Literarily Speaking

5 Things You Should Know About Your Mid-Career GPS #5Things

thewriterslife December 19, 2021 0 Comments

5 Things You Should Know About Your Mid-Career GPS: Four Steps to Figuring Out What's Next

1. Many people think they need to be better at their next interview or learn how to control their nerves and not be nervous. While that is true, many people fail to get good at learning how to tell their story from a place of value and service. When you know your career story and how you can help an organization, you SHOW UP much differently for your next interview. Building Your Mid-Career GPS will help you crush your next interview.

2. There are four steps to building Your Mid-Career GPS. They are: preparation, positioning yourself strategically in the marketplace, promoting who you are and what you do, and learning how you SHOW UP.

3. An entire chapter is devoted to what it means to SHOW UP and is an extension of the #SHOWUP6Strategies John discussed in his first book, “SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career.” Throughout his life and career, John knows that how we SHOW UP matters. John provides you with in-depth examples and context to help you demonstrate these strategies: Set Ground Rules, Have Intentional Conversations, Own Where You Are, Welcome New Opportunities, Use Your Genius, Protect and Promote Your Brand.

4. There are 37 journal and reflection questions contained in this book to help you build Your Mid-Career GPS. Plus, you can download those questions and other free resources to complement the book at https://johnneral.com.

5. Our career paths are messy. It’s not unusual to get a degree and then decide you want to do something different. You are not defined by your degree. As an executive and career transition coach, John Neral shares similar strategies and techniques he uses with his clients in this book to help you navigate toward whatever is next for your career.

About the Author

John Neral, MA, CPC reawakens, energizes, galvanizes, and innovates the mind think of employees, corporations, associations, and systems. A celebrated executive/career and professional development coach and in-demand, mindset-shifting public speaker, John’s professional walk included a 25-year career in education and a longstanding corporate consultant for Fortune 500 giant, Casio America, Inc. He now leads John Neral Coaching, LLC, one of the most progressive, mindset-shifting professional and organizational coaching and public speaking firms in the U.S. He is the author of Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next and SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career and the host of “The Mid-Career GPS Podcast.”

As a Master Practitioner in the Energy Leadership Index, John’s experience has made him an impactful and valuable coach to his one-on-one and group coaching clients and organizations. With Energy Leadership™, John identifies where people perform at their optimal levels and when they are under stress. Combining the Energy Leadership™ principles, a client’s workplace strengths, and their “unique professional value,” John helps his clients create their career GPS so they can take action toward achieving their professional and personal goals.

A former church organ prodigy, John is an avid traveler–having sojourned to 5 of the 7 continents, a professional bowler and the winner of a Professional Bowlers’ Association Regional Title (2010), and a game-show fan, having appeared on previous episodes of GSN’s Chain Reaction and Make My Day. John is happily married and lives with his spouse and their rescue cat, Amy Farrah Meowler (named after the Big Bang Theory character), in the heart of Washington DC’s Dulles Technology Corridor, Tysons Corner, VA.

You can visit his website at https://johnneral.com or follow him at Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

Book Description:

Title: YOUR MID-CAREER GPS: FOUR STEPS TO FIGURING OUT WHAT’S NEXT
Author: John Neral
Publisher: LLH Publishing
Pages: 281
Genre: Job Hunting/Business Mentoring and Coaching

BOOK BLURB:

Are you considering a career change but doubt yourself or get easily overwhelmed by the entire process?

Are you a mid-career professional ready to level-up, but unsure of what steps to take?

What if there was an easy and supportive way to plan your next career destination?

Your Mid-Career GPS will guide you to create your own professional roadmap so you can find the job you love or love the job have. John Neral, Certified Professional Coach, will help you strategically position yourself in the marketplace while teaching you how to leverage your unique skills from a place of value and service for any organization.

Learn how to prepare, position, and promote yourself as you create a tactical and strategic plan by building Your Mid-Career GPS. Let this book be your guide to answer many of the current questions you have about creating your next advancement opportunity.

