Pump Up Your Book Chats with Plastic Surgeon Author Dr. Frederick Lukash

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Dr. Frederick N. Lukash, M.D.,FACS, FAAP, has consistently been voted one of “America’s Top Doctors,” by the Castle Connolly guide, and by the Consumer Research Council of America (www.bestdoctors.com). A board-certified cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon in practice in Manhattan and Long Island since 1981, he is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Lukash received his college and medical degrees from Tulane University. His postgraduate training in surgery and plastic surgery includes Emory University, State University of New York, and Harvard University, where he held the position of Instructor in surgery.

Dr. Lukash achieved board certification by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Lukash’s landmark article “Children’s Art as a Helpful Index of Anxiety and Self Esteem with Plastic Surgery” (Journal of Plastic Surgery: 109:6, May 2002) is still regarded as path-breaking in the field, and remains widely cited in the literature. His authorship of the paper led him to write the position paper on teenage plastic surgery for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons; he is currently the spokesperson on the subject for that organization.

In addition to serving on many of the societies’ committees, Dr. Lukash has authored questions for the Plastic Surgery In-Service Examination and has recently completed his term as president of the New York Regional Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He founded that organization’s magazine and served for many years as the editor-in-chief.

A strong sense of service to the community here and worldwide has motivated Dr. Lukash to volunteer his expertise to organizations such as Surgical Aid to Children of the World and Operation Smile. He has been honored by the Chief Executive of Nassau County for his service in reconstructing children from war torn Afghanistan. His giving also includes surgical service to local adoption agencies where correction of physical deformities has enabled unplaceable children to find homes. The United States Olympic Committee has recognized Dr. Lukash for his volunteer service at the summer Olympic Games.

In addition to writing and speaking, Dr. Lukash has an exhibit called “Operation Art” that has been featured at many Children’s Museums around the country. This exhibit depicts emotions through non verbal medium of art in children before and after undergoing plastic surgery.

Dr. Lukash holds staff appointments at Long Island Jewish Medical Center / Schneider Children’s Hospital, North Shore University Hospital, Winthrop University Hospital, St. Francis Hospital and Lenox Hill Hospital. He has also served as a plastic surgical consultant to the New York Islanders hockey team and the New York Jets football team.

His latest book is The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery.

You can visit his websites at www.drlukash.com and www.teenageplasticsurgery.com.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Frederick. Getting plastic surgery nowadays is a common practice and now teenagers are jumping on the bandwagon. However, there is a need for teenagers to know all the facts. Is this why you wrote your book, The Safe and Sane Gude to Teenage Plastic Surgery?

I have been treating children for over 30 years and have a strong interest in body image and self esteem and the role appearance plays in that equation. I took that experience and shared it in a book that is filled with attestations from patients and parents about the benefits of surgery for the right person under the right set of circumstances.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The book was easy to write. I have a high moral and ethical view on plastic surgery. I guess the hardest part was convincing publishers that there was a need for such a book .Editing was a challenge since most book editors are not familiar with the details of the subject.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

Absolutely! Plastic surgery is not a panacea or a quick fix for teen angst. It is one arrow in the quiver of tools available for certain structural situations affecting self esteem. It requires careful discussions with parents and physicians to reach proper conclusions.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I have been collecting drawings from my young patients for 30 years. I followed them throughout their lives and asked them and their parents to communicate to me about how the surgery impacted their kids. That was the stimulus to put it into a usable guidebook for parents confronted with the issues so prevalent in today’s media driven and appearance oriented society.

Q: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

I write academic articles and chapters in books and journals regarding plastic surgery – particularly dealing with children. I have and interest in politics and history and have written pieces on that as well. I am also working on a medical murder mystery novel.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

You really need to be committed since the projects are costly when you need to market the book. Writing was easy; the editing more challenging.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I live in NY – a hot bed for plastic surgery. I have 3 daughters – 2 of whom I did their nose jobs. I am a fencer as are my children. They are better than me and were nationally ranked in their age groups .My wife and I are dedicated to their well being and spend most of our free time and energy with them. My oldest is a new mom to our granddaughter Nola (named for New Orleans LA – where we all went to school) My middle daughter is a teacher in NYC and the youngest just graduated college and is off to NYU grad school in politics. This summer she is interning with the US State Dept at the United Nations.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

I grew up in NY. My father was the longest serving Chief Medical Examiner in the United States (50 years). The TV show Quincy ME was based on my dad. I have a sister who is also a doctor. I left NY for New Orleans for college and stayed for Med School – both at Tulane. From there I went to Emory in Atlanta for surgical training and finished at Harvard. I returned home in 1981 to set up my practice and work at the Children’s Hospital.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

