Ali Brown at SHINE: Business models aligned with your purpose

When I heard Ali Brown describe her groundbreaking event SHINE, it was like hearing my own voice coaxing me into the future, and I knew I had to be there.

We’ll be in Vegas November 5-7 – care to join us?

Loss, isolation, confusion and your inner revolutionary

A year ago, the credit crisis of 2008 blasted into our lives. One year later – how are you faring?

The markets, Bernie Madoff, Earl Jones and more – all symptoms of a sick system. Which have created losses of not only money, but some people’s hopes and dreams.

For me too, it’s been an odd year. Not only has my net worth shrunk, so has my income. Not to mention my health hiccup.

I’m a generally optimistic person. But honestly, some days last year, it felt as if I was in a theatre watching someone else’s life. As the audience, I asked: What will she do? What’s her breaking point? Why doesn’t she just get a ‘real’ job? What is the freakin’ universe ASKING of her?

When I was in Mexico in March, I had dinner with a lovely American couple. He’s an electrician interested in alternative energy. She’s a professor. We compared notes on our investments. At the time, I was down 35%. The man looked up at me: ‘We lost 60%’.

In the vacuum created by massive monetary loss (or any other type of loss for that matter), I can’t help but wonder: what was ready to be shed? What new growth is waiting to be born?

The October issue of Canada’s MoneySense magazine reports on the 1997 victims of the BC mortgage scam Eron. Those who considered themselves knowledgeable about securities lost 75% more money than those who admitted knowing almost nothing of the markets.

A few years ago, a friend told me about an investment opportunity. High returns. Able to ‘withdraw’ at any time. Some story about not having overhead. I didn’t bite.

Around the same time, I was also approached in a professional setting about an exclusive investing group with a guru teacher who had a revolutionary business model. If I coughed up $10,000 – no wait, today it’s $15,000! – I could learn this guy’s secrets. When I asked her what this guy’s pricing strategy was – why the high tag? – I was dismissed: “You’re not ready.”

This was a strange one. First, I felt shame – I liked her initial pitch, but her reaction was confusing to me. Then I felt ticked off. Then curious. To this day, I cannot find one shred of information about this ‘guru’. I’m waiting to see him on the news someday – in handcuffs.

THREE WAYS TO SPOT A FRAUD: ultra-high returns, a ‘revolutionary’ product, and a veil of secrecy. Hey, I’m human. These things are seductive. They tug at our secret hearts.

I am aware of a myth many of us grew up with, though we rarely admit, that if we’re ‘good’, someone will take care of us, call it god, fate or government. That if we ‘do the right thing’ the best jobs will fall in our lap, and our luck will fall from the sky. That because we’re lonely AND good, our perfect relationship will evolve without REALLY extending our hearts openly, vulnerably.

Even though I’m an astrologer, I wouldn’t say it’s in the stars. The stars may create shifts in energy. But the earth we live on is heavy to move. More often, our dreams and desires need help out of the earthy muck before they can fly. Remind me to buy a shovel.

On the investment industry, I can’t help but wonder if there aren’t a few more surprises still to be had. The energy of humanity, I believe, is ascending, but the earth is heavy. When a system’s sick, it takes a while for deep healing to take hold. It doesn’t happen overnight. When life really wants us to change, our hearts may hear its whispers, but often it takes us a while to hit the road.

Confusion is simply the place between a formerly held perspective and a new one.  Tony Robbins

This year, Forced Isolation was my persistent, loving (if uninvited) ally. Like my Moondance character Althea was asked, many times I was asked: ‘Are you ready?’ My answer, finally: YES!

Last week, I opened an email from super-successful entrepreneur Alexandria Brown. I clicked in. I was still listening four hours later.

Ali’s words mirrored my own thoughts, my own imagination, my own deepest feelings felt in my quietest moments about the times we’re in, and what that means for my business and my life. It was like listening to my own voice coaxing me into the future. If I had been in busy-mode, earning money the same old way, I would have missed it.

