Our author Mark Nepo will be on tour this fall with Oprah!

I am trying to figure out how I can get to one of these and it is beyond thrilling to have a Viva Editions on the road with Oprah Winfrey!

Mark Nepo is pleased to announce that he will be joining Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend Tour! Mark will be LIVE on stage with Oprah and other handpicked life trailblazers for this enlightening 2-day event in select cities. From teaching to conversation, to music, laughter, and breathtaking moments, this will be an unforgettable life experience. Tickets are on sale now!
LEARN MORE ABOUT OPRAH’S THE LIFE YOU WANT WEEKEND.

COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU...

AUBURN HILLS, MI
SEPT. 12-13
BUY TICKETS

NEWARK, NJ
SEPT. 26-27
BUY TICKETS
WASHINGTON DC
SEPT. 19-20
BUY TICKETS

SEATTLE, WA
NOV. 7-8
BUY TICKETS

Being a good in the world- how do you do it?

When I was giving talks and radio interviews for "The Grateful Table," I shared some of the wisdom I have come to claim as I grow older. Even ten years ago, I would have never come to this realization but   I am glad I finally did. I firmly believe this- at the end of your life, it will not matter one iota how much money you have, how many fancy cars in the garage, real estate investments or any material wealth or assets you may have gathered. The only thing that matters is the answer to this question: how much did I give to others? Did I love enough? Was I of service?

If the answer is no, get busy NOW. Do not wait another day! This was my inspiration for my upcoming project, "Be A Good in the World," and I am gathering ideas, sharing the ones I have learned along the way and would LOVE to hear yours.

I find it interesting but this notion of making a difference has a sense of urgency to me. Maybe it has something to do with the daily pelting of negativity from the news media. It can bring about a sense of helplessness. But, here's the thing -we CAN help. Every act of kindness or simple goodness matters enormously. And I want to hear yours.

Did you know you can polish your shoes with a banana peel?

I mean, do you even really need to know anything else? That is the best eco tip I have ever heard but we are over-the-moon excited about blogger Sweet Maddie's book "All You Need  is Less" and you may never buy anything else after getting this book. It is really fun, packed full of wisdom and Maddie herself is a riot. How often do you find yourself laughing out loud when reading about composting? I bet not NEARLY enough.

In closing, I will just add that you must stay away from those scary "fresh smelling" dryer sheets. They are coated with lard? Oh, and that smell is 100% chemicals!

Running on gratitude

I always say that, as a company, VIVA EDITIONS runs on gratitude. We just had our "Wednesday 15,"  our little weekly huddle where we talk about our major projects, ask for help if need be and also share anything we might want to just talk about. This week, we all spoke about what we are grateful for  in the here and now: beautiful spring weather, KPop, better health,  exciting new books, Dungeons and Dragons, our gorgeous new fall catalogs, a bicycle that is getting back on the road.

In the midst of it all, it is good to remember the little things.

Dealing with the season of giving after the loss of a loved one:

Nationally-Known Grief Expert Carole Brody Fleet on Handling the Holidays After the Loss of a Loved One

Carole Brody Fleet, author of Happily Even After (Viva Editions 2012) is featured on Huffington Post for her insights into managing grief and sadness during the holidays.

• 

Happily Even After: Getting Through (and Beyond) The Grief of Widowhood

Carole Brody Fleet has fresh things to say about the intricacies of intimacy, returning to the workplace, the grief of children, and remarriage. This book is recommended for its authentic depiction of the widow's experience. – Spirituality & Practice

(PRWEB) December 10, 2013

Carole Brody Fleet, author of Happily Even After: A Guide to Getting Through (and Beyond) the Grief of Widowhood, offers eight tips for enjoying the seasonwhen holidays are not-so-happy. For people suffering from depression, or dealing with a breakup, divorce, or loss of a loved one, the holidays can be incredibly difficult. Brody Fleet advises that "if you are coping with any kind of a loss situation, it will be human nature for those closest to you to try and 'jolly' you out of what may be a place of pain or loneliness. Don't feel obligated to be jolly."

Brody Fleet also advocates giving of oneself to others as a way of getting through these difficult times. "We always feel better when we are in service to others." Carole suggests perhaps adopting a soldier for the holidays, or volunteering for an assisted living home, rather than dwelling on personal grief.

What People are Saying about Happily Even After (available in audio)

"Carole Brody Fleet has fresh things to say about the intricacies of intimacy, returning to the workplace, the grief of children, and remarriage. This book is recommended for its authentic depiction of the widow's experience."
—Spirituality & Practice

"Yes, even after the loss of a beloved, when all seems bleak and hopeless, it is possible to find your way out of despair. Filled with compassionate understanding, practical guidance and honest reassurance that a meaningful life awaits, "Happily Even After" is a worthy companion for your journey."
—Judy Ford, author of Every Day Love: The Delicate Art of Caring for Each Other

"Who am I? What do I do now?" Even as these are the two most immediate questions faced by widow/ers, Carole Brody Fleet knows as well as anyone who has faced the abrupt change from couple to single person, those questions multiply exponentially as time goes on. In Happily Even After: A Guide to Getting Through (and Beyond) the Grief of Widowhood, Brody Fleet addresses the most commonly asked questions by widows and those who surround them.

Carole Brody Fleet is a popular motivational speaker who appears before general audiences, corporations, and organizations. A regular guest on local, regional, national, and international media, she lives in Los Angeles.

 PDF Print

Teach your children well:

Jump-Starting Boys Helps Guide Real Parents in the Special Process of Raising Boys

Jump-Starting Boys, a guidebook to getting boys to succeed in school and life, has been met with a glowing response from real parents of boys.

• 

Jump-Starting Boys: Help Your Reluctant Learner Find Success in School and Life by Pam Withers and Cynthia Gill

"Absolutely and utterly intriguing […] it has given me some terrific skills that i want to use with my own son."—Pat Thurston, KGO-AM/San Francisco

(PRWEB) November 05, 2013

Jump-Starting Boys: Help Your Reluctant Learner Find Success in School and Life (Viva Editions 2013), by Pam Withers and Cynthia Gill, has been featured as an indispensable guide for the parents of boys.Savings for Sanity, a parenting blog, said, "This book makes things like school and life seem much easier for a parent and a teen to conquer," and that she was surprised by the number of questions this one book had answered.

Another popular mothering blog, Griffin's Honey, praised the book effusively: "I will be able to use this book over and over as a reference point for advice. I recommend this to all parents of boys, especially moms."

Jump-Starting Boys is also available as an audiobook.

Positive Solutions To Get Your Son Back on Track

It is no secret boys are falling behind in education, with fewer young men graduating from high school and enrolling in college every year. Filled with reassurance and support, Jump-Starting Boys has heart-warming true stories, take-action checklists and over 200 helpful tips. Educators and mothers themselves, authors Pam Withers and Cynthia Gill, MA, LMFT, turn fear and guilt into can-do confidence through easy techniques and achievable solutions. Finally—a book that truly targets concerned parents and helps you work with sons to make sure they beat the odds and become lifelong learners!

During her 30-year career as a high school teacher, Cynthia Gill worked on innovative curricula development and served as an academic dean while winning acclaim for her work in the classroom. She lives in Minneapolis. Pam Withers is the best-selling, award-nominated author of more than a dozen adventure novels. She lives in Vancouver.