In my study

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I am never away from it all. I do go to the gym and over the years have achieved success in Karate and fencing. I now practice yoga

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I tried public relations firms – the traditional route that had limited success.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

I have a Facebook and Twitter account; and also blog on my website www.drlukash.com. I also have a website www.teenageplasticsurgery.com that provides info about the book.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

I think the social media and blogging and You tubing has changed the landscape

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

Promoting the book! It is a great book that has received much critical acclaim but limited commercial success to date. It has been reviewed by the New Yorker; Library Journal and 2 plastic surgery journals. It is a finalist for book of the year by ForeWord Magazine.

Q: What is the most rewarding?

Getting my message out

Q: How do you think book publishing has changed over the years?

You are on your own as far as marketing. Unless you are a celebrity gone are the book tours and the promotions by the publisher.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

Health and happiness

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

Israel. Great people and a great culture who know how to live and enjoy in spite of continued adversity

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

My patients!

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Frederick N. Lukash, MD Do you have any final words?

I hope the message gets out and anyone dealing with adolescents has this book as a reference to guide teens on the proper choice mode.

Award-Winning Book Publicity Company Since 2007

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR, BLOG TOUR & BOOK PUBLICITY ENDORSEMENTS: NICE THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PUMP UP YOUR BOOK

NEW! "Thank you Dorothy for a lovely tour! Thanks so much for the graphics and wonderful trailer!!"Avery Sterling, PRECIOUS BURDENS

"I just wanted to thank you for everything. You ARE the queen. Your are so personable and professional. Your graphics soared beyond. They are beautiful. It was a pleasure to work with you."Jude Hopkins, BABE IN THE WOODS

"THANK YOU for all of these graphics!!! That was a valuable added perk of working with you on the VBT! Thank you for all the work you put into those, and into the organization and follow-ups on the tour itself. It's been a pleasure working with you, Dorothy!"Allyson Rice, The Key to Circus-Mom Highway

"Oh, awesome!! Thank you so much! You ran such a lovely tour. Those images are great, I look forward to using them and will miss seeing the regular postings on Twitter ;-).
I really appreciate your steadfast and ongoing support. It means a lot!!"Palmer Pickering, MOON DEEDS

"Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you again for the amazing blog tour and to tell you that we will be adding the tour to Mark's author website in the next few days. We will of course be recommending your company to other authors we know. And when Mark's next book is out, we will use your services again." Kirsten Grenside on behalf of Mark Grenside, FALL OUT

"Thank you for all the great, creative, work you have done on behalf of my book. You are
a special lady, as a kind hearted woman and a professional."
Maria Andrade, DEFIANCE AND REDEMPTION

"Everyone did an excellent job. The blog pages were beautiful, and the trailer was so clever and funny. Thanks for sending these lovely "souvenirs" from my tour. I will be able to use all of these posts on Twitter. I enjoyed this so much and look forward to my next tour!"
Irene Woodbury, HONEYMOON ROULETTE

" I am delighted with the results of my recent tour with Pump Up Your Book. Dorothy is meticulous and professional, presents beautifully laid out pages, maintains constant contact with the client, and gives more than expected value for money. In a nutshell: you get what you pay for and more on top! I will certainly be using Dorothy’s services for my other Regency romance books.”
Arabella Sheraton, THE LORD BLACKWOOD REGENCY ROMANCE SERIES

"Thank you so much for The Shadow of Atlantis tour. I've really enjoyed all the posts and seeing my book being promoted. I will definitely come back to you with another of my titles!"
Wendy Leighton-Porter, THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS

"Thank you so much for the great job on the book tour! Pump Up Your Book was a driving force in the launch of THE PILATE SCROLL!"
M.B. Lewis, THE PILATE SCROLL

"Thank you ever so much - it was a fun tour. I will continue singing your praises to my fellow authors. And grateful for the images, I will put them to continued use."
Kathleen Shaputis, HIS KILT DROPPED HERE

"I appreciate you and your hard work. Thank you for creating these awesome images for my book and allowing me to use them. I am very thankful to have them!"
Joni Ankerson, TO KILL OR BE KILLED

"Thank you for an Amazing Virtual Book Tour for Son of a Soldier! I really appreciate all the work you put into it!"
Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

"Thanks so much for getting ANNA INCOGNITO out there and reviewed and shared with so many people. It was great to see it on so many twitter feeds!"
Laura Preble, ANNA INCOGNITO

"Thank you so much for such a fantastic tour! You did an amazing job getting it together so quickly, and I couldn’t have been happier!"
Lena Gregory, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

"Thank you so much Dorothy! I appreciate your hard work. Love the graphics!"
Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

"This has been one of the best things I’ve done as an author. Not only am I getting the word out about my books but I’m learning about my own work and my readers along the way. I love it!"
Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

"Today my blog tour ended, with another great review which made me end the tour with a big smile! What a fun way to end this incredible 4-week tour. I will surely miss it. I want to thank you for arranging it so well and for being there for me whenever I needed. Thank you!!!"

Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

"I think you did an excellent job last time, thank you!"
Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

"Just wanted to thank you for the book tour. :) You did a great job. :)"
Suzanne M. Hurley, THE TEDDY BEAR EYE CLUB

"I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful virtual tour in August for Brimstone and Water. I was very happy with the amount of attention given to the book and to me. I am mentioning it to friends on line that haven't gone to the site yet to be sure and take a look. Thanks for all your work."
Sharon House, BRIMSTONE AND WATER

"Thank you for running my book promotion for BlackJack. I am so pleased with the reviews that came in and appreciated all you did. My sales have improved from being around 800,000 down to the 200,000 on Amazon and hopefully dropping still. I will definitely be contacting you for a promotion again."
Christine Donovan, BLACKJACK

"You’ve been a joy to work with, and I’d do another tour with you in a heartbeat. Overall, it was an excellent experience and a good value. I’ll be sure to look you up when it’s time to release my next book."
Michael Allan Scott, GREY DAZE

"Just wanted to thank you for putting together a great tour for You Won't Remember This. I think the author was pleasantly surprised and overall very pleased."
Bacon Press Books

"Dorothy, thanks so much for another great VBT!!! The Twitter-Party was a new feature this time that I particularly enjoyed. I will continue to recommend PUYB to my writer-friends, because you are simply the best!!!"
T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

"Thank you for a great blog tour for my “Depression and Your Child.”
I’m in the middle of my third book and will definitely call on you again when it’s time to market it."
Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

"Your hard work and professionalism hasn't gone unnoticed. When I release my next novel(s), I will definitely use your service. I have already recommended you to several authors."
Ashley Fontainne, GROWL

"Thanks for a very good experience with Pump Up Your Book. Fighter Pilot's Daughter has sold out of the first printing (still available as POD on Rowman & Littlefield's site, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.). My editor at R & L says there's a very good chance the book will come out in paperback in the summer. He asked me "Did you hire a publicist or something?" I told him about you, and he was impressed."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

"You are amazing Dorothy and I love what you do to get the spirit of our books out to the world. Thank you!"
Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

"I can't believe the response this book is getting! I am so very thrilled that she liked it!!! You are THE BEST, Dorothy, for hooking up this amazing tour with all these stunning reviews! This was the book I was going to keep under my bed forever and ever and now WOW. I can't believe this is happening. It's like a dream come true!"
Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

"Just wanted to say I'm appreciating your tweets so much. This is really helping my book sales, and I'm telling writer friends about you."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

"Thank you SO much!!!! I had a blast on the tour and appreciate all the time the bloggers and reviewers spent promoting Ash to Steele:)"
Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

"When it comes to looking for a virtual book tour coordinator, Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book Tours is simply the best. I have tried several virtual book tour coordinators and have even set up a book tour on my own, but none of them were as successful as my tours with Pump Up Your Book Tour, which has the combination of expertise and experience needed to get the author the results they need. On this latest tour, TWELVE TO MURDER made it up to number three on Amazon! Thank you, Dorothy!"
Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

"Thank you again for all of your help and support for my recent book tour. You were so supportive and responsive, and I enjoyed working with you. It was a great tour and I really enjoyed it, especially when my book hit the top 100 in the two subcategories! That was awesome! Thanks for "pumping up my book!""
Monique Roy, ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES

"Thank you for another amazing tour, Dorothy!! I loved the sites I had an opportunity to visit and the people I met along the way. I even made a few new friends and found wonderful supporters that I'll never forget - I promise! The exposure you gave my book was absolutely unbelievable, and I can't think of a better way to welcome and expose an author's new creation to the literary world. Happy New Year to all your readers and may your success continue to grow. "
Kaylin McFarren, BURIED THREADS

"Thank you for a great virtual book tour. I thought it went really well and it was great to have a wave of PR that flowed through the two month period of my book release. I'm working on my next book - and will definitely reach out to you when it comes time to market! You were a delight to work with and really made me feel looked after. As I've mentioned before, I just don't know how you do it all."
--Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