The next morning, I booked a flight to Las Vegas to attend Ali’s event, SHINE, which will help me develop an actionable business model aligned with my life purpose. It’s November 5-7 – care to join us? http://tinyurl.com/yzqlj8b.

Like my Moondance characters, I’ve often succumbed to the earth: doing the same old, yet dreading getting up every day, disgusted with myself for being controlled by fear, by the system, by everybody else’s ‘normal’, yet not sure how to get out.

Today I notice that even in my most uncertain times… I have felt the glow of hope. This is my life. And the truth is that the times I’ve felt most alive is in transition, during change, while contemplating the previously unthinkable, while standing on that cliff, every cell in my body exclaiming… don’t tell me, you’re going to JUMP?

I’m heavy Capricorn, so on the outside, my moves may appear well planned. Inside though, it feels like a revolution.

When have YOU felt most alive? What awakens your inner Revolutionary? Will you be liberated as your own world continues to heal and unfold? Or will you spend more energy safeguarding old ideas whose time have passed?

Join me — Grab a shovel! If you can manage it, a backhoe!!

Behind the pillars of earth that engulf us, we’ll find our futures waiting — under the radiant stars.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

School’s in! What do you want this semester?

I’ve been out of school for over twenty years and still
feel the pull that September brings. New classes. New
clothes. New friends. Excitement. Nervousness.

I don’t know about you, but even when I worked full-time,
it was the same. Projects waited and budgets weren’t set
until ‘the kids were back’. The first week after Labour Day
dragged like five Mondays. Inside, I resisted,
procrastinated, mourned the passing of another summer and
it felt as if I was swimming in molasses.

Then as September unfolded, the clouds parted. My end-of-
summer despair dried up and I felt a new surge of energy. I
more clearly refined where I wanted to go. The questions
became: how to get there?

“It doesn’t work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-
foot jumps.”  American Proverb

If the spring’s a good time to throw stuff out, the fall’s
the perfect time to sow some seeds. This September, I got
back in touch with folks I haven’t spoken with in a while,
and I’ll be meeting with my financial planner, Paul, to
talk about my portfolio.

I’ve also taken a look at my upcoming cycles using karmic
astrology, and numerology which I always find illuminating.

This year, my numerologist friend Sophia Parker-Reeves
validated my restless need to ‘get going’ by determining
that I’m in a ‘1’ year and ‘1’ month in September, which is
a once in a decade occurrence and double-call to initiate
and sow new beginnings.

So! A few ideas I’ve had around the edges, have now moved
front and centre. I committed to creating another e-zine
(you’ll be the first to know) and signed up for an
investing course. I also responded to an RFP that’s right
up my alley (thanks for the heads up, George). It’s so
huge, that my heart surges in excitement and terror at the
thought of getting it (perfect).

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no
happiness without action.” Benjamin Disraeli

I don’t know about you, but for me, the planner that I am,
it feels really scary to take an action without knowing
where I’m going. As a classic introvert, I sink happily
into solitude when writing proposals and communication
strategies, straining and stretching at making every word,
every nuance, perfect. It’s all very productive and it’s
also quite safe.

My attention to detail makes me a good editor. My comfy
relationship with solitude makes writing a natural fit. But
what about growth? Can I continue to grow my business and
myself while being isolated from the real world?

“They say that time changes things, but you actually have
to change them yourself.”  Andy Warhol

All of the philosophizing, analyzing, researching and
refining in the world cannot make up for one of the most
powerful things we can do: taking a single action. Planning
is no good in a vacuum. Neither is complaining. Or silent
suffering.

Taking a single action is fast, easy and packs Punch.
There’s magic in the doing. According to astrology, Mars,
which rules ‘action’ is in Cancer right now, hovering bang-
over my north node (soul path) – another nice energetic
shot in the arm for me.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment
before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank

Not enough action – not you? Of course, not everyone’s like
me. If you’re throwing yourself into action and not seeing
results, then maybe it’s in planning and reflection that
you’ll find YOUR missing link.

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also
dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France

In Moondance, my main character Althea royally screws up a
job interview, falls in the middle of an intersection, then
hobbles to the subway that promptly breaks down. Drowning
her sorrows at an underground coffee shop, she notices an
ad, and she makes a phone call that changes her life.

