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Review of Be the Star You Are! 99 gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference by Cynthia Brian REVIEWED by Bud Bilanch, The Common Sense Guy www.SuccessCommonSense.com

On November 8, I attended a great event: Amazing Woman’s Day, a Marsh Engle production.  And sure enough, I met a really amazing woman, Cynthia Brian.  Cynthia is the author of a great book, Be the Star You Are: 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing and Learning to Make a Difference.  Big title, big book, filled with big ideas. I like everything about this book, beginning with the title.  Like Cynthia, I believe that we are all stars – we just need to find ways to showcase our brilliance.  In Be the Star You Are, Cynthia provides 99 ideas, she calls them gifts, to help you showcase your brilliance. Each gift is explained in a few pages, followed by an exercise to help the reader make the most of it.  For example the exercise that accompanies “The Gift of Optimism,” one of my favorite topics goes like this… •    Stand up tall.  Reach as high as you dare.  Stand on your toes, and reach for the stars.  Imaging yourself flying to the stars and landing on a twinkling surface of heavenly light. •    Now, bend over and fall limply to the ground.  Imagine yourself continuing to fall, being sucked deeper and deeper into the earth’s molten core. •    Stretch upward again.  Make circles in the air with your arms, sweeping them around you as you jump high off the ground. •    Which feels better?  Do you want to reach and soar?  Or fall and sink?  In life, you can be an optimist and reach for the stars, or be a pessimist and collapse into the earth.  That’s your choice. “Twinkling surface of heavenly light,”  “earth’s molten core;” Cynthia certainly has a way with words. More important, she shows her readers how to make the most of the 99 gifts in her book by providing such interesting, fun and useful exercises. I won’t list all of the gifts that Cynthia discusses in Be the Star You Are, but here are a few of my favorites…. I am grateful for Cynthia’s words about the gifts of abundance, acceptance, affirmation, balance, celebration, choice, cooperation, determination, dreams, enthusiasm, forgiveness, friendship, gratitude, hope, humor, joy, knowledge, miracles, passion, perseverance, reflection, responsibility, serendipity, spontaneity, truth, understanding, wisdom and you. Last week I featured President Elect Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope.  Hope is powerful.  Be the Star You Are is a hopeful book.  But with hope comes responsibility.  Cynthia challenges her readers to accept responsibility for their lives and success.  She says, “You are unique.  No one has ever walked the earth with your exact combination of inborn and acquired strengths, weaknesses, skills, foibles, talents, frailties and experiences…I challenge you to become the star you already are…I’ll provide the guidance.  You provide the guts.” I like the way she thinks.  Do yourself a favor.  Pick up a copy of Be the Star You Are.  Read it.  Savor the writing.  Do the exercises.  And become the star you are.

Road Map for Graduate Studies, written by Dr. Donald C. Martin, is the first comprehensive book about the graduate school experience, and is authored by a career insider, who spent 28 years in the field of graduate enrollment and student services. Road Map is an A to Z guide on everything from doing research on graduate programs, to navigating the application process, to succeeding once enrolled in grad school. Not only is Dr. Martin a higher education expert, but he was a graduate student twice, earning a master’s degree at the age of 31 and a Ph.D. at the age of 42. http://www.gradschoolroadmap.com.

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T42-Heather Brittany and Cynthia Brian with Be the Star You Are! for TEENS In T42, Heather Brittany and Cynthia Brian provide information on submitting your chapter for the new book, Be the Star You Are! for TEENS which will benefit Be the Star You Are! charity. There will be 99 chapters each beginning with “the Gift of…” with the gifts being various virtues important to living, loving,leading, laughing, and learning to make a difference. Teens and other writers are encouraged to peruse a chapter in the original book then sent in a chapter of 630 words or less. Deadline is Jan. 2009. For guidelines, visit http://www.bethestaryouare.org/Write/Index.html. Get published while helping others succeed!

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Check out the new webisodes written, directed, and produced by Be the Star You Are! charity volunteers. The series is called SHINE and we hope you’ll be inspired to be the best you! ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/Bethestaryouare

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WIN WIN $100 AND A GUEST SPOT ON OUR RADIO SHOW!

Be the Star You Are! 2008 FIFTH Annual NATIONAL Essay Contest

Be the Star You Are!  501 c3 charity announces its 5th annual essay contest to promote literacy and positive messages. www.bethestaryouare.org. FEE  $10 donation per entry DATES: October 18, 2008-January 18, 2009 FIRST Prize - $100 plus guest appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program, Be the Star You Are! (Total value, $700)  Additionally, your story will be published in our StarSearcher Express newsletter and at www.bethestaryouare.org. In the event of a tie, winners share cash prize and both receive publication and radio interviews. Other prizes to be announced. Runner-ups –Published in our StarSearcher’s Express newsletter and noted on web site.

