Stephanie Riseley, author of Love From Both Sides, Launches her Blog Tour!

& Book Giveaway Comments Contest!

Stephanie Riseley is a writer, teacher, and hypnotherapist. Her book, Love From Both Sides: A True Story of Soul Survival and Sacred Sexuality, tells the story of her husband dying in her arms and coming back to chat.

Besides being a writer, Stephanie has studied hypnosis since 1971. Over the years, she's helped hundreds of people lose weight, quit smoking, and make empowering lifestyle changes. Because she's also a teacher, she explains how our computer-like brains work and then teaches her clients a skill-set that helps them to re-program their own brains. It's like fixing a glitch in the wiring, or like ridding a computer of a pesky internet virus.

Scientific research proves that once people change their thinking, they actually change the physical structure of their brains. Because of that, they're freed of self-destructive behaviors that ruin lives and steal happiness.

To do this, Stephanie uses hypnosis, along with techniques from Cognitive Behavorial Modification and Guided Interactive Therapy.

Find out more about Stephanie by visiting her website: www.stephanieriseley.com

Love From Both Sides: A True Story of Soul Survival and Sacred Sexuality

By Stephanie Riseley

Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN: 1844091392
Publisher: Findhorn Press

In this memoir, memorial, and celebration, Stephanie Riseley shares the deeply emotional and powerfully physical story of the continued relationship between her and her husband Dan after his sudden death. Exploring the ways in which love and forgiveness can transcend the boundaries of life and death, the book intends to change perceptions of the emotional and spiritual relationships two people can share. Problematic marriages and challenging relationships will take on positive new dimensions.

Book Giveaway Comments Contest!

If you received our Events Newsletter, remember, we are holding a contest to win a copy of Stephanie's book, Love From Both Sides: A True Story of Soul Survival and Sacred Sexuality, to those that comment. So, grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and enjoy the chat, and share your thoughts, and comments, at the end.

We will randomly choose a winner from those who comment. Enjoy!

Interview by LuAnn Schindler

WOW: Stephanie, congratulations on your book publication. Thank you for launching your blog tour with WOW! Our readers will definitely want to get to know you, so let's get the tour started.

I lost my spouse six years ago, and for close to a year after his death, I heard him speak to me. And then one day, the discussions ended. Do you think that's a common occurrence when a loved one passes or do you believe only certain people have that cosmic connection?

Stephanie: I think everyone's experience with the "In Between" is specific and different, because it's all very complicated. People "hear" from the Other Side when they are able to "listen," i.e., go deep and quiet. For me personally, the pain of losing my husband was so searing, that I barely had access to my own thoughts, let alone the extra energy needed to "hear" from him. It wasn't until my own "circuits" calmed down enough and my own energy shifted away from the "pain/loss" and I actually got more centered, that my dear dead husband was able to break through the heavy energy that is mourning and begin to chat. I've had so many widows share similar experiences so I know I'm not alone. With your own year of husband chatting? That's about the length of time I had, as well. And in my book, that was because my husband's "energy" had healed enough to choose his next life, and so he reincarnated, and moved onto his next life, and next adventure. Maybe that was your husband's situation, as well.

Do only certain people have a cosmic connection? No, we are all wired to "hear." It's just a skill set that either gets developed or doesn't. Like playing a violin--you first need to pick up the violin, then you must practice. And that's all it takes. A desire followed by discipline. But as a species, we are all hard-wired to "hear."

WOW: It's interesting how some people tune in and others never experience 'hearing'. People may be surprised by what they discover.

Growing up, you experienced several serious medical setbacks, and eventually, you were diagnosed with lupus. How did that experience guide your career and writing choices?

Stephanie: The story of my own health "issue" would take another book, but in short? It's been my biggest gift. Yes, at 20 years old, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus--a pretty nasty autoimmune disease, where my body made anti-bodies to itself, that is, attacked all my own connective tissues. At the time, my doctors gave me about five years to live. Even though I could barely walk because of joint pain, couldn't breathe because my lungs were filled with fluid, and my kidneys were shutting down, I refused to believe those doctors, and I found an alternate form of healing. Because of that, today's my 62nd birthday, and I look and feel great! But I take very good care of myself. And that's what I teach my clients--how to take care of their bodies and how to take care of their brains and minds. What you decide to put inside your head is just important (if not more so) as what you put inside your body!