Now we all don’t have to have life kick us in the butt
quite like that (or – oops – sometimes we do) but the fact
is – it wasn’t slurping a pumpkin spice latte and moping
that got Althea out of her rut, it was the action she took,
even though she had no idea where it would lead.

“Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions
stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces
the highest form of living.” Anais Nin

Where in your life would you like to see change, but have
sunk into inaction? Where has your hidden perfectionist
sabotaged an almost-perfect first step? What dreams do you
have that you typically add the words: ‘some day, when I’,
‘if I ever’ – or even better – ‘when he/she/the kids are’.

We’re not in school any more. We plan our own curriculum,
we choose our teachers. We decide whether or not to show up
at class every day. September, back to school time, in my
view, is ripe for new beginnings. New relationships. New
modes of expression. New business ideas. New action. New
intention. One small step at a time.

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Goethe

These days, first actions couldn’t be easier. An email. An
inquiry. A phone call. A text message. An advice and
information interview. LinkedIn. A course. A conversation.

Are you inspired to take a step in a new direction this
fall? How will you use this time, bursting with childhood
memory, to more deeply step into your life? Do you have an
idea of what your cycles are and what the coming year’s
energies will enthusiastically support? I’d love to hear
your stories.

School’s in. See you at recess!

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

What do Bernie Madoff and the swine flu vaccine drama have in common?

I had surgery last month. What’s happened is that during my convalescence, I’ve created space for a forgotten pleasure: reading.

Between John Sandford thrillers, I read books about Bernie Madoff, the Narcissism Epidemic and Conrad Black (no relation). Add the news about Canada’s own James Earle Jones, the outrage at Obamacare and the ‘level 6’ swine flu pandemic, and I was beginning to feel as if I was living in a Dan Brown novel.

Coming out of a health ordeal, the swine flu drama drew me in. All the mainstream media hype about it didn’t feel right to me, so I dug deeper. What I found helped me decide not to take this vaccine. Here are a few nuggets which you may want to research yourself.

• Many experts feel that the swine flu vaccine is being rushed to market with inadequate clinical trials
• The vaccine adjuvant ‘squalene’ (intended to enhance the body’s immune response) has not been approved by the FDA and has been linked to Gulf War Syndrome
• If you or your family are injured by the swine flu vaccine, you have NO legal recourse against the manufacturer(s)
• In 1979, 60 Minutes did an episode on the swine flu vaccine of 1976 which killed more people than the flu itself

Sick financial systems, massive scams, the toppling of industry titans, government and media hype – what’s happening? This month, astrology offered me a unique perspective.

Without dumping too much astro-speak on you, there’s an astrological cycle at play, that’s cranking up pressure in business and government. Pluto (symbolizing profound transformation) went into Capricorn (business and government) in January 2008, and will remain there until 2026.

What Pluto likes to do is expose secrets, and toss out the dead wood to make way for new growth – and it’s ‘methods’ are not always subtle. Say it another way: in the coming years, it will be increasingly more difficult to energetically support the Bernies, the Uncle Earls, and any type of corrupt institution or industry. A good thing…

I obviously can’t predict what (else) will happen. What I am interested in, though, is how I as an individual can use this information.

One of the best things I can do during this time, I believe, is listen to my gut. Then when it doesn’t feel right, ask critical questions.

When you listen to the news, what makes sense to you? What’s overblown? Are governments (for example) above reproach? What about the media? The pharmaceutical industry? How does it all feel in your gut?

While I am reading a lot these days, I still choose to spend more of my time simply being grateful, an anchor of appreciation within stormy seas, if you will.

So I’m grateful for the skilled doctors I encountered in my wee health adventure. I’m grateful for the friends that supported me in the wobbly days following my procedure. I am grateful for the lapping of the waves outside my door each morning as I get stronger every day.

I am also grateful for (and accept) the invitation to think for myself, to let go of stinky sacred cows and ancient ways that no longer earn our respect, to tap deeply into my heart and listen to its whispers.

