A Soul Less Broken Virtual Book Publicity Tour August 2011

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

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!

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