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ASJA Tip Sheet
December 15, 2004
The American Society of Journalists and Authors

Looking for an expert or a great story idea? Let the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) tip sheets help. If you'd like to build a story around the ideas in the sheet, or think that one of the experts is right for a story you have in the works, contact that expert directly. Questions? Contact Andrea Collier at tipsheet_at_asja-pr.org, or call (517) 487-1683. For more experts, check out our members directory at http://www.asja-pr.org/memdb/search.php.

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NEW YEARS TIPS
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LEAD: WANT TO FEEL MORE VIBRANT IN 2005?
What: Victoria Moran, the author of Younger by the Day: 365 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Body & Revitalize Your Spirit, offers great tips for feeling and looking better and younger in the new year and beyond. Contact Info for Victoria Moran, www.victoriamoran.com or 212-832-1804

LEAD: NEW YEAR. NEW HOPE. NEW THERAPY HOLDS MAJOR HOPE FOR PARKINSON'S SUFFERERS.
What: A southern California best selling author chronicles how a local man conquered Parkinson's. Hope Heals. How One Man Conquered Parkinson's recently published by Literary Press (Newport Beach) and available at all major booksellers is a must read for anyone afflicted with Parkinson's or any other neurological disorder. An astounding true story of how one man combined his faith, spirit and his own all natural formulations to beat the disease that afflicts nearly a million people a year. Author, Robert Bruce Woodcox can be reached at 800-339-0551 or through the publisher at www.literarypress.com.

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OTHER HOT TOPICS
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LEAD: WONDERING WHAT'S MAKING TODAY'S STAY-AT-HOME MOMS "DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES?
What: Staying home with the kids is now perceived as a privilege. But at-home moms gave up their careers for risky volunteer positions with no vacation days, no holidays and no sick days. Author Jen Singer can provide insight. She is the creator of the award-winning www.MommaSaid.net, the author of 14 Hours 'Til Bedtime: A Stay-at-Home Mom's Life in 27 Funny Little Stories (Wyatt-MacKenzie, November 2004). Contact:Jen Singer Jen Singer is the creator of the award-winning www.MommaSaid.net. She can be reached at (973) 492-8780, jensinger_at_mommasaid.net or www.MommaSaid.net

LEAD: WINTER VACATION IDEAS FOR OUTDOORS ENTHUSIASTS
What: Escape to nature without "roughing it" this winter by vacationing at a wilderness lodge. From the Canadian snow to the Caribbean surf, you can play outside all day and get pampered at night. Kimberly Lisagor, author of Outside's Wilderness Lodge Vacations (W.W. Norton & Co.), offers active winter getaway ideas in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Contact: Kimberly Lisagor, an Outside magazine correspondent and USA Weekend travel columnist, is the author of a guide to more than 100 North American wilderness lodges. She has tested the pillows, the pancakes, and the hiking trails at dozens of lodges, and is an expert on travel and the outdoors. Contact her at klisagor_at_mac.com or at (805) 542-0657

LEAD: GET YOUR RELATIONSHIP OFF TO A GREAT START IN THE NEW YEAR.
What: Get strategies for starting your year out right from Dr. Tina Tessina, a licensed psychotherapist with 25+ years experience in counseling individuals and couples. She knows the answers, because she has to her clients need practical help, and in terms they can understand. Dr Tessina is the author of 11 books, including It Ends With You: Grow Up and Out of Dysfunction; "How to Be a Couple and Still Be Free; and The Unofficial Guide to Dating Again; Dr. Tina is an online expert, for www.CouplesCompany.com and Yahoo!Personals, as well as the Redbook Institute, and publishes Happiness Tips from Tina newsletter. Contact: Tina B. Tessina, LMFT, PhD at : tina_at_tinatessina.com phone:562-438-8077, website: www.tinatessina.com/

LEAD: UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURAL DIVIDE BETWEEN THE POLITICAL/RELIGIOUS LEFT AND
RIGHT.
What: Dr. Charles Salter has been in great demand on national radio talk shows since the election because his recent book The Right Way: Why the Left Is Wrong and the Right is Right he accurately predicted the major issues which would determine the presidential race. For each, Dr. Salter explained the Left's point of view on the left side of the page and the contrasting Right's view on the opposite. Contact: Dr. Salter, an active conservative since 1960, holds five degrees, two from Harvard University. Contact him at saltercharles_at_hotmail.com or (240) 674-4117.


