What are you going to have for your fruit and vegetable before you have everything else?" 
• Kim has wonderful perspective when it comes to reconciling the role model she was at 345 pounds and where she is today. "My kids see an area where I've struggled and how it's never too late to turn it around...an example of overcoming." Kim encourages other mothers:  "...don't wear the guilt, work on yourself, and let those habits trickle down to your kids."

On a side note: Kim and I talked a bit about emotional eating and food addiction and I got to thinking about the added difficulty of food addiction as compared to our other addictive tendencies. And, by the way, according to my therapist friend, Suzanne Maiden (Dear Zanny) we all have those tendencies, whether it's alcohol, nicotine, even busyness or exercise--our neuroses can manifest in all kinds of "kooky" ways. Food addiction creates blatant physical side-effects that other addictions don't ~ not to mention all kinds of judgments. As Kim shares, people can take one look at an overweight person and make all kind of assumptions. But what about the person who spends night after night surfing internet porn sites and drinking mass amounts of alcohol and in the morning is at the office with no one the wiser? I also considered the added difficulty of beating food addiction over some other addictions. I mean, as difficult as it may be, people stop drinking and smoking cold turkey with a key component NOT having the substance in the home. Think about it, we all have to eat ~ imagine being addicted to the very substance you need to sustain your life. My heart goes out to people who struggle with weight and food addiction and I just encourage you to read FINALLY THIN! and visit Kim's website for added support. Even if you don't have a weight struggle, we all can benefit from Kim's tips and recipes for a healthier lifestyle. 

Kim's Light Bagels ~ 110 calories, high in fiber, 6 great flavors, and only 1 Weight Watchers point. 2009, unveils Kim's Lite english muffins and breads.

Kim's Reading & Recommends

• John Piper
• Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
• The Holy Bible

**Be sure to check out TheDivaCast's talk on Childhood Obesity with expert Andrea Hope, PhD

Dr. Allan Hamilton's career is far from linear spanning from janitor, to Harvard-graduate neurosurgeon, author, motivational speaker, Grey's Anatomy script consultant, and Horse Whisperer. Without a doubt, he's one extraordinary man and yet he has an easy demeanor that elicits familiarity and relaxed conversation.

Dr. Hamilton admits to almost titling his book The Spiritual Journey of a Reluctant Surgeon, because...well, that's his truth. He comes from an esoteric hard-core science-based background. But, after witnessing how the healing power of hope trumps scientific evidence time and time again, Dr. Allan Hamilton stepped beyond denial and recognized the capability of the human soul.

In his book, The Scalpel and the Soul, Dr. Hamilton shares story after story of what he encountered in his medical career and through his own personal life experience ~ Things that cannot be explained scientifically. He shares his views on what faith means to him and his "Twenty Rules to Live By" in and outside of a hospital room.

Dr. Hamilton speaks of how to harness emotional and spiritual resources, so the soul gets as much intensive care as the physical, and in turn, enhances the body's healing process. He hopes The Scalpel and the Soul encourages physicians and scientists to address their patients' spiritual needs as well as their physical requirements. I think it should be required reading for graduation from medical school, but read it and decide for yourself.

From Dr. Allan Hamilton's Website:
The soul often needs more than an Intensive Care Unit can provide. The Scalpel and the Soul explores how premonition, superstition, hope and faith not only become factors in how patients feel, but can change the outcomes as well. The stories with in this book validate the spiritual manifestations physicians see every day. The tales empower patients to voice their spiritual needs in medical situations. When the life is threatened, the soul can exert mysterious powers, embracing that knowledge can help anyone, patient or caregiver, to cope with such difficult and challenging times.

Endorsements:
"Allan Hamilton is a natural storyteller. His real-life experiences remind us that patients and surgeons can share in a spiritual transformation during the course of battling disease. He also reminds us that every patient presents a dramatic opportunity to see the miraculous, the inexplicable, and the inspirational at work."
Linda Klein R.N., Producer, Grey's Anatomy & Nip/Tuck

"A tragic error in medical education is that doctors are taught to think and not feel. The Scalpel & the Soul is a moving account of what can happen when a doctor opens his heart and his eyes to life's spiritual lessons and the mystery that thrives amidst the terror and trauma of life-threatening illness. This book will be appreciated by everyone who reads it because we are the same at both ends of the scalpel."
Bernie Siegel, MD author of Help Me To Heal and Prescriptions For Living

"Allan Hamilton has the whole-person perspective that I emphasize in integrative medicine. Like me he regards patients as not just physical bodies but also as metal/emotional beings and spiritual entities. In order to understand health and illness, doctors must examine and attend to those dimensions of human life as well as the physical, even when the physical body is obviously damaged or sick." Andrew Weil, MD author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, Spontaneous Healing, Natural Health, Natural Medicine...and many more.

