Julia Cameron says, “We should write because humans are spiritual beings and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance.”

Do you agree? Do you use writing as a form of prayer and meditation? I asked two of our own authors for their insight on the topic. I knew they would say something beautiful to say. That their answers are so similar does not surprise me at all.

Sara Wiseman, author of Writing the Divine: How to Use Channeling for Soul Growth and Healing

“Using writing as a spiritual practice is like praying on paper.  It’s an effortless way to connect to the ‘still, small voice’ that is both the Divine and also our true selves. Whether you write with pen or keyboard, writing lets you open the floodgates of voice: inner voice, voice of higher self, Divine voice, universal voice — it’s all the same. Often, we are surprised by what flows out of our pens! This is because when we connect deeply to the Divine in writing, as well as in the practices of prayer and meditation, we discover the truth of what we already know in our hearts — and in our souls. And when we meet this truth, we are amazed.”

Claudia Cunningham, author of Biting Back: A No-Nonsense, No-Garlic Guide to Facing the Personal Vampires in Your Life

“When I am working hard at my writing, I’m also working hard at trying to find the truth for myself.  I search carefully inside for the exact words or images that are most accurate and honest, and then try to express them — which is very similar to what I do in prayer. Writing and prayer are both methods of conscious contact with God that shift my focus to the present moment and bring all of me to the table. That’s true of cooking, though, too — and of painting rocks with very young children, or of weeding a garden — of anything that brings all of me with it to the present moment, I guess, because the present is the one place God always seems to be hanging out.”

I love how Sara and Claudia are both saying that the process of writing makes you more yourself. So if you’re a writer, don’t worry about it, right? Just do write already, and see what you discover.

Book proposals are the universal language authors use to convey the value of their work and get a contract — either from an editor or an agent. All good ones follow a certain formula, which Writers Marketplace and numerous other resources can demonstrate. But there’s a certain panache that comes through when you understand a bit about the publishing process. Here’s an insider’s look at a few pieces of advice I tell aspiring authors on a daily basis to make their proposals shine.

1. Know your comp titles.

Editors work by comparison. Outside of knowing how to write and having a killer working title, the best way to get an editor’s attention is to include an accurate list of  “comparables” – published books that are similar to yours. At one of the publishers I worked for, the acquiring editor the next desk over asked all aspiring authors the same question when he first got them on the phone: “What are your favorite books in this genre?” If he sounded enthusiastic after he heard their answer, I knew the authors had a better chance of being published. Know your genre, and know it well.

I tell aspiring authors there are two types of comp titles – your cocktail party answer and your practical answer. It’s your job to have an intimate understanding of both. I asked one fiction writer what his comp titles are, and he said, “My writing is a little Woody Allen meets Michael Chabon.” That’s a tall order! In the right situation, it’s fine to compare yourself to a world-renowned filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize–winning author. It’s a quick, effective way to assert your style. But when you are talking to an editor, you need to share a few realistic comps, as well. Select an author with a single published book, a modest platform, and worthy enough sales. If you are pitching to a small publisher, include comps from other small publishers. List one comp that’s positioned for the same audience as yours and another comp whose author has a similar voice. And never rely on books more than 5 to 7 years old. Publishers want to know what’s selling now.

2. Editors pitch, too.

When your pitch is effective, an editor turns around and pitches it herself. This means she shares it with her pub board or acquisitions committee. Keep this in mind on two counts. First, write for your audience. A book proposal is meant for the discerning eye of a pub board – not for a guy in a bookstore. Supply detailed descriptions of the value of your book, who is going to read it, and what your promotional efforts will be. Your editor uses this material to create a cover sheet summarizing the pros and cons of your book – and then shares the cover sheet with her acquisitions committee with your proposal and sample chapter.

Second, since the editor makes copies and distributes your work to a group of people, make it easy for her to share your work. Use footers with page numbers, your name, and contact info. Set your work in a highly readable font. And always send your work as one document. Never litter an editor’s inbox with more attachments than necessary.

3. Polish up your sound bites.

Imagine an editor’s desk piled high with stacks of unopened manuscripts and proposals. How are you going to make your work stand out? Festooning your work in ribbon or binding it up at Kinko’s is not the way to go. Be elegant and impress an editor with useful, engaging sound bites.

When I acquired a dream dictionary with lots of smart content, I described it as “the thinking person’s dream dictionary.” When I acquired a unique book about the history of Jinn, an ancient race of genies, I started my pitch by writing, “It turns out genies aren’t so dreamy after all.” These sound bites immediately attract attention and convey the innate value of the book.

