Cyrus Webb Asks "Is Conversations Magazine Feeding Your Love Of Life?"

(New York Times Bestselling author John Saul seen here with Conversations Magazine)From the time it relaunched in December 2010, Conversations Magazine (www.conversationsmag.com) has been making a name for itself by offering not just insightful interviews and discussions but extras such as motivational messages, delicious recipes, commentaries and entertainment news suitable for members of the entire family.

Today Conversations Magazine has over 3000 print subscribers in 6 countries (United States, Spain, New Zealand, Pakistan, Greece and Zimbabwe), and the momentum seems to be growing with each week.
Editor-In-Chief Cyrus Webb and the team that brings the magazine to life each month have a simple question for you: Is Conversations Magazine feeding your love of life?

If not, make sure you subscribe today! Now through February 5, 2012 you can get a 12 month subscription to Conversations Magazine for only $19.99, shipping included! (regular price is $24.99 for a yearly subscription). Click here to take advantage of this special deal of the yearly subscription: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UGNLZPY82FU8J

For more on Conversations Magazine, visit www.conversationsmag.com. On behalf of the entire team that works on Conversations Magazine and its parent company Shadow Play Entertainment, thank you for your support. Without you, none of what we have accomplished would be possible. CONVERSATIONS MAGAZINE: Feeding your love of live!

2011 Character Building Counts Book Award Winners

2011 Character Building Counts Book Awards

What do Kenyan orphans who yearn to attend school and learn to read have in common with the angels who live in the lowlands of heaven? Both groups are delivering character-building messages in award-winning books. Character Building Counts (CBC) Book Awards is proud to announce the winners of its 2011 Character Building Counts Book Awards contest.

Gold Seal Winners:

The Lowlands of Heaven, F.J. Dagg (Grand Prize Overall Winner)(Fantasy/Sci-Fi)

A beautiful story that illustrates commitment to duty, integrity in personal relationships, service to the unfortunate, and respect for the Creator.

When this Is Over, I Will Go to School, and I Will Learn to Read, Pam Bitterman (Children's)

A true story of hope, friendship, family, and overcoming adversity, with an eye toward inspiring a level of compassion that will lead to greater understanding and humanity.

Silver Seal Winners:

L'Mazeltov, Your Personal Guide to Jewish Childbirth Education, Pamela Nadav, NP (Family)

A value-rich framework for new families, linking generation to generation by inspiring parents to bring meaning and significance into the lives of their children.

Nuclear Undercover Kids Espionage Service (N.U.K.E.S.), Lavern Holdeman (Juvenile Fiction)

Twelve-year-old Shawn Stuckey learns to overcome small town biases by moving toward greater appreciation of gender, cultural, and ethnic diversity.

The Weaver's Loom, P.L. Reid (Historical Fiction)

This story of forgiveness and the will to live explores the struggles of two beautiful women and two beautiful cultures, all bound together by a great human tragedy, the Holocaust.

Ride to the Stars, Suzanne Gene Courtney (Children's)

A story that helps children who have experienced the death of a loved one to understand that life continues on the other side.

Bronze Seal Winners:

Giving God a Good Time, Patricia C. Campbell (Spirituality)

Life is intended to be lived fully and joyfully. We honor that gift by giving God a good time through us … as us.

When You Say 'Thank You,' Mean It, Mary O'Donohue (Parenting)

Gives busy parents fun, practical, and effective tools to teach their children lifelong values such as gratitude, compassion, respect for others, and integrity.

Princess Lydia and the Fire Breathing Dragon, Denise Byers & Danielle Gray (Children's)

Challenges can be overcome. People are handy-capable—not handicapped. Girls can be heroines, and boys can accept help! Embrace each others' differences, and strive for peace.

Take a Stand, Mike Cattolico (Autobiography/Military History)

About the capacity to endure via stamina and fortitude, as told through the eyes of a navy deep sea diver. Also about the importance of living up to your fullest potential.

It's Heart Work, Evelyn L. Polk (Memoir)

Caring for youth who are in emotional pain can bring joy and anguish; even so, it is possible and necessary to do. What it takes, most of all, is a genuine connection of the hearts.

Rented Silence, Lucia Mann (Historical Fiction)

A story of human suffering during a brutal period in British Colonial history. At the same time, this is an inspirational tale of hope and love.

Congratulations to our Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners. Character Building Counts Book Awards has been honored to host this 2011 contest. Every participant deserves praise for writing and sharing their important messages. For details about who you can be a part of this year's awards visit www.cbcawards.com.

Nesta Aharoni Discusses Character Building Counts Awards

by Cyrus Webb

 

At a time when authors are looking for attention for the work they are producing, individuals like Nesta Aharoni are ready to celebrate those who are providing a clear message that is free from some of the negativity and destructive behavior and language so prevalent today.

 

Through the Character Building Counts Awards (aka CBC Awards), authors are able to get attention for their work and recognition for providing a message that resonates with the world. Nesta allowed Conversations LIVE Radio to be the place where the 1st winners of the CBC Awards was announced, and Conversations Magazine is pleased to recognize the winners as well.