• To enter to win a free copy of The Scalpel and the Soul, visit Words To Mouth website for details.
• Thanks to Natalie Brown for her song You Gotta Believe from the Podsafe Music Network

Free Books for Readers & Sage Advice for Authors

Join Evo and me as we talk about books, authors, and the benefits of podcasting and social media. This show is not only for published authors or aspiring authors, but for readers, too. Visit Podiobooks and get a taste for just how many books are available for you to download to your computer/ipod for FREE.

About Evo (Podiobooks Bio):
From independently funded start-ups to multi-million dollar ebusiness projects, Evo Terra has been leading internet and ecommerce strategic development since 1999. His specialty is in discovering emergent technologies and adapting them to meet a variety of wants and needs. Prior to Podiobooks.com, he consulted with industry-leading search platforms as they developed their local search properties, directed ebusiness for a $2BB retail organization, and managed over $10MM of online media funds on behalf of various best-of-class advertising clients. Evo also has a penchant for good literature, co-hosting Dragon Page Cover to Cover, one of the first podcasts ever and is focused on authors of speculative fiction. Additionally, he is recognized as a pioneer in the podcasting world, and co-authored Podcasting for Dummies (TM) along with Tee Morris.

Evo Mentioned (Visit the Words To Mouth website for direct links):

• Evo at 11
• Gang Plank
• Fun Anymore
• PG Holyfield
• Chuck Tomasi
• Nathan Lowell
• J.C. Hutchins
• Scott Sigler
• Tracy Hickman
• Dr. Jack's Soap Box Seminars
• I Sold the Moon, Barry McArdle
• Faithful Warrior, Basil Sands
• Ask a Ninja Handbook
• Welcome to the Bee Hive

"You like golf, you like murder mysteries - then Sudden Death is your book!"  James Patterson
"Pure fun, pure intrigue. The action never stops till a fascinating climax."  Clive Cussler

Michael Balkind Wins the “Patience Award”...

I'm embarrassed to say, Michael and I spoke several months ago and I’ve admittedly sat on the interview for a number of reasons. Some had to do with an interview back log and prioritizing, but I've also been on a bit of a learning curve deciphering which genres most interest the Words To Mouth community. Things have shaken out a bit since I created the show/site and it appears women's fiction/mysteries, novels, memoirs, and non-fiction generate the most comments and attention. Michael Balkind's Sudden Death fits none-of-the-aforementioned. Sudden Death, in my humble opinion, appeals mostly to the male persuasion and the majority of our community here is primarily female.

"Well, you shoulda thought about that before you interviewed him," you may say.
Well, yes, true. BUT...you haven't met Michael Balkind.

The man is persistent with a capital "P" and he is a born marketer. That being said, don't bother asking him how he landed endorsements from James Patterson and Clive Cussler...mum's the word.  Michael's genuine, open and honest demeanor made our exchange enjoyable and engaging. He shared some very private experiences with me on mic...He revealed his more feminine, or as he calls it "gushy," side which shows us he's human, vulnerable, and a downright likeable guy.

I encourage you to listen to our conversation and decide for yourself if Sudden Death piques your interest. Regardless of your taste in books, I doubt you'll be able to resist Michael's easy charm and his eagerness to share his love for his literary journey.

By the way, it's not unintentional that I decided to post this interview close to the holidays ~ Sudden Death can be a great gift for that special someone who enjoys sports and mysteries...regardless of his/her gender.

Angela M. Hooper's Amazon Review:

Reid Clark is a temperamental man, who plays golf in the PGA, and might I add that he is "the best out there." He has caused many enemies, but that isn't all. People want to kill him due to his temper tantrums and he has to play knowing that it may kill him due to the death threats he has received. He is so sure of himself off and on the golf course with the ladies. Other players and business associates resent his temper. Known as the "Bad Boy" his threat is to: Never win another golf tournament. Will he stop playing? You must read to find out. This novel could be a wonderful movie. There is suspense and mystery and a lot of egotistic mannerisms. Great read! Oh, and read the reviews from other top authors. Quite impressive!