The other night, up north, we sat on a covered porch in a lightning storm and watched a tornado touch down, whipping the lake into froths of white. Later, just a mile away, homes were ruined.

My heart’s breath is compassionate, fluid and still.

Cocooned within your own experience of life, I wish you exponential oodles of the same.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Michael Jackson and Farrah deaths serve us in an unexpected way

I never owned the Farrah poster. I’ve never purchased a Michael Jackson CD. Yet I can’t help but notice the outpouring of emotion that their respective deaths generated this month, and wonder about the bigger meaning of it all.

I think there’s more to all of it than media-blitz. Bear with me – remember Susan Boyle?

Susan Boyle was the plain-jane singer on ‘Britain’s got talent’ who reportedly has never been kissed by a man, and who has a voice that brings people to tears. I read somewhere in an astrological article that according to her chart, the purpose of her breaking-out at this time was to facilitate healing on the planet.

Sound far-fetched? Think about it – millions of people with their hearts open, putting fear and differences aside, even for a few minutes. Sounds pretty healing to me.

I had a lively conversation recently with a good friend. I told her that sometimes, I wonder if there’s something wrong with me that I don’t want to go to Africa and save the world, or immerse myself in volunteer-work (my dirty secret’s out). Her reply stayed with me.

‘Go to Africa. Work with the homeless. Or don’t.’ she shrugged. ‘The most important thing is to choose what opens your heart and bring you joy.’

“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.” –Carl Jung

Performing for millions gives some people (like Michael Jackson) joy. Going to Africa and working with the poor gives others joy. Staying at home and gazing into the eyes of their child is as valuable as working with the poor (for example) – as long as both are heart-opening activities for the person doing them. For some, kids are out – animals are in.

For me, listening compassionately to a friend, making them dinner, making my home a nurturing place, or spending time on the water communing with the duckies makes my heart sing. I am also energized by sharing information about things that have helped me and I enjoy telling a fast-moving tale that entertains and dives deep.

And that’s why I can buy that the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson serve us in an unexpected way. Through their deaths, millions of hearts were softened, infused, perhaps, with a greater capacity to adapt to a world that is changing fast, a greater capacity for grace and acceptance.

Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. –Arundhati Roy

What opens your heart? What are the activities that you do just for the pure love of it? How often are you doing it? Perhaps even more telling: how much of your time do you spend doing things that weigh you down?

Not everyone is here to touch millions like Michael Jackson - or go to Africa to feed the poor. I’d argue that all of us, in each choice we make, every attitude we have, either contribute to or slow the healing of this planet.

As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.  –Carl Jung

Whether we touch millions around the world, or the people we live with, it’s my belief that the earth hears our whispers.

That in itself – I think – is worthy of media-blitz.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Media Blasts Oprah for Supporting Alternative Medicine (Go Oprah!)

I wanted to draw your attention to a great article that talks about big pharma resistence to alternative medicine (in particular how it slammed Oprah recently for having Suzanne Somers on her show). The article’s below.

Alternative medicine may not be for everyone, but what I don’t get is the incredible resistance.

Relying solely on allopathic or traditional medicine is short-sighted and limiting — I know. Over the past 18 months, I’ve had escalating health issues during which they said ‘take antibiotics, or get surgery.’ No other options were offered. So before I said yes to someone cutting me open, I did my research.

I got myself a Naturopath, changed my diet, and found a fantastic treatment option called Ondamed which I know has reduced inflammation and my day to day comfort. I’ve been to the ER more than a few times over the past year in excruciating pain, and it hasn’t been pretty.

Though I still have to have surgery (I do respect traditional medicine, and I get that my attacks could get serious), I am grateful to what alternative health has offered and will be using it as I heal post-surgery. Not only that, I’ve picked up habits and discovered health resources that will support me for the rest of my life.

And yes, I’m willing to pay for it.

On big pharma, I am not against profit. I’ve worked for big pharma (and am an MBA to boot) so I’m definitely for profit, but why not work with alternative medicine and use the best of both? Traditional medicine is brilliant at emergency situations and I’m grateful for that.