"I just wanted to let you know how wonderful I felt my book blast went for Be Careful What You Wish For in the month of August. So many emails and contacts that I would never have gotten. The publicity was just phenomenal!"
--R.K. Avery, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

"Just wanted to touch base with you and extend a huge thank you for the wonderful and successful book blast you arranged for Love Vindicated for me. I was very happy with your services and will be passing your name and brand along to some writer friends with a stellar recommendation. Again thanks and I look forward to working with you again in the future."
--Lila Munro, LOVE VINDICATED

"Thank you so much for all your hard work in putting together the virtual book tour for The Sixth Power. I appreciate it so much."
--Carol Nicolas, THE SIXTH POWER

"Thank you SO MUCH for such a great blog tour!"
--Sandra D. Bricker, ALWAYS THE BAKER, FINALLY THE BRIDE

"Wow - you are absolutely fantastic. Can't believe how lucky I was to find you :)"
--Jo Sparkes, THE BIRR ELIXIR

"I just wanted to let you know that tonight Steven Manchester's Twelve Months became The Story Plant's first #1 Kindle bestseller. This couldn't have happened without you. Barb's cover is an absolute showstopper, Sue's copyediting boosted the overall work, Jackie's proofreading kept all of us honest, and Tracee Gleichner's blog tour started what has become an avalanche of great reviews."
-- Lou Aronica, STORY PLANT

"Blog tours have been the most effective promotion I’ve done. Dorothy Thompson and her company Pump Up Your Book are the greatest. I’ve spent money with other promotion companies that advertised packages then didn’t deliver the service they advertised, inflated their audience and reach and point blank falsely represented themselves. Dorothy has been a Godsend, and by far, her services are the best promotional endeavors I’ve invested in thus far."
-- Alicia Singleton, DARK SIDE OF VALOR

"I didn't realize that there is a place on amazon that you can see your stats for foreign sales; mine are really good and I believe it is your tweeting service. I think I might have found the key to successful self-publishing when I found Pump Up Your Books."
-- Suzanne Jenkins, PAM OF BABYLON SERIES

"Dorothy Thompson helped promote my book, Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey. Taking part in it was so much easier (and less expensive) than the travel schedule I was hving to keep doing on my own. She set up everything, coached me through my part, and I found my book and I promoted it all over the Internet. It definitely increased my book sales."
-- Malana Ashlie, GRINGOS IN PARADISE

"Dorothy was not only a lot of fun to work with but she helped me get the word out about my book. I would recommend her to both debut and experienced authors."
---Deborah Woehr, PROSPERITY: A GHOST STORY

“Dorothy is a firecracker promoter. She is skilled at finding the most visible placements in promoting your book with unmatched enthusiasm.She is creatively talented and a wonderful person to have on your team.”
--Kathy Holmes Eckardt, REAL WOMEN WEAR RED

“I invested in a three month virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Books promotions for my noir thriller, Moonlight Falls. Not only did the marketing campaign work wonders for spreading the word about the new novel, in the very last month, on the very last day of the tour, Moonlight Falls became an Amazon Kindle bestseller!”
–Vincent Zandri, MOONLIGHT FALLS and THE REMAINS

“I’m so pleased every day when I look at Google Alerts and see our titles all around the blogosphere, so thanks for that!”
–-World Ahead Media

“This has been a wonderful experience. Dorothy Thompson and her whole team are very committed to each author, take each author’s tour very seriously, and work towards maximum exposure in the right places. This is the best book promotion expenditure I’ve made in terms of return on investment. I highly recommend Pump Up Your Book Promotion.”
--Phyllis Zimbler Miller, MRS: LIEUTENANT

"I used Pump Up Your Book promotions a few months ago for my novel, Nephilim. My publisher is a great person, but when it comes to promotions, she encourages authors to do that on their own. Enter Dorothy Thompson at Pump Up Your Book. I had 8 reviews of the book and was featured as a guest author every day of the week at various websites during the month that I used her company. Amazing! She secured everything for me which was really nice and I didn't have to do anything but write a few blogs or answer interview questions. I would use Pump Up Your Book again in a heart beat!"
--Mary Ann Loesch, NEPHILIM

Visit here to find out what others have to say!

Follow Us!

Click on image to see who’s touring in November!

Book Mockup Graphics for $49!

Click on image to find out more!

PUYB Book Trailer of the Week

The Death of the Kremlin Czar by Jorg H. Trauboth

Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach