Gabriella Goddard

www.gulptime.com

give up living passively!

t: 020 7394 8503

m: 07811 361 785

e: gabriella@gulptime.com

Well I'm back on the virtual road this month with another virtual book tour for Gulp!.  I'll be visiting loads of blogs from all around the world, sharing my story and giving top tips on how people can face their fears and step up to the challenges in their life.  To join the tour, just click on any of the stops below.

A special thanks to Dorothy Thompson for organizing this month's tour.

See you in cyberworld!

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April 1st:  Paperback Writer

First stop is Paperback Writer with an interview with Rebecca where I share the ups and downs of my writer's journey and give advice to new authors.  Visit The Paperback Writer Now.

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April 2nd:  American Chronicle

Now I'm off for a visit to the American Chronicle which is a huge online news site.  Check out the glam photo from my book launch and read my top tips on how to break the Fear Cycle and ignite your eight Creative Sparks.  Visit The American Chronicle Now

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April 3rd:  The Story Behind the Book

As they say, behind every good man there's a good woman.  It's the same with books.  Behind every good book there's a good story.  Read about how one simple comment from a guest on TV kick-started my writer's journey and changed my life forever.  Visit The Story Behind the Book Now

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April 4th:  Book Cover Lovers

We're off now over to Book Cover Lovers where Sheila Stewart does a review of Gulp! for her blog the Book Cover Lovers.  Visit the Book Cover Lovers Now

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April 6th:  Divine Caroline

Now it's off to the Divine Caroline blog where I share my personal experience of having a cancer scare and talk about how it has influenced my writing.  I certainly don't want to go through that again!  Visit Divine Caroline Now

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April 10th:  Beyond The Books

Jump over to the Beyond The Books blog and hear more about my writer's journey - from coping with rejection letters to celebrating the launch in style at Penguin's Penthouse Suite whilst watching the most amazing sunset over the Thames.  Visit Beyond The Books Now

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April 11th:  You Tube

If you haven't seen it already, whip over to You Tube and watch the official Gulp! book trailer.  I had the most amazing time writing the script and synching it to music while on holiday in Malaga, Spain.  I'm not sure whether it was the sun or the sangria that had the most influence.  Visit You Tube Now

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April 15th:  The Book Stacks

Fear...it's only a four lettered word but boy what an impact it can have on our life!  I'm off to The Book Stacks to talk about the three biggest fears that most writers face - and that's before they even get started.  Visit The Book Stacks Now

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April 16th:  The Writer's Life

Well I'm off to the wonderful Dorothy Thompson's blog on The Writer's Life where I give an "in a nutshell" overview of Gulp! and how it can be a powerful roadmap for making big changes in your life.  Visit The Writer's Life Now

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April 17th:  The Book Connection

Oh here's a curly interview question; "What do you do when someone asks you a very skeptical question during one of your talks?"  Find out my answer - Visit The Book Connection Now

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April 21st:  Book Marketing Buzz

When you hand over your finished manuscript to the publisher, it’s easy to think that your job as the author is finally over.  The fact is - it’s only just begun!  I'm off over to Book Marketing Buzz to talk about my 3 biggest lessons I've learnt from marketing my books.  Visit Book Marketing Buzz Now

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April 23rd:  Conversations With Writers

Ever since I was a little girl I'd always dreamed of writing a book.  It took a cancer scare to give me a wake up call to turn that dream into a reality.  Here's an indepth interview with me on Conversations With Writers.  Visit Conversations With Writers Now

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April 24th:  Buzz The Book

I'm heading over now to Buzz The Book who are reviewing Gulp! this month as part of my virtual book tour.  Visit Buzz The Book Now

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April 25th:  Families.com

With the current downturn in the economy there's never been a better moment to give up living passively, rise above the recession and make positive changes in your life.  Read my interview all about this on Families.com.  Visit Families.com Now

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April 28th:  Blog Critics

Just popping over to Blog Critics for an interview with Mayra Calvani who grills me on tetchy topics like writer's block, writer's discipline (what's that?) and finding a publisher.  Visit Blog Critics Now

Hi there

This blog has moved over to http://goddard.typepad.com/blog

Come and visit us.

Warmly
Gabriella

'A special thanks to Dave Sharman who emailed me this wonderful quote.  It really epitomizes the essence of Day 3: Center & Connect in Gulp!
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'NON-BEING'

We join the spokes together in a wheel

But it is the centre hole

That makes the wagon move

We shape clay into a pot,

But it is the emptiness inside

That holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,

But it is the inner space

that makes it livable.