 

I talked with Nesta about the idea for the awards and what she hopes you and the authors that submit get from CBC.

 

 

How did the idea for the Character Building Counts Awards come about?

Having been an author who won three book awards, I became mindful of how helpful book awards are to book marketing. A seal on a front cover lends respectability and acceptability to the authors who win them. The press releases and Internet marketing that accompany these awards announce your presence as an author and the quality of your work. Because my book is about decency and character building, it seemed only natural for me to offer a venue for writers who deliver character-building messages to showcase their work through a one-of-a-kind Character Build Counts format.

 

 What do you hope the awards do to encourage and inspire authors who might enter and especially those who win?

My hope is that in this graphic, loud, and explicit world we live in, authors will learn there are publishers, other authors, readers, and media personnel who appreciate words that inspire honorable and responsible living. I hope that CBC Book Awards will be the first but not the last entity to openly appreciate these types of messages. Additionally, I hope the authors' ideas will ripple out into society and help create a kinder, safer world for all of us.

 

For those developing their book what advice would you give them about what they want to make sure they include if they want it to convey a real message?

An author's message need not hit the reader on the head in order to be effective. New writers should consider the following: Characters who role model decent behavior can be powerful influences. Stories that display lessons of growth and improvement can be influential and easy to connect with. Good struggling with evil can be inspiring. Overcoming odds can be moving. Protecting the innocent can stir emotions. Nonfiction messages are equally powerful, as their authors authoritatively pen messages of significance to their readers. Whether you delicately weave your message through character development or plot, or you teach your readers through nonfiction concepts, the desire to touch your fellow citizens and stir them to compassion or improvement or contribution is at the core of Character Building Counts Book Awards.

 

 If there are those interested in competing in the 2012 cycle what is the process?

Enrolling in Character Building Counts Book Awards is as easy as one-two-three. Visit our Web site at www.CBCAwards.com, go to the "enter" page, fill out the form, and make your enrollment payment. Please note that we are now in early enrollment for the 2012 contest, which means a discounted fee. We accept all genres of books.

The Jan./Feb. Issue of Conversations Magazine is now available!

Shadow Play Entertainment is pleased to announce that the January/Feb. issue of Conversations Magazine is now available! Our theme for 2012 is "New From The Inside Out" based on the book by the same name written by Kim Vazquez. Our hope for you in the first issue of the year as in every issue is that you will be inspired to put your best self forward each and every day.

"It all begins with letting go of the past," says Cyrus Webb, editor of Conversations Magazine. "You can't move forward if you can't learn to forgive others, forgive yourself and know that you are worthy of greatness." In compiling the first issue of 2012, Webb wanted to introduce you to individuals who have learned this lesson personally and are living the reward today.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• THANK YOU: To You, From Me For 2011 and Beyond
• Never Underestimate Your Ability To Rise And Achieve Greatness
• Journey To YOU
• The Transformation Of Gary Goldstein
• C. A. Webb Presents BLESSED
• Stanley Clark's Introduction To BLESSED
• IN THE BEGINNING: Prologue
• IN THE BEGINNING: Chapter One
• Mr. Mean Mug: An Example Of Why We Shouldn't Judge A Book By Its Cover
• Donna Goldstein: Teaching Others How To Take Shape For Life
• PROFILE: Author Omegia Keeys
• Character Building Counts Book Awards Announces 2011 Winners
• Kip Kreiling: Learning To Move Forward, Leaving THE IMPOSTER Behind
• Donna Martini: Sharing The 10 Commandments of Divorce
• Rod Harvey: Cracking Through The Pain To Find The Love
• Sean Anderson's Transformation Road
• Remembering Patrick Kelly
• (Column) "Tough Love" by Meg Collins
• Patrick & Hollie Quinn: Choosing Peace Over War
• Reiko Brown: More Than Just A Product Of Her Environment

You can read the articles online now by clicking the links above. Purchase the single issue of the Jan./Feb. issue of Conversations Magazine today for only $6.99, shipping included here: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=3wGebxDW1h_t-RuVGSrFPbKxxItj9rYMG8GQDtPnrLrVbYztXnFKktxovfe&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b61f737ba21b081988562bf19d61623c6f33db8e87506be10

Want to take full advantage of Conversations Magazine and get the full year (12 issues) for only $24.99, shipping included? Click here: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=7kwitj4gKv1ZN-1UTh7RP4zbUCs0QprqEPZ1VHTXZo48V20lW4wFhnw6sjS&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b61f737ba21b081988562bf19d61623c6f33db8e87506be10 

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR ABILITY TO RISE AND ACHIEVE GREATNESS

I so look forward to sending out profound messages each and every New Years Eve. However, this year I desperately searched but could not find my words. I must admit that this being my second Christmas without my father, has had my heart over come with a heaviness that has most likely challenged my creative flow. Most writers will agree that we are stimulated by profoundness. The culprit can present as a simple action, a brief experience or as a single word. Yes, each can trigger profoundness.

As all in my circle know, I love the game of FOOTBALL. I’m rarely concerned with who’s playing; I just love and appreciate the game. Several years ago as I was watching the FOX and ESPN pre-game shows airing prior to the start of that year’s playoff games; I sat with my usual intensity as the very impressively dressed, self proclaimed experts argued their predictions. All unanimously agreed that the ATLANTA FALCONS would slaughter the ARIZONA CARDINALS and four out of six predicted that the INDIANAPPOLIS COLTS would beat down the my SAN DIEGO CHARGERS.
I can clearly recall during that 2009 season, the fella’s extending their analysis as to why the TENNESSEE TITANS would slaughter the BALTIMORE RAVENS. In addition, they expressed how it was a waste of good airline fuel for the ARIZONA CARDINALS to fly to South Carolina to simply be embarrassed on National Television. No one gave certain teams a chance. For the record their predictions proved to be wrong for those games.

I believe that the analogies shared, are so reflective of life and how many times forces close to us will fail to support or believe in our potential. Amazing how individuals with a stream of credentials behind their names will eloquently try to put forth their analysis, assessments and theories as to why we don’t have the ability to achieve the unimaginable.

However, in all fairness, many times we are our own worst enemies; simply because we have not bought into our inherited greatness, our ability on any given day, at any given moment to rise and claim that which we were sent here to become.

As you transition into 2012, shake off the doubters, the joy stealers and negativity. Step out on Faith and Courage. Perhaps, it’s time to release that Jazz CD, Apply to Nursing School, Attend Art School, start the foundation for that Fabulous Venture or release your Debut Novel. And for those who feel it’s too late to achieve your goals, trusts that sometimes from a plan (B) a new and better plan (A) will emerge.

You must never underestimate your ability to achieve greatness. Do not allow fear, self doubt or complacency to derail you from your passions. You must not only believe in your greatness but it is imperative that you internalize this reality; regardless of what the experts may predict, trust that on any given day, at any given moment, you have the ability to rise and achieve greatness.

Mary E. Gilder, author of A Misrepresentation of Myself
www.maryegilder.com

Remembering Designer Patrick Kelly

by Cyrus Webb

Passion is something that can't be confined by location, current circumstances or even the negative energy that may surround you. When it comes to what you were really meant to do, not even death can stop your destiny from being fulfilled.

As I was thinking about the start of the new year I kept going back to the thought of how many people are willfully inching towards what is a slow creative death. They know what they are good at, they know what really drives them but they are allowing something to hinder them and stunt their development and progress.

An example of someone who would not let location or even poverty stop him from reaching his personal greatness is fashion designer Patrick Kelly. Born September 24, 1954 in my home state of Mississippi, Kelly rose from obscurity to become the first American designer of any race to reach the top in Paris. At the age of 33 he had inked out a $5 million deal Warnaco, propelling him towards the greatness that he believed was possible.

The road was not an easy one though. There were some homeless nights when he didn't know when his next meal would be coming from. There were also the naysayers that told him what was not going to be possible. Patrick Kelly just chose not to listen. There was an inner voice cheering him on along with those around him who knew what he could achieve. That is where he focused his attention.

So how was he able to do it? How was a man that seemed destined to be just another statistic able to separate from the pack and succeed? It was passion. For him there was no way he was going to live on this earth and not be doing what he knew was meant for him to do. That is what so many of us can learn from. Regardless of how many "nos" we hear, there will be those who will believe and give us the "yes" needed to keep going. If you give up now, however, you will never know what could have been.

Sadly Patrick Kelly left this earth in January 1990. He was just 36 years old. Though we don't have him physically with us to learn from, his example is a lesson all of us should take the time to study and emulate. People like Patrick Kelly remind us that the possibility for greatness is there if we never let our goal out of our sight.

THANK YOU: To You, From Me For 2011

By far 2011 was the most exciting and productive year I 've had since I began Shadow Play Entertainment and the Conversations brand. Thanks to your support we were able to not only introduce remarkable individuals but bring you quality discussions each and every month.

The radio show, Conversations LIVE, interviewed 632 guests in 2011: three times more than it did in its first four years combined! (see www.conversationsliveradio.com)

Conversations Book Club hosted 9 authors in events in 2011, bringing its total to over 100 since it began in November 2006. (www.thebestbookclub.info)

And you already know how Conversations Magazine has expanded. Since returning to print in November 2010 we have over 2k subscribers in 6 countries! (www.conversationsmag.com)

Our success has really been because of you. you have opened up your heart and mind to us, allowing us to share a part of our mission and our purpose with you over the airwaves, online and in print. Thanks to you we are able to share our message with the world.

What we hope to do in 2012 is expand on the foundation we have already laid and it begins with this issue of the magazine. I wanted to introduce you to individuals who know what it's like to be broken down and rebuilt wiser, stronger and with a desire to put their best self forward.

We are also paying homage to celebrated fashion designer Patrick Kelly. His contribution to the world is immeasurable, and I believe that his passion for his craft and for life are something we can all benefit from.

Here's wishing you continued success and happiness. Thanks for allowing us to join you on the journey.



Cyrus Webb, Editor-In-Chief
Conversations Magazine