Pump Up Your Book Chats with Ron and Shawn Kilgarlin, authors of ‘Past Tense’

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ABOUT SHAWN KILGARLIN

Shawn V. Kilgarlin is a writer, speaker, and Chief Operating Officer of Louisiana-based American Screening Corporation (ASC), a nationwide leader in drug testing products since 2004. In 2011, she was named a Cambridge Who’s Who Professional of the Year in Health Care Support. Ms. Kilgarlin’s husband (and co-author), Ron Kilgarlin is ASC’s CEO and an internationally recognized sales expert. Their company has helped over a million people deal with the plague of substance abuse. While unusually active in her industry and community, Ms. Kilgarlin’s true passions are writing and helping those in need. She is the author of the book God’s Love Letters: Overcoming Adversity. Past Tense is her second book.

Visit her website at http://www.americanscreeningcorp.com/Past-Tense-Shawn-Kilgarlin-P2955C216.aspx

Find Shawn!

About Ron Kilgarlin

Ron Kilgarlin is founder and Chief Executive Officer of American Screening Corporation. He no stranger to adversity, under extreme conditions, and with his father’s sound advice, he sold off an underperforming company. On January 2004, Ron started American Screening Corporation, in his parent’s sunroom.

Under his direction, 9 years later & with the help of his wife Shawn Kilgarlin, COO, ASC is now the #1 Rapid Drug Testing Company in the United States. In 2009 his company was awarded by GSA, a contract, to sell to federal government agencies. ASC is ISO 13485 Certified, specializing in the manufacturing and distribution of Rapid Drug & Point of Care Tests, serving US & International Clients, including Medical, Corrections, Retail, Direct Consumer, Commercial, & Government Markets. ASC has Free Sale Certificates in 27 foreign countries, Health Canada, Saudi FDA, & Iran OFAC license.

Ron is a drug testing expert helping over 1 million clients fight the plague of drug & alcohol addictions. Ron is an internationally recognized sales & internet marketing expert. He led the creations of www.americanscreeningcorp.com, which is the premiere website to purchase drug & health tests, with over 4000 products and growing.

Ron has recently accepted a position on the board, for the Louisiana Economic Development Council, as Ambassador, for executive’s considering expansion or relocation.

His love for writing started years ago as he kept a journal for self- improvement. His goal is to reach out, inspire, and connect with the world, sharing his personal stories of hardship, and researched studies on techniques for self-improvement.

While not working Ron enjoys spending time with his beloved family, traveling the open road, smoking fine cigars, reading, & writing.

Find Ron!

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Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

SK: Writing Past Tense gave my husband, Ron, and I an opportunity to parlay our substantial experience in dealing with people fighting addiction to give them tools which they can use to avoid going down those dark roads.

RK: My goal is not only to improve myself but to help others improve their own well-being while they fight drug addiction. We know that the growth process can be painful and challenging, and can create stresses of all kinds along the way. Past Tense can be a wonderful tool for managing those stresses.
And given that everyone on the planet deals with stress, it can help anyone get through their own daily trials, no matter what their situation. Helping in this way inspires me to write.

My wife and I had this book idea for stress; we were experiencing stressful situations in many arenas of our lives. Everything came full circle; together, we created, funded and wrote, Past Tense: 365 Daily Tools for Putting Stress Behind You – For Good! What an experience!

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

SK: Very often, stress drives people to drugs and alcohol, so dealing with the stress in healthy ways is a very powerful tool to prevent the devastation which can result from drug and alcohol abuse. We want readers to know that there are options and resources available to help, and they are not alone during the difficult times.

RK: I’m not sure you’d call it an underlying message, since it’s a pretty front-and-center message throughout the whole book, and that is: while stress is an everyday part of life, and present in all arenas of our lives, you don’t have to be a victim of its consequences – you can manage stress, and Past Tense can help you do just that. As we say on the back cover of the book, reading our book is far healthier than negatively addictive stress-relievers such as alcohol and drugs. AND, Past Tense is guaranteed to be positively habit-forming and positive-habit-forming, as well.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

SK: I always thought I could be a writer, but I actually KNEW I was a writer when I felt a spiritual affinity with Nature. I wrote an entire book on virtues in two days. It’s my next creation.

RK: I have always kept a writing journal handy and enjoyed writing as a hobby all of my life.

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

SK: Take time (and MAKE time) for your writing. Always be willing to keep improving your writing skills.

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

SK: I live in Louisiana with my husband, Ron, and our 3 children, ages 2, 5, and 10. Although we live in a big city, I try to instill the same values and inner joy that was instilled in me growing up in a small country town.

RK: I’m married to Shawn Kilgarlin, the book’s co-author, and also my partner in our successful drug-screening-equipment business – which we started, against all odds, int eh sunroom of my parents’ house in 1999, and have grown to one of the industry’s leading companies. We live in Shreveport, Louisiana, with our three children: Cody, Isabella, and Julianna.

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

SK: I was raised in a small, country town where my mom helped the poor every day. My small town upbringing provided a strong foundation of virtues, which have greatly influenced my writing today. I am the oldest child of three, and was raised to experience nature. I had the freedom to explore my ideas and dreams, found the energy to pursue them, and was taught to find the power to make them real.

RK: I grew up in an emotional Italian family, with a loving, affectionate mother. Consequently, I write with great emotion.

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

SK: I write wherever I’m at: in the bathroom, in church, in the car, in the middle of the night, etc.

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

SK: I have never really promoted my books in a formal way. The first book was promoted primarily to ASC clients and became a “closet hit.” The publisher still want me to become more active in promotion activities like this interview!