LEAD: ONGOING EFFORTS TO POLITICIZE FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY SERVICE THREATEN TO DISTORT THE RECORD OF INSPIRED SOCIAL ACTION ACROSS AMERICA.
What: No political party, religion or special interest group should boast it surpasses all others in serving the greater good, according to Mark Masse . His book, Inspired to Serve: Today's Faith Activists (Indiana University Press, 2004) profiles Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist reformers. My premise is that early religious and spiritual experiences, not political orientation, of these and many other committed individuals have softened their hearts and strengthened their resolve to make a difference. Contact: Mark Masse', Associate Professor of Journalism, Ball State University 765-759-7421, mhmasse_at_bsu.edu,www.bsu.edu/web/mhmasse

LEAD: GET THE MOST OUT OF THE HAWAII SPA EXPERIENCE.
What: Learn about the many layers of healing modalities in Hawaii from Hawaiian times through sugar days and today as can be experienced in the resort spa. Hawaii s Spa Experience: Rejuvenating Secrets of the Islands, co-authored, by Sophia V. Schweitzer gives you tips and insights into the Hawaii spa experience. Schweitzer has been writing about healing and luxury travel in Hawaii since 1997. Contact:Sophia V. Schweitzer Hawaii, phone: 808-889-5435; e-mail: veronica_at_interpac.net

LEAD: 18 CAVEATS ON HOW NOT TO CHANGE 15 REFLECTIONS TO BEGIN MASTERFUL PLOT REVISION.
What: A New Year always inspires evaluation of basic aspects of our life story and plot lines. It can be a time to recognize the assumptions ghostwriting behaviors, and to develop strategies for change and success in the next chapters of your life and business. Contact: David Krueger MD, Executive Coach, begins a new feature column in January on The People Business: Your Story excerpted from his 12th book, in prepublication, LIVE A NEW LIFE STORY: The Essentials of Change, Reinvention, and Personal Success .Contact him at 281.397.9001 or execstrategist_at_aol.com

LEAD: TULIPS, TOLERANCE AND TERRORISM: THE CRISIS IN THE NETHERLANDS/EUROPE FACES TERRORISM AT HOME.
What: With the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, death threats against Parliamentarians, and attacks on schools, mosques, and churches, Europe confronts a dangerous crisis between its own culture and that of its increasingly extremist Muslim immigrant populations. Recently a featured speaker on WNYC/NPR, Abigail R. Esman, who has covered this topic extensively for the US press, addresses the tensions, hopes, and fears, and the efforts to forge a peaceful coexistence. Award-winning essayist Abigail R. Esman, author of a book on domestic violence and terrorism, is currently writing a book about Muslim women in the West. Contact:Abigail1_at_compuserve.com or 011 31 20 679 5010.

LEAD: TEN TIPS FOR STARTING A BUSINESS AFTER 50.
What: As they approach 50, 1 out of every 5 people want to start a business. Paul and Sarah Edwards, Authors of The Best Home Businesses for People 50+ and 15 other books, offer up to 10 tips for turning fantasies for the perfect 50+ career into income and avoiding pitfalls in the process. Paul and Sarah Edwards are recognized as self-employment life-style experts and wrote the first commercially published book about how to work from home. For their new book, they interviewed hundreds of people who started doing something new at the age of 50 or after. Contact them at www.workingfromhome.com or 661-242-2624.

LEAD: THE PET PLEASURE PRINCIPLE SHOWS HOW TO GIVE PETS HAPPY AND FULFILLING LIVES.
What: A revolutionary new book about the emotions of companion animals shows owners how to provide the best possible lives for their pets. Kathryn Lance and Franklin D. McMillan, D.V.M., co-authors of UNLOCKING THE ANIMAL MIND, explain how pets (like humans!) act so as to maximize pleasure and minimize discomfort. Their three-step program for pet mental wellness will help keep pets happy from puppy- or kittenhood through old age. Contact: Kathryn Lance at klance80_at_comcast.net; through her website www.klance.com; or at (520)-326-2555.

LEAD: TAKE AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE WORLD OF THE TRAVEL WRITER.
What: Travel writer Steve Jermanok gives an inside look at working with today s travel writers, focusing on the media/public relations relationship. Want to know how to attract writers that are best suited for your particular product and to make sure those writers remain interested year after year? Jermanok is the author of 11 travel books, a former columnist at National Geographic Adventure, contributing editor at Budget Travel, and regular contributor to Travel & Leisure, Outside, Men s Journal, and the Boston Globe Magazine. 617/527-9497, farandaway_at_comcast.net, www.activetravels.com.

LEAD: NEED A SPOKESPERSON ON PUBLISHING OR JOURNALISM TRENDS?
What: ASJA can help with expert comments on such issues as magazine launches and closings, print or electronic books, writing contracts, journalism ethics, First Amendment cases, censorship issues, and a wide range of other media-related topics. To find the perfect source for your story, contact (Ms.) Brett Harvey, executive director, ASJA at execdir_at_asja-pr.org.


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About ASJA . Founded in 1948, the American Society of Journalists and Authors is the nation's leading organization of independent nonfiction writers. Our membership consists of more than 1,100 outstanding freelance writers of magazine articles, trade books, and many other forms of nonfiction writing, each of whom has met ASJA's exacting standards of professional achievement.

American Society of Journalists and Authors 1501 Broadway, Suite 302 New York, NY 10036. Contact Executive director (Ms.) Brett Harvey at execdir_at_asja-pr.org.