I wish Michael all the very best with his books, television series, and potential movie deals. Michael Balkind is certainly a name to keep an eye on ~ Just caught him in a photo hobnobbing with John Grisham--How does he do that?

• Marc Entertainment has optioned the television/movie rights for Balkind's Deadly Sports Mysteries
• The Fix (co-authored by ESPN anchor Ryan Burr),"a college football gambling story with a serious twist at the end," has already garnered movie interest from Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon, according to Balkind.

Balkind's Charities:

• Juvenile Diabetes
• Gilda's Club
• Friends of Karen

What Michael's Reading & Recommends:

• Dennis Batchelder's Soul Identity "a phenomenal book," says Michael.
• Tony Eldridge’s The Sampson Effect

Thank you to Natalie Brown for her song, You Gotta Believe.

To enter to win a copy of Sudden Death:

• Subscribe to my e-newsletter (right-hand top corner). This is how I notify winners
• Leave a comment below or call 206–309–7318 and leave a voice mail message.

I've had this interview in my back pocket for awhile. I took to heart an expert podcaster's advice to have at least 10 shows in the hopper, so as to be prepared and it sort of backfired. I think I do best living life a bit more on the edge. So...my apologies on the delay to Amy. I think you'll agree, it's worth the wait ~ She's a pleasure. Listen in as we talk about her life, her book, and her blogs.

Afterwards, don't forget to comment below and/or call 206-309-7318 and leave a voice mail message to be entered to win a FREE copy of HOW FAR IS THE OCEAN FROM HERE. You'll need to subscribe to my e-newsletter to make it quick and easy for me to announce the winner! Please leave me a review on iTunes and don't forget to subscribe to Words To Mouth to get it delivered to your computer for free, so you can listen wherever and whenever you'd like. “Thanks” as always to Natalie Brown for You Gotta Believe from the Podsafe Music Network.

About HOW FAR IS THE OCEAN FROM HERE:
Susannah Prue is a young, unmarried surrogate mother who, in the days before her delivery date, panics. Jumping into her car, she flees her Chicago home and a few days later pulls up to a bleak motel in the Southwest—the Thunder Lodge. There, she encounters misfits, much like herself, who also carry secrets: the motel’s terse proprietors, their mentally disabled son, and a woman transporting her niece to the father she’s never met. But when the parents of Susannah’s baby discover her whereabouts, she can no longer ignore the profound power she holds over their lives.

Beautifully written, How Far Is the Ocean from Here explores the ways in which people care for one another and the ways in which they fail, the kinds of families we create when we have no one else to turn to, and the strangeness and unpredictability of love.

Book Excerpt:
Chapter One, "Otherhood"

Along the highway in that stretch of desert, some-where between West Texas and East New Mexico, there was nothing and nothing and nothing and then the Thunder Lodge. But what a nothing! There the horizon had a weight she hadn’t known a horizon could have; a plain unvaried by cactus or tree, unstirred by lizard or coyote, undimpled by even a shadow, only here and there the slightest swell of hills. A house, a diner, a roadside attraction—an abandoned gas station with leaking, ancient snouts; a gigantic plaster dinosaur; a man in a gorilla suit advertising discounted tires—any distraction would have inspired as raucous a land ho as has ever been heard. But there was nothing, and still she moved onward, and still the desert lay insensible to any human who entered it.

That is to say, the highway was so forgotten in those stretches that it was difficult to believe it had ever been built. Out walking on its dusty shoulder, her hands pressed to her belly as if it might detach in the heat, sweat trickling between her shoulder blades, Susannah tried to imagine the men who had done such a thing, these ghostly men who’d installed the devolving asphalt: bending their backs in the sunlight, their lungs struggling in the grit of reddish dirt, the hides of their legs and hands torn from arguing with the sinewy tangles that accounted for vegetation. On the whole she spent entirely too much time daydreaming—it was a weakness, she knew— picturing what it was like to be somebody else, trying on different versions of herself like suits of skin. Now she was entirely out of context, a paper doll slapped onto an unfamiliar backdrop, just any pregnant girl standing on the side of the highway twisting her spine, giving the overheated car a minute to tick time-bombishly, a chance to stop steaming from the hood. (For more, go to the full excerpt on Amy's website

Amy's Book Recommendations:

• The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton  ~  "It is so wonderful. If you just want to spend a weekend at home weeping, I highly recommend it," says Amy.
• Amy says about her favorite author: "Virginia Woolf inspires me...at the same time making me feel like there is no point in writing anything"

"Violence Knows No Zipcode" John Linney

Youth on youth mistreatment is getting younger, meaner, and harder for adults to identify...and more acceptable
A National Epidemic

U.S. Bullying Stats According to Safe School Ambassadors:

• 25,000 secondary school students are targets of attacks or robberies.
• Over 1600 teachers are threatened each day and 300 are assaulted by students
• 160,000 students stay home from school because they are afraid of what someone will say or do to them.
• 22% of 4th through 8th graders report academic problems due to bullying
  Every Day in America
• 160,000 students stay home from school because they are afraid of how they might be treated by their peers.
• Every day, thousands ­ or millions ­ more come to school with a knot in their guts ­unable to concentrate, learn, or perform at their best ­ because they are afraid they'll be insulted, harassed, assaulted or worse. Every day...

Students Hold the Key
Students see, hear, and know things adults don't... and they can intervene in ways adults can't. But too often they don't because they fear retaliation and don't know what to do.

Imagine...
What if a cadre of courageous, committed and skilled students ­ the social leaders of your school's diverse cliques, those most likely to speak up ­ were preventing and stopping exclusion, teasing, bullying and other forms of violence on your campus... right now? **from SSA Website

The Oprah Winfrey & Doctor Phil’s Television Shows Have Recently Featured Bullying. As Oprah's recent shows on bullying so clearly point out, students hold the key to creating physically and emotionally safe schools. In more than 400 schools in the United States and Canada, over 18,000 Safe School Ambassadors are reducing teasing, insults, gossip, bullying, harassment and fighting using non-violent communication skills. These socially influential student leaders from diverse cliques are promoting tolerance and helping their friends treat people right.

To win a FREE copy of Safe School Ambassadors, subscribe to the Words To Mouth newsletter, then leave a comment either via the blog post below or by calling 206-309-7318 and share your experience ~ Were you ever bullied? Maybe you were the bullier?? Come on, fess up ~ I did! Do you have a child who's in the midst of the bullying dynamic? Have any tips for others? Share your stories. I'll be taking one copy of SSA on the Manic Mommies getaway cruise for a "door prize" and giving one away...so, let me hear from you.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show via iTunes (Sure would love to see a new review on iTunes...it's been so long, I'm suffering from review withdrawal)

As always, thanks to Natalie Brown for her song You Gotta Believe from the Podsafe Music Network.

The Flynn Brothers Trilogy

Publishers Weekly on Deadly Night
Bestseller Graham (Kiss of Darkness) spices up a spooky post-Katrina mystery in this solid trilogy opener. PI brothers Aidan, Jeremy and Zachary Flynn have inherited a plantation near New Orleans from Amelia Flynn, a relative they never knew. They consider selling the rundown house, but instead agree to restore it and move in. When Aidan finds human bones on the plantation's grounds, further sleuthing reveals some local missing persons cold cases that might be connected to the house, already haunted by two Flynn cousins who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War. Meanwhile, romance slowly ignites between cynical widower Aidan and Kendall Montgomery, psychic and Amelia's friend and former caregiver. Dream messages and premonitions, ghostly sightings, capable detective work and fascinating characters blend to make a satisfying chiller.

Slight Correction from audio interview: I actually have the full series to give away. So, simply leave a comment below and/or leave me a voice mail message at 206-309-7318 and you’ll be entered to win the three-book series. Keep it for yourself or give it away as a holiday gift.

What Heather is reading & recommends:
The Beautiful Cigar Girl, by Daniel Stashower "a great nonfiction," according to Heather

Heather's advice to fledgling authors: Join a writing organization. She belongs to RWA, HWA, Ninc, MWA, and ITW.

 Heather's Websites:

    * eheathergraham.com
    * theoriginalheathergraham.com ~ Check out the New Orleans bizarre story video
    * heathergraham.tv

Out in November: Pirate's Bride
Out in April: Night Walker
Out Summer '09: another 4-book Vampire Series - the first, Dust to Dust

M.I.L.D.E.W. (Mother-in-Laws Do Everything Wrong), now in its second printing, is a hysterical marriage companion book every woman should have in her back pocket–either to make herself laugh when those inevitable mother-in-law issues arise or to have at-the-ready for a girlfriend who may need a dose of M.I.L.D.E.W. perspective.

