Hello lovelies! It gives me
great pleasure today to host Ann Vanino and her new book, “Chrysalis!” For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above.
Be sure to make it to the end
of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card. Also, come back daily to interact with Ann
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this exciting
giveaway!
Chrysalis
Personal Transformation From The
Inside Out
by Ann Vanino
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GENRE: Personal Growth
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BLURB:
We are living in a time of transformation. Old ways are fading. New ways
are emerging. There is an increasing focus within. Many of us are feeling a
desire to create a new direction for our lives.
Chrysalis:
Personal Transformation From The Inside Out uses nature’s process of Chrysalis-
a caterpillar transforming to a butterfly – as a guide for our own personal
transformation. Each stage of Chrysalis provides a jumping-off point, upon
which to reflect about our own experiences as we each transform.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Chapter Three
Growth and Struggle
Starting With Yourself
In your own
Chrysalis, you start from where you are, developed and conditioned by the
outside world. Who would think a caterpillar’s tissues would create a
butterfly? It is a beginning for you,
different from anything that has gone before.
---
Great Destruction Brings Rebirth
There are other
examples in nature of great destruction bringing rebirth—volcanoes pushing rich
new soil to the surface, small earthquakes releasing pressure on a fault line
and weathering and erosion creating new land forms.
In your Chrysalis,
effort is well spent in balancing the destructive and creative forces occurring
in your life. It is a time of some chaos. Your point of gravity is shaken, and
stability is not yet regained. Enduring your Chrysalis involves maintaining
balance between creation and destruction through discipline and developing
habits that support you through this time. As parts of your life crumble, you
may need more nurturing. As the new enters your life, you may need to give
yourself some time to acclimate.
As you endure
creation and destruction or face uncertainty in your life, know that rebirth
awaits you.
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Why Change?
Wasn’t the
caterpillar beautiful enough?
Yes, it was.
Its new
opportunity, as a butterfly,
Lies in its
wings—to fly.
---
Try this:
Think of a time in
your life when you were scared, but you kept going.
What gave you the
strength and courage to proceed? (You can use that again.)
What would have
happened if you did not proceed?
How would your
life be now?
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INTERVIEW:
What 3-5 words would you use to
describe your book?
You can transform your life.
What is your favorite chapter or section of the book?
Had to think about this one – it’s hard to choose! I think it is Chapter Two The Cocoon. This is such a pivotal time during nature’s Chrysalis. In the cocoon is where the caterpillar’s transformation happens. In our own personal transformation, going within and accessing deeper parts of ourselves is essential. This going within can be very uncomfortable. We separate from what we once knew, find ourselves in silence and the unknown and have no roadmap or vision of where we are going or will end up. Being in the “cocoon” takes a lot of trust and faith.
Did you come across any specific challenges in writing this book?
I did. In many ways the book flowed, however, the way that I wrote it – as what I call a journaling stream was my invention. I wrote verses, mythical stories, questions and prose that related to the experiences involved in each stage of nature’s Chrysalis and our own personal transformation. The gremlins were active saying: No one will like this. Who are you to try a new style? I let my style prevail, though, and I am glad that I did. It was my true expression and came from my heart.
How did you come up with the title?
I knew that I wanted to write about how our own personal transformation is similar to nature’s process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Chrysalis was an appealing word to me, rather than, say, metamorphosis, and conveyed the energy I wanted to in the book.
Tell us about this beautiful book cover and how it came about.
Thank you! It was designed by Vanessa Maynard http://vanessanoheart.net/, a very talented artist, who I found online. We went through just two designs and I had what I wanted it. She sent me lots of pictures of butterflies before she designed the second cover and asked me to pick the ones I liked best. Then, she took one of my favorites and did her magic with it.
Give us an interesting fun fact about your book.
Since I started writing Chrysalis I see butterflies and Chrysalis analogies everywhere! I also am so attuned to how so many people love butterflies.
As an author, what is your favorite word you love to include in your books?
transformation
Do you ever get writer’s block and if so, how do you handle it?
Oh yes! It comes in the form of not being able to write any words or thinking what I am writing is horrible and is not getting across what I want to. When I am deep into the discipline of writing a book, I set aside a certain amount of time each day. If I experience writers block, I make myself stay at my desk for the time I had allotted. When I first started writing I was writing three chapters for a non-fiction book proposal. Once I finished the third chapter there was no more writing to do. I stubbornly said you have to stay here for the time you allotted. Then I put my head down on my desk and as I rested I had the inspiration for my e book Power Stories: Mythical Tales of Personal Power at Work. This book was quite a departure for me, writing fictional tales about challenges we face in our careers. My guess is that it would not have come out of my left brain and it was in that quiet space where the muses could reach me.
Do you write your books with a pen or type writer or computer?
An Apple Macbook laptop computer.
Describe what your ideal writing space looks like.
I write in my home office. It has light green walls, a lot of art and big windows looking out on our yard. We live in the high desert so I look out at desert trees, lilac bushes and sky. Nature soothes and inspires me here. When I was writing my next book, Kaleidoscope, I wrote one chapter outside under a juniper bush. It let me connect even closer with nature, which I think was needed for that chapter.
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
I read and enjoy all formats, but my heart is with the experience of curling up and getting lost in a traditional book.
What book(s) are you currently reading?
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (audiobook in my car)
On Becoming A Novelist by John Gardner
What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
The opportunity to access my creativity that is unique for all of us. The quiet space and discipline writing requires. The magic that surrounds writing, once you connect with the muses. The ability to share what I am thinking in hopes that it will inspire and help others.
What is your favorite thing about being a coach?
Connecting with people, learning about them and helping them create the lives they want to live.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
The journey of life and not knowing exactly what each day will bring, my husband Ermanno who travels the journey with me and the natural beauty that surrounds us which I am so grateful for.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what five items would you bring with you?
At least one book by another author that I find inspiring.
My book Chrysalis because I have a feeling I’d be experiencing a transformation :)
Fresh water
A crystal
Sunscreen
What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans?
I was so happy to read this review by a reader on Amazon:
If you're going through a time of transformation, reading this book will help you understand what you're going through and what may be coming next during the process. It was a comfort for me to read words that described what I was experiencing, before I had the words to describe it.
Transformative times can be a lonely place. What was is no longer, what will be hasn't arrived. This book was a friendly voice as I sat (and am still sitting!) alone in my chrysalis.
It captures perfectly what I hope readers experience when reading my book.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
You’ve heard it often – start writing. Develop a discipline to write every day (or almost every day) even if for a short while. Find a quiet place within to get in touch with your muses. Have faith in yourself that you have something to write that is unique to you and that readers will want to hear. And enjoy the journey!
What's next for you? What are you working on now?
I have just finished a book Kaleidoscope about new energy we are experiencing on earth that I plan to release later this year. I am writing a book now titled Hummingbird and just finished writing the first chapter.
What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you (i.e., website, personal blog, Facebook page, Goodreads, etc.) and link(s)?
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AUTHOR BIO:
Ann is
an author and coach dedicated to collaborating with her
clients
and readers as they create fulfilling lives and bring their
unique
gifts to the world.
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CONNECT WITH ANN VANINO:
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AMAZON BUY LINK:
**This book will be free during the dates of the tour.**
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OTHER BOOKS BY ANN VANINO:
Power
Stories: Mythical Tales Of Personal Power At Work
Coaching
Corner Volume 1
Leadership
On Trial: Lessons from The Apprentice
Kaleidoscope
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Ann Vanino will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn
winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette
is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not
Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are
solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
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