You may choose from the three following topics 1.       Women from around the World: Understanding the similarities and differences of the role of women in various cultures. 2.       Journaling Your Way to a Better Life: How writing fears, moments of gratitude, and aspirations can help a person achieve goals in life. 3.       How has reading changed your life? What book was most influential in your life?  Why?

All submissions must be received by Be the Star You Are! by midnight January 18, 2009. Essays accepted by mail or email. You may enter as many essays as you’d like, however each one must be in a separate email or envelope accompanied by a $10 tax deductible donation entry fee. Be the Star You Are! is a 501 C3 charity. All entry fee donations are tax deductible according to the law. •    Any statistics must be documented with researched sources. •    Word Count: Please keep stories between 300-600 words . •    Email address: – cynthia@bethestaryouare.org (attachments in a WORD document are allowed) •    US  mail – Be the Star You Are! charity, PO Box 376, Moraga, Ca. USA 94556 •    All submissions must be original, and the sole property of the author.  Author retains all rights to submission. Winners and runners-up entries will be published on Be the Star You Are! web site effective February 9, 2009. Winners notified by that date. Winners will be listed in the newsletter and on the web site. No additional mailings will be considered. Payment accepted by check,VISA, MasterCard, or PAYPAL. Payment must be done at the same time of submission. All entries without donation are disqualified. Please supply:

* Author’s name * Mailing address * Email address * Phone number * Word count * 30 Word BIO For more information, please visit: www.bethestaryouare.org

Be the Star You Are!® is a 501 c3 charity. All entry fees are tax deductible. PO Box 376, Moraga, California 94556. Phone 925-376-7126, www.bethestaryouare.org

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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR NEW BOOK: BE THE STAR YOU ARE! FOR TEENS Thank you for wanting to participate in our upcoming book which will be published in time for the 10th anniversary of the founding of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 charity. We are very excited about this project and hope to help you become a published author with a book that will make you proud.  The book will be formatted in a very similar fashion to the first book, Be the Star You Are! 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference, although we may publish a random number of chapters. If you have not read the original book, we advise that you do so. You may read a sample chapter, The Gift of Abundance, at our web site or purchase personal copies from our office or our Amazon site where all sales are tax deductible as a donation. The link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1587610086 Proceeds from the sale of Be the Star You Are! for Teens will benefit Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 charity empowering women, families, and youth. GUIDELINES: 1.    Each chapter is titled THE GIFT OF…with only ONE story per chapter. 2.    Every story must be a true event that happened to you or someone you know who gives you permission to tell their tale. Stories are to have a compelling beginning, middle, and end with a life lesson that will inspire, encourage, empower teens or offer some insight to living as or with a teen. 3.    Each chapter is to include an original quote. 4.    Each story finishes with a short exercise demonstrating the “GIFT” in action. It will help the reader incorporate the gift into his/her life. 5.    Word count is between 360-630 words, not including the quote and the exercise. 6.    Please include your name, email address, web site, phone number, home/business address, city, state, zip plus a 40-50 word biography that tells us about yourself. 7.    Send ALL submissions in a WORD document to Cynthia@bethestaryouare.org. Hand written or typed submissions will not be accepted. Every submission MUST be via email or burned to a CD and sent to PO Box 376, Moraga, Ca. 94556. 8.    Every writer whose submission is published will receive credit as a contributor, a 40-50 word bio, promotion on our web site, newsletters, invitations to participate in book signings, readings, marketing, and deep discounts on all orders of books.  The writer will maintain copyrights and the ability to submit the story elsewhere as long as Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 maintains the rights to publish the work in all mediums for the purpose of this book. There is no financial remuneration for publication of your story. 9.    Submissions are due no later than January 6, 2009

Please inquire about the chapter titles that are available. We will make every effort to give you the GIFT you want.  In the case of duplication, we will attempt to re-edit your article to fit a different GIFT, with your permission. Please visit our web site at www.bethestaryouare.org for the latest updates on available chapters. All submissions must go through a long selection process. If your story enters the final round of this process, we will notify you by email and send you permission and biography forms to return. Due to the large volume of stories we receive, you will be notified ONLY if your story reaches this final stage. Please be patient as this is a lengthy process. Our publication date may be as late as November 2009, and the final selections may not be made until close to that date. In the meantime, please feel free to submit your stories elsewhere, as we only ask for non-exclusive rights for the pieces used in the book. Thank you for sharing your story with us! We look forward to creating a best selling book for and by teens. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Cynthia@bethestaryouare.org. Cynthia Brian Be the Star You Are!® charity, PO Box 376, Moraga, California 94556. www.bethestaryouare.org