Co-Authors, Liz Buper and Renee Plastique (okay, their names have been changed to protect their identity ;) bring humor to an otherwise extremely frustrating dynamic. The acronym, M.I.L.D.E.W., is infiltrating today’s vernacular and every woman can relate–we all have a personal or “friend” story to  contribute when the mother-in-law topic is broached. Hear about some of the biggest challenges and funniest MILDEW stories, plus some great strategies to deal with MILDEWS.

Check out and earlier Words To Mouth written interview and click the gray arrow below to hear about the book from the author’s own lips.

The 4th Sunday in October is MIL Day ~ Just in time for Halloween ~ How appropriate ;-) To win a free autographed copy of M.I.L.D.E.W. share your MILDEW stories ~ Call 206-309-7318 and leave a voice message I can play on air or post a comment below.

Double your bet by visiting www.MyMildew.com and share your stories for the M.I.L.D.E.W. newsletter.

Book Recommendations:

    * The Post Birthday World, by Lionel Shriver  ~ Liz
    * Have a New Kid by Friday, by Dr. Kevin Leman ~ Renee

Click the arrow below to listen to the audio interview. Be sure to leave a comment below or call 206-309-7318 and leave a voice message to be entered to win a FREE copy of Matters of Faith and don't...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

From Eric’s website:

Eric Weiner’s The Geography of Bliss signals the arrival of the next great category of literary nonfiction: the philosophical self-help humorous travel memoir.

Weiner, a veteran foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, has covered a multitude of catastrophes and maladies from more than 30 countries over the past two decades. For The Geography of Bliss, however, he decided to tell the other side of the story by visiting some of the world’s most contented places.

Using the ancient philosophers and the much more recent “science of happiness” as his guide, Weiner travels the world in search of the happiest places. Many authors have attempted to describe what happiness is; fewer have shown us where it is, and what we can learn from the inhabitants of different Eric Weinercultures…Throughout his global quest, Weiner integrates the insights of classical thinkers on happiness, augmented by one-liners worthy of a stand-up comedian. This is travel writing that simultaneously journeys across the globe and through the author’s mind.

Our conversation:

    * Where would you guess the United States falls on the International Scale of Happiness?  Listen in and find out, but you just may have to eat some rotting shark meat to get the full effect.
    * Eric addresses the age-old question “Does money buy happiness?” Eric’s short answer: “A little bit of money will buy you a lot of happiness, but a lot of money won’t buy you much more.”
    * Eric speaks about the U.S. obsession with happiness relative to our country’s founding documents ~ Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness ~ “We suffer from the unhappiness of not being happy,” Eric says. On his travels, Eric observed that other countries obsess about happiness less and tend to be happier for it. He spoke about the great paradox of happiness ~ “It’s a ghost, it’s a shadow. You can’t really chase it. It’s a by-product, a very pleasant side effect to a life lived well. more.

"Cancer Is a Bitch smartly illustrates how breast cancer impacts our roles as wives, mothers, lovers, and friends. Gail Konop Baker's candid recollections are also filled with extraordinary hope and...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

A bit about N.M. (“Nicole”) Kelly: N.M. Kelby is the author of Murder at the Bad Girl’s Bar and Grill, Whale Season, In the Company of Angels, and Theater of the Stars. Named “Outstanding Southern...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Janelle Brown is author of ALL WE EVER WANTED WAS EVERYTHING and an essayist and journalist. Her writing appears regularly in Vogue, The New York Times, Elle, Wired, Self, The Los Angeles Times, and...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

About the Book (From Charla's website): 365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy is a funny and intimate look into turning 40, being married and wondering if there is more to marriage than laundry,...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Sin in the Second City ~ Two sisters. One brothel. And a culture war that rocked the nation. “Karen Abbott has pioneered sizzle history in this satisfyingly lurid tale. Change the hemlines, add...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

"Happiness is the exception--joy a rarity--the normal feeling most human beings have is discontent or longing...maybe there's an evolutionary purpose," says Wittenborn. Wittenborn writes: "I was...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

I had the distinct honor of speaking with Kate Jacobs, a truly talented writer of a wonderful novel about female friendship. The Friday Night Knitting Club is Kate’s first published novel and though...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Just a casual conversation with two authors who love wine and writing ~ Lani Diane Rich (Wish You Were Here) and Samantha Graves (Out of Time) WARNING: If this is the first Words To Mouth audio...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