We work with being

But non-being is what we use.

(Anon)

What thoughts does this spark for you?

We're off now to Web Talk Radio for an interview with Nan Russell whose amazing personal story goes from being a minimum wage employee to the Vice President of a $4.4 billion dollar company.  She is the host of "Work Matters with Nan Russell" and she also writes a regular column called Winning at Work.  Nan is a fantastic interviewer and really asked questions that drilled down to the heart and soul of what Gulp! is all about.  In fact it was such a thought provoking interview that as soon as I put the phone down I was scribbling "notes to self" for about an hour - and I was the one being interviewed!

Listen to the interview here

And to find out more about Nan and her latest book "Hitting Your Stride: Your Work, Your Way and Nibble Your Way to Success" then visit www.nanrussell.com.

I always have believed that challenges are good.  .They are an opportunity to grow and learn.  They force you to step outside your comfort zone and stretch your vision of what is possible in your life.  They make you confront what’s not working in your life and they push you to reevaluate your priorities and what’s truly important.

Whether it's a career change, a lifestyle move, a relationship shift or fulfilling a deeply held dream - challenging ourselves makes us look deep within.  This can be incredibly scary as we come face to face with the fear of the unknown, the fear of failure or the fear of rejection.

The key thing is to remember that:

1. We always have a choice.  Whatever the situation we’re facing, we can always choose how we react, what we think, what we believe and how we feel.

2. Deep down we know what to do.  We are all blessed with an innate sense of wisdom and knowingness.  We just need to connect with our inner sage.

3. The “impossible” can be possible.  When we extend the boundaries of what we consider “possible” in our own lives, miracles can truly happen.

That’s why at the heart of the Gulp! Philosophy is the importance of being able to calm the mind and build a strong inner core.  True inner power comes from your mind and body being aligned and in synch with your soul.

In the face of any challenge, this combination is formidable!

If you're facing a challenge at the moment and need a bit of wisdom, then think of a number between 1-30.  Go with the first one that springs to mind.

Next click here to discover your Wisdom Word.

What new thoughts does this spark?

I braved being run over by a Yellow Cab driver on 3rd Avenue to get this shot for you.  Why?  Because it's brilliant.  As many of you know, my inspiration for writing Gulp! came from a breast cancer scare.  It was a real wake up call.  When you come face to face with your own mortality it forces you to take a good hard look at the life you're leading.

If there's one thing my experience has taught me it's that we've often harbored these dreams for a while but not done anything with them.  Then sh*t happens and all of a sudden we're taking action - fast!

But why do we need to wait for a wake up call?  And what stops us from just getting started today? 

Could APATHY be the biggest crisis of all?

Hmm...some food for thought.

I was walking down the aisle at Borders in the Time Warner Center in New York City, and look what I stumbled upon.  Philip, my commissioning editor at Bantam, always said that the bright purple cover for Gulp! would really "pop" on the bookshelf.  And he was right.

Many authors will tell you that writing a book can be like giving birth.  All I can say is that I felt like a proud "mom" seeing Gulp! on this book stand, especially when you consider that only two and a half years ago Gulp! was simply "an idea."  As St Francis of Assis famously said, "Start by doing what's necessary and then what's possible, and very soon you're doing the impossible."  And he was right.

A big hug to everyone who has supported me and Gulp! over the past few years.  You guys rock! (said with an American twang)

Plus, more coming soon from the Gulp! virtual book tour in the US...

Well it's off to the snowy town of Colorado for the next stop on the Gulp! Virtual Book Tour as we visit Karen Reddick's blog.  Karen is my wonderful Virtual Assistant (VA) and Editor who makes sure I keep on the straight and narrow.  Not only does she proof read and edit all my copy to make sure it's grammatically correct (what a relief to hand that job over to someone else!), she also turns it into American English as well.  Watch out for Karen's own Grammar book due out in March - essential reading for anyone for whom grammer lessons are little more than a faint and distant memory!

Here I share how the Gulp! principles can be used by VA's who want to step outside their comfort zone and take that leap of faith in 2008.  http://www.vandeservices.com/blog/

We're off over to Lesley Spence Pyle's blog of the Home Based Working Moms, an online community of parents who work at home and those who would like to.  Lesley is a super inspiring woman who set up HBWM in 1995 because as a mom she wanted to spend more time with her two beautiful children and play a bigger role in seeing them grow up.  Her passion is for other parents to reach the same goal.

So I wrote Lesley some Top Tips especially aimed at home based working moms and the challenges they face.

Check it out here:  http://hbwm.com/blog/?p=82