GIFTS/CHAPTERS FOR BE THE STAR YOU ARE! FOR TEENS Red X marks after a GIFT indicates that GIFT is assigned or completed. Do not duplicate. If you have an idea for a different GIFT not listed on this page, feel free to email Cynthia@bethestaryoaure.org. Abundance Acceptance Action Adventure Affection Affirmation Appreciation Aptitude Asking Attitude X Awareness Balance Beauty Being Breathing Celebration Challenge Change Charity Choice Communication Community Conviction Cooperation Courage Creativity Curiosity Daring Dating Dedication Delight Destiny Determination Devotion Differences Direction Dreams Education  X Enthusiasm Exercise Fairness Faith Feedback Forgiveness Friendship Fun Generosity Grace Gratitude Growth Happiness Harmony Healing Health Home Honesty Hope Hosannas Humor Imagination Improvisation Ingenuity Inspiration Integrity Interdependence Joy Knowledge Laughter Leadership Life  X Listening Love Magic Miracles Moderation Motivation Nourishment Now Opportunity Optimism Parents Passion Patience Positivity Planning Play Prayer Purpose Reflection Rejection Responsibility Rest Risk Safety Serendipity Simplicity Sleep Solitude Spontaneity Sports Success Surrender Survival Tenacity X Tolerance X Transformation Triumph Truth Understanding Visualization Volunteerism Winning Wisdom Work You X

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Lynda Bulla’s children’s books-Freedom Rings and The Old Clock on the Wall What a thrill it is to find an author who loves children and knows how to tell provocative stories that will help kids learn and grow. Lynda Bulla’s series of children’s books can be found at www.katydidpublishing.com. Beautifully illustrated by Ernie Hergenroeder, children will be enthralled with the wit, wisdom, and parables penned by Lynda. Today’s show featured two books, Freedom Rings and The Old Clock on the Wall. With the help of a friendly helpful dragon in Freedom Rings, readers will understand the value of freedom while honoring the men and women who keep us safe. In The Old Clock on the Wall, children recognize that winners never quit and quitters never win. Most of all, we don’t have to be perfect in everything we do-just give it our best shot. Great books with a positive lesson. Visit www.katydidpublishing.com

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Bullying of any type is abuse. Cyber bullying can be done anonymously which makes it even more dangerous to youth. Parents and adults have an obligation to monitor their children for signs that kids may be bullied or are bullies. In this information and important segment of T42-A Mother/Daughter Brew, Cynthia Brian and Heather Brittany expose the realities of internet criminal behavior and the trauma it leaves behind. Fantastic episode. For positive good news, tune into the new series created by Be the Star You Are!- SHINE! http://www.youtube.com/Bethestaryouare

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Vamos al Zoologico with Bill Adams Author and publisher Bill Adams discusses his unique series of books that are written in both Spanish and English with a glossary of words and beautiful illustrations for children ages 0-7. To date he has Vamos al Zoologico (Goin’ to the Zoo), Hate That thunder (Odio Ese Trueno!),and Visitando la Granja (Visiting the Farm) published. In addition, coloring books are available in both languages. As of July 2006, the U.S. Census Bereau estimated there are 44.3 million Hispanics living in the United States, being the largest ethnic or race minority. By 2050 the Hispanic population is projected to reach 102,6 million. With such a large percentage of the country’s population immigrating from Spanish-speaking countries, it comes as no surprise that nearly one in five people living in the U.S. speaks a language at home other than English. The books are selling like wild fire and perhaps he’ll write books in other languages as well. Visit www.mandyandandybooks.com

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What if the world as we know it suddenly changed? What would you do? What if the grass ceased to grow, the trees and flowers withered away, and the waters of our planet were almost completely polluted by the very chemicals that we harness? In The Seekers, a thought-provoking tale by author BilliJo Doll, a diverse group of individuals defy these haunting questions, even while in the face of inevitable adversity. BilliJo Doll has an infectious love of life that helped her through her own health crisis while running a ranch, raising two young boys, volunteering with children and writing. Her love of children led her to write adventure stories that encourage the young and young at heart to resolve hardships with cooperation and love rather than competition. www.billijodoll.com

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