It truly was a delight to speak with Bonnie Glover. She is encouraging and an inspiration. Listen in and then please let us know what you think...Comment or Call--details below! Publishers Weekly...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

As you may be aware, I originally posted a review on He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (see earlier post) and Trish and I went back-and-forth a bit in conversation on our blogs. Some of you provided some...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Amy MacKinnon's debut book, Tethered, just released yesterday, August 12th. It's already sold to NINE countries and is a Borders Original Voices pick. “Original Voices is a Borders program that...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

THE DARKEST NIGHT (from www.RonFranscell.com) On a chilly autumn night in 1973, 11-year-old Amy Burridge eagerly rode with her 18-year-old sister, Becky, to a neighborhood grocery store in the...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

08–08–08 A date to remember not only because it’s Fantasy novelist Pip Ballantine’s birthday… Tee describes Double Trouble best in this clip from his website: “Double Trouble is where...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

I was referred to Michelle Nicholasen from Erin of Manic Mommies. Initially, Erin had asked me to read and review I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your 2–to...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

According to Susan Mallery, she is quite possibly one of the few authors who can actually understand her royalty statements. She first got into writing romance while studying accounting in college....

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

As a technical writer and editor, Mignon Fogarty realized she repeatedly encountered the same grammatical errors. While sitting in a coffee shop one morning, a light bulb moment led Mignon to...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

In her earlier years, Carly Phillips attempted to embrace the life of an attorney, but her colicky infant altered Carly's life course. She started devouring romance novels as a way to escape the...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal by Lily Koppel Introduction written by Lily Koppel: Ever since I climbed into a dumpster outside of her apartment...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Fair Warning: We talk about SEX, Baby... So, you may want to listen with your earbuds if younger ears are nearby. Dr. Tina Tessina Ph.D., L.M.F.T, aka Dr. Romance, has been married 26 years and...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

I first heard of JC Hutchins on CC Chapman's podcast Managing the Gray. Fortunately, podcast distribution has exposed me to books of varying genres I wouldn't have otherwise picked off the shelf—and...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

I first heard of JC Hutchins on CC Chapman's podcast Managing the Gray. Fortunately, podcast distribution has exposed me to books of varying genres I wouldn't have otherwise picked off the shelf—and...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Jason Van Orden is considered a new media expert and a pro at creating community. He hosts Podcast Underground, co-hosts Internet Business Mastery, and provides exceptional content on creating...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

An Interview with A Guitar and a Pen's Co-Editor and Story Contributor Robert Hicks ~ Robert is also the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow of the South. He's a gifted storyteller in...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Brenda Novak is a wife and mother of five, a juvenile diabetes research fundraiser, and New York Times BESTselling author. Talk about life-work balance! And…we do! "Dreams really do come true,"...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

WWII German POWs and Baseball ~ Quite honestly, not subjects this gal would usually pick for a read…I’m so glad I did and I encourage you to do the same. Don’t just pick it up, give it as a gift this...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

I LOVED this book! Joshilyn (pronounced: “Jocelyn”) Jackson is officially now one of my favorite authors. She's a friendly high-energy Southern girl and even with her sage advice, "If you can't be...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Debbie Macomber is considered one of the leading voices in women’s fiction with over 100 titles and 100 million copies of her books in print. In this one-on-one casual conversation, she shares her...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Peter Bowerman's books, The Well-Fed Writer and The Well-Fed Self Publisher, offer all you need to get into the freelance writing life. The Well-Fed Writer was my "freelance writing bible" when I...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Jenifer Fox, author of Your Child’s Strengths, is not your everyday woman. She's on a mission to change the world through changing our education system. Are you frustrated with the current focus...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

I've had this interview with Dr. Carmen Harra in my "back pocket" for a while now. She is an interesting and accomplished woman--a renowned psychologist, metaphysical intuitive, licensed...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

In The Mistress’s Daughter, A.M. Homes shares her personal identity struggle in relation to and apart from her biological and adoptive parents. Anyone who’s read A.M.’s previous books is aware of her...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!

Kathy Hogan Trochek, aka Mary Kay Andrews, took a few precious minutes from her very busy book tour to chat with me over her morning coffee. I admit to recently vying for a spot in Kathy’s...

Words To Mouth is an Internet talk show and companion blog website connecting readers with authors beyond the printed page. Discover new and seasoned authors and the books they write through audio interviews and daily written blog posts. Plus, you can enter drawings to win FREE books!