WOW: Deciding what to put inside one's head is a lesson everyone should consider. Healthy choices offer so many possibilities, as you mention. Perhaps you will write a book about your Lupus diagnosis and share your journey to good health.

Let's talk about your publication path. You had experience as a screenwriter, but you discovered getting a script picked up differs from publishing a novel. First, you tried the traditional route. And then, fate intervened. Would you share your story, from when you finished the book through the publication process, and now, marketing your book?

Stephanie: I gave up, literally. "Let go, let God." I'm a screenwriter, so I knew getting a book published would not be easy, but it was much harder than I imagined. I wrote to book agents, sent my book proposal out to publishing houses, I bought Arielle Ford's system, I signed up for some MediaBistro's "book selling" workshops, but nothing seemed to work. If you read my book, you'll see that finishing "Love from Both Sides" took all the energy I had, but I finished it, and thought, “Okay. Now what?” Since, I'm a hypnotherapist, and do Past Life Regressions, I created a website. Someone emailed me and asked me a question about Past Life Regressions, and I answered her. She kept asking more and more questions, until I said, "I wrote a book that will explain all of this. Why don't I send it to you?" And so I did. And she shot back immediately, "This is a fabulous book! Who's publishing it in England?" I said, "No one's publishing it in the U.S., let alone England." And she said, "Well, I forgot to tell you that I'm the book editor at the Birmingham Post, and I think Findhorn Press would love your book!" And with one email, I sent the book off to Findhorn Press, and the publisher, Thierry Bogliolo, said, "Not only do we want to publish it, but we want to fast track it."

If you think writing is hard? Selling impossible? Get ready for marketing. Unbelievably difficult, but doable!! If you keep smiling, yes? Know that it will feel overwhelming and impossible, but that you will do it anyway!

WOW: (Smiles) Isn't it amazing when luck connects you with a person and the end result offers a positive outcome? Your journey to publishing gives hope to those of us who are still searching for a publisher.

A book title is so important. Surveys show people purchase books based on titles and cover art. Love from Both Sides explains the importance of expressing love when you're alive and how love continues after death. Why is love important from both sides of life?

Stephanie: Before Dan, my husband died, I'd planned to write a book called, "The Married Girls Guide to Hot and Sacred Sex," but then he died, and because I needed to figure out a way of making money, I decided to go back and try to write that book. So, I got a group of married friends together to talk about marriage, sex (or the lack of it) and love. I'd been a widow for only four months by then, and I was still in "thick, miserably, mourning hell," but while they all complained about their very much alive husbands, I started to feel sick. Because I was surrounded by moms with kids, I left them to chat about marriage and sex, and I went home. It wasn't until the next morning, when I got up to yet another lonely, horrible Sunday that I got mad at being so miserable. (One of the stages of mourning.) And because of that, my energy shifted out of "mourning hell" (which is hard to break through for spirits) and my husband's energy burst into my body… into my arm, because I channeled him. The communication began with: You are my goddess now and forever. We walked a life together that allowed me to love more profoundly and deeply because of you. You must honor what we had together and forget the rest.

Love from Both Sides simply "presented" itself one day. The subtitle--A True Story of Soul Survival and Sacred Sexuality--I had to come up with for the marketing department. And that wasn't easy!

WOW: I'll be honest, the subtitle caught my attention! Do you write in other genres or do you specialize in spiritual non-fiction?

Stephanie: I'm a screenwriter, and I used to write short stories. I'm still proud of my wonderful, handwritten rejections from Roger Angel at the New Yorker!

WOW: You have a lot of varied writing experiences. Do you think it's important for writers to specialize?

Stephanie: Writers should write. Period. End of story. It's your purpose--it's your gift. Do it now, or you'll get to the Other Side, and there will be hell to pay! Head Spirits will be upset with you… your voice was needed.

WOW: (grins) I write every day so the head spirits should be pleased with me!

Stephanie, are you currently working on any projects you'd like to share with our readers?