But focusing on the patient through prevention (and fully exploring all prevention options available through clinical trials and other scientific measures) can only serve us all. I don’t want to give up my GP, specialist or my Naturopath… in an ideal world, I’d like them to work together for the betterment of my health. Isn’t that what it’s all about? And I wish there was more mutual respect — both are highly trained professionals in their fields.

Bottom line to traditional and alt health practitioners: Get your freakin’ egos out of the way and focus on the patient! Please.

Enjoy this Media Blasts Oprah article. Dr. Mercola also has a good free ezine, too – I recommend it.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Should you self publish? Here’s why I did.

My journey to self-publishing was not fast, nor was it linear. Before making a decision like that, there’s alot to consider.

I researched the publishing process. I created synopses, a log line, even query letters. During this phase, though, I didn’t like what I was learning. I don’t like how little money the author actually sees, plus the control they give up creatively and on the marketing side.

I also learned that signed authors often have to invest their own money and time in promotion and marketing anyway, yet there isn’t much flexibility in the contract in recognition of this effort.

After giving away complete control and profits, the vast majority of debut novels lose money-making the prospects of publishing a second novel with the same publisher grim.

Self-publishing non-fiction is commonplace. Self-publishing commercial fiction is not. Yet the more I weighed the pros and cons, the more self-publishing made sense for me.

I know myself – when it comes to business, I really like control. With my business background, I am accustomed to creating strategy and with my communication consulting background, I understand the publishing and production process. I knew I wanted input on the cover and layout design. I knew I’d want to be involved in the marketing. I began to wonder if the traditional route was the best way to go for me.

During this time, I met Arnold Gosewich, former President of MacMillan Canada, now an agent and publication consultant. After some discussions, he confirmed my suspicions. As the publisher – which is different from vanity publishing and print on demand publishing like lulu or Trafford by the way – I control the entire process.

Economically, I get to keep all of the profits, and have to sell fewer copies to break even. I also take all the risk. Yet early readers responded well to Moondance – I knew I had a great product. With the internet, I have global reach. Why not give it a shot?

Arnold’s now my agent for the U.S., international, television and film rights.

I now share what I’ve learned with my book consulting clients. Read more about my book consulting services here, or get in touch by emailing me through my site.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Is the stuff you keep blocking your dreams? George Carlin knew…

I live in a small condo, and each year, by necessity, I turn my attention to the space I have and the stuff I keep.

This spring, my clothes were top of mind as I no longer wear suits and dresses five days a week. So one weekend, I decided to go through the clutter in my closets and get rid of whatever I haven’t worn over the past year.

Figured this would take me an hour – ha.

“If you didn’t have so much stuff, you wouldn’t need a house. You could just walk around all the time.” –George Carlin

I started in. Once I started, I couldn’t open drawers fast enough. My closets burst. The piles multiplied and grew. They formed tentative destinations: Garbage, Goodwill, Ask friends, Undecided.

A day later, I was still putting stuff into piles. At night, surrounded by a chaos and exhausted, my head hurt from the dust bunnies I had stirred. I was astonished: who HAS that many coat hangers? I won’t even go into what I found under my bed.

I gazed at all my stuff. Most of it was still in really good shape. Some pieces even had tags still on them. My heart began to tug – should I really get rid of this stuff? What if I regretted it?

“It all depends on whether you have things, or they have you.” –Robert A. Cook

I had hid all this stuff so well. I couldn’t believe it fit in my small space. Yet here it was, piles upon piles. Along with the memories that went with it.

In one pile was a sweatshirt that I used to wear when I was 24 years old. I have a picture of me wearing that shirt with the boyfriend of that era. I began to think of who I was back then, what this relationship represented, how it twisted and turned, and ultimately ended. I cringed – it was like another person’s life!

Did I want a physical reminder of this experience in my closet twenty years later? No!! I added the sweatshirt to the Garbage pile. Ditto for some lingerie I found. I couldn’t wait to push that stuff out the door.

