A Soul Less Broken Virtual Book Publicity Tour August 2011

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Join Helen Laibach, author of the contemporary women’s fiction, A Soul Less Broken (Wheatmark), as she virtually tours the blogosphere August 1 – 26 2011 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About Helen Laibach

After majoring in psychology in college, Helen Laibach realized that her aspirations to be a marriage, child, and family counselor did not suit her temperament–so she began a family and chose a more satisfying career as an executive assistant. An avid reader and talented nature photographer, Laibach lives in Southern California with her husband of twenty years and their youngest daughter. A SOUL LESS BROKEN is her first book; 10% of the profits from the sale of the book will be donated to charities related to violence against women and to brain cancer research and treatment.

You can visit her website at www.helenlaibach.com.

About A Soul Less Broken

In Helen Laibach’s first novel, A SOUL LESS BROKEN, Catherine Wilcox is brutally attacked. She finds herself falling in love with Dr. Alan Peterson, the emergency room physician who treats her, but soon realizes that the attack has left her so emotionally scarred that she is forced to turn away the only man who truly loves her. And at a time when she feels her life is finally beginning to heal, Catherine must then face the devastation of learning that her dearest friend has terminal cancer. How–and where–will she find the strength to cope with all this loss?

“My story line,” Laibach explains, “was initially inspired by an interview I saw with a woman who had been viciously attacked in Central Park. The interviewer asked her how she was not bitter and why she didn’t hate the man who did that to her. She responded that the attacker took one night of her life, but she refused to give him any more.

“I knew then that I wanted to write a story about a woman transcending being a victim to getting her own life back and regaining her own personal power.”

The book is also about the power of women’s friendship: as Catherine struggles to piece her life back together, she is referred to a therapist, Madeline Jessops, and the two women soon become close friends. But just as they are enjoying their friendship, tragedy strikes once again as Madeline is diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer. Madeline writes a goodbye letter to Catherine thanking her for being such a dear friend. The book’s title comes from a line in the letter: “Every day that you let love in will be a day that your soul feels a little less broken.”

Through its many emotional twists and turns, in the end, A SOUL LESS BROKEN is a love story. “I want people to believe in the power of love,” Laibach says. “I enjoy reading contemporary women’s fiction. But there’s nothing worse than reading a whole book, hoping that the two will get together–and then they don’t! If the book is going to drag you through all kinds of emotions, there has to be a payoff!”

At 178 pages, Laibach points out, “People have commented that A SOUL LESS BROKEN is not a big book–and that’s intentional. I’ve read books where the author spends too many pages describing the scenery. And I find myself skipping through those pages. I don’t want readers to be tempted to skip anything, so what’s written either advances the story or develops the characters in some way. It’s a short book on purpose.”

Laibach says that one of her readers admitted to having the same reaction to the book as she had after seeing the movies Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias. “I want people to be affected by the story. Because for me, that’s the whole point of reading. If a book is written effectively, you feel like you’re in the characters’ lives; you know what they are going through. Most women said they cried at the end–and that’s my goal.”

Still, there is the main message of the story. “I want people to enjoy the book,” Laibach asserts, “but I also wanted to sneak in additional messages they can come away with. I want women to feel empowered, to realize that you always have a choice in how to respond to adversity–that you can decide that you are not going to be controlled by the situation.”

Watch the Trailer!

Book Excerpt:

Now, a year later, Catherine couldn’t wait to finish her degree, pass the bar, and actually, at last be able to practice law. It was a shame her mother wouldn’t be around to see that she really did amount to something in spite of her father. Her mother would have been so proud. But tonight, after a grueling session at the library, as Catherine headed out to her car, her mind was empty, tired from too much thinking and too much concentration. She was just anxious to get home to a glass of wine and a hot bath. Tomorrow’s another day, she thought. My paper will be done, the final exam is in two weeks, and maybe then I can finally relax for a while.

With the exception of the silver Volvo that belonged to the night librarian, her little yellow Volkswagen was the only car left in the lot. The wind that had been whistling stopped suddenly, and she had the sickening sense that someone was following her. As she glanced back toward the library, she wondered where the campus police officer was that usually patrolled the parking lot. She strained to peer through the darkness, but could see no one. She stopped and slowly turned to the right, then to the left … but again … saw nothing. There was only the strange eerie light shining from the street lamp through mist that was just beginning to fall. She tried to shake off the looming feeling of dread. God, this is ridiculous, she thought. I’m just tired. I must have pushed myself too hard tonight. I’ve got to go easier tomorrow, no more burning the candle at both ends. She looked down at the cell phone in her hand, ready just in case, but saw that now the battery had gone completely dead.

As she reached her car, one of the books started to slip; she scrambled to get her keys out of her pocket and juggle the books at the same time, but her arms were tired and she felt them give way. The books fell out of her arms with papers scattering in all directions. Everything began to take on a bizarre quality, as if in slow motion, and she heard the echo of her keys, as they hit the ground. It seemed to take forever, as she shoved her cell phone into her coat pocket, and then bent down to gather up the papers and the books.

She was trying to find her keys, when again, that terrifying feeling of panic came over her. Before she could think about turning around, out of nowhere the attacker was behind her. He was upon her so quickly and with such force, she couldn’t move. He had been lurking there in the shadows, waiting for his prey, and now one of his grimy hands covered her mouth so she couldn’t scream, while the other hand held a knife to her throat. He started dragging her off toward the heavy trees and shrubbery that lined the parking lot.

She struggled desperately to get free, writhing and kicking her legs, but he was so much stronger there wasn’t any hope of stopping what was about to happen. At that moment, she realized she was about to be raped, possibly even killed. In a burst of adrenaline, she did the only thing she could think of—she bit down on the hand covering her mouth with all the strength of a rabid dog. She knew she drew blood, because she could taste the saltiness on her tongue, but his grip didn’t relax in the slightest, in fact, the knife pushed harder into her throat.