Stephanie: Right now, I'm busy with my wonderful clients and the book marketing to do much else. But, just yesterday, one of my clients, a producer at Paramount, who's trying to launch a movie, asked me to read the script and give him notes. I said, "Why me?"

And he said, "I don't know anyone whose intelligence and judgment I’d trust more." Now, because all girls love to flattered, so even though I don't have time to do it, I said, "Yes." He's very crafty, my client, but my feeling is that the Universe works in such weirdo ways, and who knows where the next opportunity will come from. That’s why it's important say "Yes!" to everything. (Unless, of course, it’s dangerous or illegal! ;) )

WOW: Thanks, Stephanie, for giving readers a glimpse inside your book and your writing life. Best of luck on your blog tour.

Stephanie: My pleasure!

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Want to join Stephanie on her blog tour? Check out these dates and mark your calendar! You can also snag a copy of WOW's Events Calendar HERE.

Blog Tour Dates: Come and join the fun!

MAY 18, 2009 Monday
Stephanie will be chatting with WOW! Women On Writing at The Muffin. Stop by and share your comments! One lucky commenter will win copy of Stephanie's book!
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/blog.html

MAY 19, 2009 Tuesday
Stephanie will be stopping by Carolyn Howard-Johnson's blog, The New Book Review, to share some wonderful feedback from one of her readers.
http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/

MAY 20, 2009 Wednesday
Stephanie will be stopping by Ashley Cooper's blog, Rituals for Healthy Living, to discuss the differences between soul love vs. sexual love in everyday life. This should be an interesting post!
http://healthylivingrituals.blogspot.com/

MAY 22, 2009 Friday
Stephanie will be stopping by SuperEnlightenMe, a blog about spirituality and self-help topics, to share her thoughts on spirituality.
http://www.superenlightme.com/

MAY 27, 2009 Wednesday
Stephanie will be stopping by Linda Sue Anderson's blog, Holistic Future, to chat about one of the topics in her book--maintaining a relationship with a loved one after death.
http://www.holisticfuture.com/

JUNE 3, 2009 Wednesday
Stephanie stops by Mary Jo Campbell's blog, Writers Inspired, for an author interview & book giveaway comments contest! Be sure to stop by--Mary Jo's interviews are always a lot of fun!
http://writerinspired.wordpress.com/

JUNE 8, 2009 Monday
Stephanie stops by Your Hypnotist Blog to answer questions from the UK blog's readers! If you have a question for Stephanie, check out this post for details on how to send in your question. You can remain anonymous, but be sure you send in your question before Friday, May 22nd, for inclusion in this stop. It'll be interesting to see what questions readers will come up with!
http://www.yourhypnotistblog.co.uk/

JUNE 9, 2009 Tuesday
Don't miss this stop! Today, Stephanie stops by Hot Flashbacks Cool Insights to share one of the most unique flashes of intuition of all time--how to continue to commune with a loved one after death.
http://hotflashbackscoolinsights.blogspot.com/

JUNE 12, 2009 Friday
Stephanie stops by Madeline Sharples blog, Choices, to chat about memoir writing--specifically, writing to heal and the road to finding representation and a publisher for your memoirs. This should be an insightful stop for writers!
http://madeline40.blogspot.com/

JUNE 14, 2009 Sunday
Wondering if you've already met your life partner? Stephanie stops by Fiftyish Diva to share her tips on recognizing your soulmate. Not to miss!
http://blog.fiftyishdiva.com/

JUNE 16, 2009 Tuesday
Stephanie stops by Michele Avanti's blog, Astrology and More, for an author interview! This blog not only answers questions about all things metaphysical, it also shares information about publishing, writing, and creating successful books even for small niche publishers.
http://www.astrologyandmore.blogspot.com/

We also have several more dates to come, so be sure to check out our Events Calendar HERE.

Get involved!

We hope you are as excited about the tour as we are! Mark your calendar, save these dates, and join us for this truly unique and fascinating author blog tour.

If you have a blog or website and would like to participate in Stephanie Riseley's blog tour, or schedule a tour of your own, please email Angela and Jodi at: blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com

** Please feel free to copy any portion of this post.

Oh, be sure to comment on this post to enter in a drawing for a copy of Stephanie's book Love From Both Sides: A True Story of Soul Survival and Sacred Sexuality.