PRAISE

“This book is for those of you who feel like you know everything and nothing about what’s next, you can’t fathom writing yet another cover letter, and you wonder “why bother” when it comes to updating your résumé. If you are feeling alone on this journey, bring this book, and all of the insight and tools it contains, along with you. You will have John’s company along the path and you will be one step closer to finding your way!”–Natalie Siston, Best-selling author of Let Her Out: Reclaim Who You Have Always Been and Founder, Small Town Leadership

“John expertly guides readers through the trials, tribulations, and common pitfalls of mid-career professionals and managers. He also provides information on the effective career strategies and mindset needed to be successful. This book is a must read if you are looking for professional support and could use a career GPS! — Porschia Parker Griffin
Founder and CEO of Fly-High Coaching Millennial Coaching Institute

“LinkedIn is the most powerful tool to help you network, build professional relationships, learn, search for jobs, and much more. I always say if you are not on LinkedIn you might be left out. Your Mid-Career GPS provides valuable tips and guidance to help you navigate LinkedIn and start growing your network and create your next advancement opportunity.”— Rhonda L. Sher, LinkedIn Specialist, Author, Speaker

“I picked up this latest book after enjoying John Neral’s previous book, SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career. In Your Mid-Career GPS, John Neral provides clear, actionable steps to put his six strategies into play quickly and effectively. I really enjoyed his conversational writing style as well. As a mid-career professional, I love that my cohort is the focus of his attention and expertise. He demonstrates throughout the book that he knows the benefits mid-career professionals bring to an organization and his thoughtful observations and exercises will help anyone define their professional value and market not only their skills but themselves. Reading and employing the strategies in this book can position you to be a more valuable resource to your current employer or challenge you to spread your wings and find your next, great career opportunity. The underlying message is one of empowerment and encouragement and that’s a message everyone can benefit from.”–Victoria A. Bourgeois

5 Things You Should Know About The Man Who Transformed Africa: The Rebirth of a Continent #5Things

thewriterslife December 14, 2021 0 Comments

5 Things You Should Know About The Man Who Transformed Africa: The Rebirth of a Continent

1. This novel is a work of fiction that is dived in two parts. Part 1. The Vatican and Part 2. On the ground in Africa

2. This novel includes only the first two years of a twelve-to-fifteen-year project to build a strong middle-class African society. Attempting to include all the years of this project would result in a dictionary length book. Second, development of characters during fifteen years would be counterproductive.

3. The Epilogue included in this novel is a snapshot of many of the characters beyond the first two years, and the increase of donations due to the surprise ending.

4 In the Vatican part of the novel there is reference to Catholic cardinals who argue over conservative and liberal Catholic interpretation.

5. Ever since elementary, and going further in schooling the author was always confused by teachers who would on the one hand talk about the wealth that was underground in Africa, and the severe poverty of the African people.

About the Author

Author Peter Cimini was born in New York City, in the borough of the Bronx. He attended both a Catholic elementary and high school. Mr. Cimini holds bachelor and masters degrees from New York University. He was a teacher both in New York and Connecticut, and served students twenty years as a curriculum specialist, overseeing and writing curricula. He is also the author of The Secret Sin of Opi, on the topic of missing and exploited children. His favorite novel is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Author Cimini admires the works of writers Kristin Hannah and Nicolas Sparks. He lives in Connecticut.

The Man Who Transformed Africa is his latest novel.

Visit Peter’s blog at www.peterdcimini.wordpress.com or connect with him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Book Description:

Title: THE MAN WHO TRANSFORMED AFRICA: THE REBIRTH OF A CONTINENT
Author: Peter D. Cimini
Publisher: Halo Publishing International
Pages: 488
Genre: Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

The novel opens with Vatican intrigue between liberal and conservative cardinals, which leads to the unlikely selection of an Indonesian pope. Seizing the opportunity, the new pope uses his ex-cathedra (papal infallibility) to declare poverty to be an immoral human condition. The pope decides to lead by example, taking the provocative step of selling Vatican treasures to fund a long-term plan to build a strong middle-class society in Africa.

The novel follows the pope, an ex-president of the United States, and an African nationalist during the first two years of an estimated twelve-year project to build a strong African middle-class society.

After a year-and-a-half of steady progress, the ex-president and the African nationalist realize they have miscalculated the costs of irrigating the African tropical savannas, and the project stalls. A brilliant, young, autistic project employee, originally hired to oversee the use of Africa’s natural resources, solves the irrigation problem, allowing the plan to continue moving forward. The autistic project employee later comes to the rescue once again when he clears the name of the ex-president, who had been falsely accused of bribery.

The author believes the fictional narrative of this unique story will show the need to stabilize Africa’s social order, infrastructure, and land use, which would result in an economic rejuvenation of the continent, eventually turning Africa into an agricultural giant.

Interview with JD Wise, Author of NOMOPHOBIA #interview

thewriterslife December 06, 2021 0 Comments

Welcome to NOMOPHOBIA – A PLACE IN TIME WHERE OVERUSED CELLULAR DEVICES TURN CHILDREN INTO OGRES.

This is a somewhat true, mostly exaggerated story of modern-day children – children who have spent way too much time on their phones. One night the children are mysteriously turned into ogres. At first the children blame each other for their condition. When they finished blaming each other, they worked together to find a cure. They searched the house for a cure…but they could not find one. They tried to wash the ogre off…but it stayed on.