“You bitch,” he hissed in her ear. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

A Soul Less Broken Book Publicity Tour Schedule

Monday, August 1

Interviewed at Virginia Beach Publishing Examiner

“Definitely submit your book to book bloggers who read your genre and ask them to review it. In addition to getting reviews, you’ll meet a lot of wonderful women!”

Tuesday, August 2

Book spotlighted at Book Marketing Buzz

“Now, a year later, Catherine couldn’t wait to finish her degree, pass the bar, and actually, at last be able to practice law. It was a shame her mother wouldn’t be around to see that she really did amount to something in spite of her father. Her mother would have been so proud. But tonight, after a grueling session at the library, as Catherine headed out to her car, her mind was empty, tired from too much thinking and too much concentration. She was just anxious to get home to a glass of wine and a hot bath. Tomorrow’s another day, she thought. My paper will be done, the final exam is in two weeks, and maybe then I can finally relax for a while.”

Wednesday, August 3

Interviewed at Beyond the Books

“When I wrote the initial manuscript 11 years ago, I attempted to get published the traditional way by seeking representation with a literary agent. That proved to be a daunting process and so I put my manuscript on a shelf and it became something that I might pursue again “someday”.”

Monday, August 8

Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book

“One of the most challenging lessons facing all of us in life is realizing that at any given moment, in any given situation we still have a choice. No matter what is being “done to us” or how others are “making us feel”, we still can choose how we react, and how we respond. Either we can choose to be a victim, giving our emotional power away allowing others to control our happiness, or we can take a stand and decide that today is the day we are the ones in control of our emotions.”

Tuesday, August 9

Interviewed at Review From Here

“I would have to say that my top three long term goals would be (1) finish the sequel, (2) Acquire a literary agent and be published with a mainstream publishing house, (3) Continually improve as a writer.”

Wednesday, August 10

Book reviewed at Reviews From the Heart

“A Soul Less Broken by Helen Laibach, the reader is taken on a very emotional journey in dealing with tragedy, heartbreak, healing and restoration in the life of Catherine, Alan and Maddie. It’s a such a wonderful lesson in how God can take the most broken places of our life and make them whole again if we are only willing to let Him. You will not be disappointed in this beautiful story.”

Friday, August 12

Book reviewed at Lynn’s Corner

“One of the best things about this book has very little to do with what is written between the covers of the book. Ms. Laibach has generously announced that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of A Soul Less Broken will go to two charities—RAINN (Rape Abuse and Incest National Network) and the National Brain Tumor society. To understand why she would choose those charities, I guess you will have to read the book!”

Monday, August 15

Guest blogging at Literal Exposure

“I’ve heard it said that the definition of courage is “doing what you know is right even when you are afraid.” There are the obvious examples of people who display courage every day – soldiers, police officers, firemen, rescue workers, etc. But there is another group of people who display a very different type of courage and those are the women who come forward to report being victims of sexual assault.”

Friday, August 19

Book reviewed at Ohio Girl Talks

“Through its many emotional twists and turns, in the end, A SOUL LESS BROKEN is a love story.”

Tuesday, August 23

Guest blogging at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

“Unfortunately, the statistics also show that in many cases, the women who have been victims of acquaintance rape have impaired judgment at the time of the attack, either from the attacker slipping drugs into their drinks, or simply because they have consumed excessive alcohol on their own.”

Wednesday, August 24

Book reviewed at Life in Review

“I very highly recommend this book! The story is beautifully written and will hook you from the very start. The characters will steal your heart and will pull you in to the story emotionally. The story is an emotional roller coaster but it’s always full of hope even in the difficult times. I loved Cat’s character and I could really relate to her and feel her emotions. I really enjoyed Helen Laibach’s writing and I will definitely look for more of her books in the future.”

Thursday, August 25

Book reviewed at Must Read Faster

Friday, August 26

Book reviewed at Mad Moose Mama

Book reviewed at Colloquium

Helen Laibach’s A SOUL LESS BROKEN VIRTUAL BOOK PUBLICITY TOUR will officially begin on August 1 and end on August 26 ’11. Please contact Dorothy Thompson at thewriterslife(at)gmail.com if you are interested in hosting and/or reviewing his book or click here to use the form. Thank you!

UPDATE:THE SOUL LESS BROKEN TOUR IS NOW FULL. THANKS TO ALL PARTICIPATING BOOK REVIEWERS AND TOUR HOSTS FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!

If you would like to book your own virtual book tour with us, click here to find out how!

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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

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"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

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I really appreciate your steadfast and ongoing support. It means a lot!!"Palmer Pickering, MOON DEEDS

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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

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Arabella Sheraton, THE LORD BLACKWOOD REGENCY ROMANCE SERIES

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Wendy Leighton-Porter, THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS

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M.B. Lewis, THE PILATE SCROLL

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Kathleen Shaputis, HIS KILT DROPPED HERE

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Joni Ankerson, TO KILL OR BE KILLED

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Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

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Laura Preble, ANNA INCOGNITO

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Lena Gregory, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

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Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

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Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

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Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

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

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Suzanne M. Hurley, THE TEDDY BEAR EYE CLUB

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Sharon House, BRIMSTONE AND WATER

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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

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T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

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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

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Ashley Fontainne, GROWL

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Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

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Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

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Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

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Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

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Monique Roy, ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES

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Kaylin McFarren, BURIED THREADS

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--Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

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--Carol Nicolas, THE SIXTH POWER

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--Jo Sparkes, THE BIRR ELIXIR

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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