Q: What is the most rewarding?

SK: The most rewarding part of being an author is having the opportunity to use my talents and resources to help other people change their lives for the good.

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

SK: In the future, when American Screening Corporation is a billion-dollar company, I plan to retire and pursue a full-time career in writing and publishing. My dream is to write!

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Shawn and Ron Kilgarlin. Do you have any final words?

SK: People who purchase our book, Past Tense, should know about our three main goals:

1. Inspire and motivate others to have a better life.

2. Increase the well-being of friends everywhere.

3. Support the achievement of true success and peace.

RK: What motivates me both as an author as well as in my drug-screening-equipment business, is helping others lead richer, more productive and more enjoyable lives. And being able to touch people’s lives in a positive way – which I know our book, Past Tense, will do- is very gratifying. As such, I’d encourage writers to figure out what motivates them and use that to drive themselves forward. Hint: it shouldn’t be money! That will only take you so far.

ABOUT PAST TENSE

Stress Relief is right here, in your hands.

Are you tense and need a break? You will love this book! Open it to any page on any day. You’ll find guidance and useful tips that are positive, fun, light-hearted and profound so you can get the peace of mind you really need – right now. Whenever you feel bothered and annoyed, fearful, insecure, angry or frustrated, it is probably from on of these:

•Daily Hassles – traffic jams, lost keys, bills to pay, unruly children
•Workplace – office politics, lack of respect, unemployment, helplessness
•Environmental – noise, pollution, harsh lighting, crowds
•Life Changes – college, marriage, divorce, aging, emergencies, grieving
•General Anxiety – holidays, peer pressure, addictions, feeling inadequate

Don’t worry, we have you covered. Designed for easy reading and fast relief, Past Tense gives you 365 engaging “page-a-day” stories to put your stress to rest. Each one brings you a healthy does of feeling better every day of the year. Sprinkled with inspiring quotes, thoughtful sayings and profound wisdom from the world’s great philosophers, modern thinkers, and major religions, Past Tense give soothing, down-to-earth advice for people of all ages. Use it to get “past tense” right away – and stay that way for life!

Work Stress. Management Stress. Money Stress. Life Stress!
They’re All Part of Everyday Life, BUT…

There are practical solutions and secrets that you can start using right away:

Fundamental understanding and management of stress is within your grasp.

With its 365 engaging, “page-a-day” stories, Past Tense offers a healthy dose of stress relief for every day of the year. The book covers every stress-generating scenario imaginable while teaching: the full impact of stress on your life; how to react to any crisis with composure; ways to read the warning signs of stress burnout; and tips on becoming a master of new behavioral patterns that help you live a highly stress-reduced life.

Past Tense is guaranteed to provide guidelines for creative problem solving while giving you positive-habit-forming techniques for tackling difficult situations. In its alternately fun, light-hearted, yet profound pages, you’ll discover ways to reduce harmful stress and increase productivity across the spectrum in areas including:

• Daily challenges (traffic, lost keys, workplace woes)
• Workplace pressures (office politics, lack of control, job loss)
• Environmental stressors (noise, pollution, harsh lighting, crowds)
• Life changes (college, marriage, divorce, aging, grieving)
• Stresses related to family, holidays, peer pressure, addiction, and much more

Sprinkled with quotes, sayings, and profound wisdom from ancient philosophers, modern thinkers, and the world’s major religions, Past Tense offers down-to-earth, common sense advice that speaks powerfully to readers of all ages and cultures. Use this lively stress-handling encyclopedia to get “past tense” and stay that way – for life!

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~ ~ ~ NEW KINDLE FIRE HD GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~

Pump Up Your Book and Ron and Shawn Kilgarlin are teaming up to give you a chance to win a new Kindle Fire HD!

Here’s how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour. If your blog isn’t set up to accept the form, we offer another way for you to participate by having people comment on your blog then directing them to where they can fill out the form to gain more entries.

This promotion will run from February 4 – April 26. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on April 27, 2013.

Each blogger who participates in the Past Tense virtual book tour is eligible to enter and win.

Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour.

If you would like to participate, email Tracee at tgleichner(at)gmail.com. What a great way to not only win this fabulous prize, but to gain followers and comments too! Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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WATCH THE TRAILER!

Past Tense Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule

Tuesday, February 5

Interviewed at Literal Exposure

Wednesday, February 6

Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking

Thursday, February 7

Book trailer reveal at Bookingly Yours

Monday, February 11

Interviewed at Review From Here

Wednesday, February 13

Guest blogging at Parenting from a Child’s Point of View

Thursday, February 14

Interviewed at Digital Journal

Monday, February 18

Guest blogging at The Paperback Pursuer

Tuesday, February 19

Interviewed at Yahoo News

Wednesday, February 20

Book spotlight at Socrates Book Reviews

Thursday, February 21

Book trailer reveal at Pump Up Your Book

Friday, February 22

Book reviewed at Reviews from the Heart

Monday, February 25

Book reviewed at Teena in Toronto

Tuesday, February 26

Interviewed at Examiner

Thursday, February 28

Book spotlight at Crazy Book Fairy

Shawn Kilgarlin’s PAST TENSE VIRTUAL BOOK PUBLICITY TOUR will officially begin on February 4 and ends on April 26, 2013. Please contact Tracee Gleichner at tgleichner(at)gmail.com if you are interested in hosting and/or reviewing her book. Thank you!

Award-Winning Book Publicity Company Since 2007

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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.

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