To these piles of outworn, outlived stuff clung memories, intentions, emotions, preferences and experiences which no longer reflected who I was. Holding on to these things would only serve to slow the natural flow that is, inevitably, life.

Feverish, my windows open wide, I burned lavender oil in every room, as if to exorcise my past.

I also found an old white sweater which my father wore in his twenties while he played badminton as a young man (he’s now 81). That I fluffed and kept.

“Have you noticed that their stuff is shit and your shit is stuff?” –George Carlin

Now that I had liberated the hidden memories from their hidey-holes, I had to decide their fate.

I was talking with a friend who said that the lovely woman about my size who cleaned her home might appreciate some of my nicer pieces. She was right, the woman was delighted and that felt great to me.

I also had a pair of brown Blundstone boots, which had been displaced by my black ones. I was delighted that these came in handy for a dear friend who visits doggie parks. Blundstones truly last forever.

“Live out of your imagination instead of out of your memory.” -Les Brown

What ‘stuff’ are you holding on to that no longer represents who you are or who you want to be? What are those things that represent past cycles in life, now complete? What do you surround yourself with that will help usher in your new intentions, interests, passions, relationships and dreams?

Are your new dreams invited into your home? Or would they be blocked from entry by a barricade of old memories? If throwing things out makes your heart beat faster, what do you think the ‘stuff’ you hold on to represents for you? What might be new way to create the same safe feeling you derive from the things you keep?

“Abundance is not something we acquire.  It is something we tune into.” -Wayne Dyer

My closets are now lighter, and guess what? I don’t miss my old stuff. But something else has happened.

I’m still itching to throw stuff out… I’m eyeing books now, CDs, with a new eye. Spices in my kitchen, gadgets that no longer suit, and paper files – oh my ongoing war with paper. Nothing is safe.

Living with me in my extra space, I now have a purging monster who knows no bounds!

I’ve asked her to stay a while.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

A Tweet (what the hell?) Getting started on Twitter

I resisted for quite a while, but now, three months after starting to use Twitter, I’m a fan. Considering that I don’t like empty small-talk, that’s an enormous testimonial!

In case you’ve been in a coma for the past few months, Twitter is a social networking system that’s exploding on the internet. Users have 140 characters to say what they want to say. Like a mini-blog.

Twitter users are preceded with ‘@’. I’m @karenmblack. You choose whose ‘Tweets’ you want to follow, and others choose if they want to follow you. People with like interests tend to congregate.

@karenmblack We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are. –Anais Nin

The spirit of Twitter (and of social networking), used professionally, is to share opinions and information, promote others and connect personally. With those I follow, aggressive marketing is frowned upon and those who only share the mundane aspects of their day are generally un-followed.

@karenmblack: #quote May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. –George Carlin

Curious how to use Twitter, professionally and intuitively? To get started, I suggest you read this article by Jeanie Marshall. Jeanie’s is a member of a mastermind group I belong to, and her encouragement and enthusiasm helped me a great deal.

Jeanie also offers a wealth of services which include personal development consulting, and meditations. Her advice is invaluable.

Already Twittering? Follow me at @karenmblack.com and Jeanie at @JeanieMarshall. 

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Book Clubs! Small Press Book Fair Toronto June 13

I’ll be attending the Small Press Book Fair with my novel, Moondance at the Toronto Reference Library on Saturday June 13. Book clubs welcome!

Moondance is an addictive spin on love, life and the nature of reality that’s won over three awards (scroll down)  in 2008, and waiting for a couple in 2009. 

The Toronto Reference Library is on 789 Yonge Street, just north of Bloor on the east side. I’ll be there from 9 to 5 p.m. with Esther Gombor of www.gypsyfair.com. If you’re in Toronto that weekend with or without your book club, stop by!

Test out Moondance – for free!
Download free chapters from my home page. If you’ve read Moondance, I’d love to know what you think. What readers are saying.  A warm welcome for book clubs.

Do you belong to a book club? 
I’d love to meet your local book club, and may be available in person if the club is in Toronto or Collingwood. Go to my site for more information.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com