They had all but given up when sissy’s phone accidently falls into the fish tank. When the phone gets wet, a hidden message appears: YOU WERE TURNED INTO OGRES, BECAUSE ON THE PHONE YOU DID STAY! NOW, PUT IT AWAY AND GO OUT AND PLAY!

So the children rushed outside, where they returned to normal. That day the children learned a valuable lesson. OVERUSED CELL PHONES TURN CHILDREN INTO OGRES.

Interview:

Welcome JD! Your book, NOMOPHOBIA, sounds so cute! Can you tell us where you got the term ‘Nomophobia’ from?

The term "Nomophobia" is the actual term for the fear of being without your mobile.

I want to scream when I see kids on their cell phones 24/7. I know it’s the sign of the times, but what do you believe will be the repercussions from this?

The repercussions of nonstop cell phone use could mean losing the ability to socialize and use verbal skills. The opportunity to appreciate the freedom of walking around, enjoying the outdoors, or to take notice of all that can be learned by a hands on experience.

And, sure, that cell phone may save my child’s life one day but I wonder what’s the first step in cutting that back?

The first step in cutting back may differ from person to person. Maybe start with setting aside a certain time of day as "phone free" time? (adults included)

Back to your book, what was the most fun part about writing it?

The most fun part about writing this book was transforming the kids into ogres.

What have been kids’ reactions from it?

One little boy thanked his mom for limiting his screen time because he did not want to turn into an ogre.

What’s next for you?

Hopefully to come up with new ideas for more fun books.

Literarily Speaking

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# Author Interviews

5 Things You Should Know About This Is How I Spell Grief #5Things

thewriterslife December 02, 2021 0 Comments

5 Things You Should Know About This Is How I Spell Grief: A Guide to Healing From Loss & Finding Fulfillment

1)I may have upset some family members with the raw honesty written.

2)There’s everything from joy and delight to terrible lament and regret.

3)This experience depicted is specific to the author, but universal in its texture.

4)I freely admit that I still struggle with difficult emotions including grief.

5)There is no silver bullet to resolving these complex feelings, but this book talks about how to allow oneself to be receptive and vulnerable enough to integrate them into one’s life and being.

About the Author

Erik Lewin is the author of three books – This is How I Spell Grief, Animal Endurance, and Son of Influence – as well as numerous essays published in Ponder Review, GNU Journal, David Magazine, Real Vegas Magazine &Literate Ape. Erik is also a stand-up comedian who performs in clubs and venues around the country. He formerly practiced law as a criminal defense attorney in New York City and Los Angeles. He is at work on a new one-man show loosely based on This is How I Spell Grief.

Erik lives in Las Vegas with his wife and their furry pets.

Visit his website at www.eriklewincomedy.com or connect with him on Facebook and Goodreads.

Book Description:

Title: THIS IS HOW I SPELL GRIEF: A GUIDE TO HEALING FROM LOSS & FINDING FULFILLMENT
Author: Erik Lewin
Publisher: Jeffrey Park Press
Pages: 126
Genre: Self-Help/Narrative/Nonfiction

BOOK BLURB:

Erik Lewin shares how he turned the profound loss of his mother and father into life-changing growth, with intimacy, warmth and humor. He offers a no-nonsense, commonsense way to create your personal path to acceptance of your loss.

Lewin became an expert in his grief experience twice over, encouraging readers to find their own way, as no two lives or losses are the same. He eschews expert opinions and general analyses of grieving in favor of common sense, letting you know you are not alone in how you’re feeling. He shares how he turned his loss into an impetus to personal change. A former criminal defense lawyer, Lewin is now a full time writer and standup comedian.

This Is How I Spell Grief takes a counter-intuitive approach to self-help; there are no eight simple exercises to get over it. Instead, you gradually learn to address grief on your own terms, to make true and lasting peace with your loss.

PRAISE

“Generous, intimate and deeply personal, even funny at times. I believe this book will help readers work with their own grief.” – NOAH BRUCE, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director, Salinas Valley Medical Clinic

“Outstanding work. Everything I felt about my father’s recent death and my best friend’s death 14 years ago was articulated in this writing. It truly is a wonderful tome on helping one to manage their grief after the death of a loved one.” – Philip Peredo

“This is the book that I wished I had many years ago when first confronting the passing of my father. The author expertly navigates all of the issues that one encounters when grieving. It’s a remarkable book in that even for those who think we have a handle on their grief, the author helps us understand new ways to engage with grief. It’s definitely not a self-help book, but I found it much more profound and valuable.” – AKF