Understand the beauty of brevity and seduction. Work on your elevator pitch – the brief, charming summary of your book you could share between floors 1 and 18. Put this juicy summary at the front of your proposal. I tell my authors to think about their book in terms of a movie trailer and themselves as the director. Go so far as to imagine your book as the new summer blockbuster in which a typhoon takes over New York City and the bold voice of the narrator says, “In a world where . . .” Write your sound bites in this ridiculously big voice and see what you come up with.

4. Show us your face.

A book proposal without an author photo is like a real estate ad without pictures of the exterior of the house. An editor can see that the structure is sound, but she can’t get a sense of the full package.

If you are serious about being published, include a professional portrait in your proposal alongside your bio. You know the saying that you can tell a lot about someone by their shoes? Imagine how much more you can tell by their face. An author’s vibe contributes to the packaging and positioning of the book. If you are pitching a memoir about your year in Italy, include a picture of you smiling broadly in the Tuscan sun. And keep in mind two pieces of advice — don’t be shy, but don’t be at all fake. Make sure the picture is highly flattering and all about you, but only in a natural, understated way — that means no excessive make-up or accessories. Follow the path of Elizabeth Gilbert, wildly successful author of Eat, Pray, Love. Every picture of her I’ve seen is natural and remarkable at the same time.

Chakras, auras, spirits, and psychics? Five years ago, I would have said no way, no how. Today, my answer is always a curious maybe. You Llewellyn fans probably knew this already. Are you glad I finally caught on?

I grew up without spirituality, religion, or much a higher power of any kind. As an ex-Catholic turned nature-worshiper, my mom decided she’d never force religion on me. I read books, hung out at the library, and ran around the park with friends. It’s no surprise I studied literature and eventually got a master’s degree in literary theory. I studied the existentialists and the humanists. I moved to big cities. I had no need for faith. I loved my identity as a freethinker and became known for it. I saw religion as a funny little habit less self-reliant minds used to get through the day and spirituality as something that had no bearing on my life at all.

Instead, I committed myself to art and creativity. I dabbled like a dilettante in anything I could get my hands on — literature, philosophy, poetry, music, modern and classical art, travel, cooking, history, architecture, dancing, urbansim. What makes me laugh now is that I actually was a spiritual person — you just never would have caught me using the word “spiritual.” Yet I explored my interests with the enthusiasm and earnestness of any believer.

Today, my perspective has shifted. I let spirituality be what it is — a celebration of the things that move me, and one of my biggest motivators is curiosity. Do I believe in the afterlife? Maybe. Are my chakras balanced? I’m not sure, but I might wear red on those days I feel ungrounded. My mind will always be open, as I know from experience that it’s more fun — and healthier, I believe – to learn how to say “maybe.”

What do you think?

This post Twenty Easier Ways to Be Happier at Divine Caroline charmed me instantly with its first tip. Make your bed. At The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin says “making the bed is one of the quickest, easiest steps to keeping our bedroom orderly.” And we all know that an orderly environment leads to a calm frame of mind. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and make completing your other tasks easier, too.

To look at the other side of this coin, though, people have competing ideas on the matter, saying that women with unmade beds have a better sex life and fewer dust mites. Not bad at all! To add even more food for thought, there’s also the idea that our decision to make or not make our bed is a metaphor for our personal style. When the Times Online reported that Sharon Stone compared Meryl Streep to an “unmade bed,” one reporter began asking readers which type of woman they are: an Unmade Bed or a Pristine Pillow. (And if you’re courageous enough to answer that question, I’m kind of dying to know.)

Whether you’re more of a lazy, downturned sheet or a perfectly plumped pillow, here’s a ritual to make your bed a pristine and fantastic place to spend some time. Author Tess Whitehurst, an expert in creating sacred space, shares this and other lovely tips in Magical Housekeeping. Here’s a good place to start.

Bed-Cleansing Ritual

Ingredients:

4 white or off-white soy tealight candles in jars

At least a dozen white roses

A mister of rose water

In the evening, when the moon is between full and new, move the bed away from the wall and remove all the bedding. (You might want to take this time to throw the bedding in the laundry, as you’ll want to be freshly cleaned before you replace it.) Place a candle on the ground at each corner. Be very aware of fire safety. Light each candle and turn out the electric lights. Pull out all the rose petals and spread them on top of the bare mattress. Stand over the bed, put your hands in prayer position, close your eyes, and ask for forty angels to powerfully cleanse the energy of your bed and remove all negativity. Visualize the light from the candles expanding until the entire bed is transformed into sparkling golden-white light. Know that this light is burning away and transmuting all old and stagnant energy and replacing it with fresh, new, vibrant energy. Allow the candles to safely burn for at least forty minutes. Then remove the candles and petals and mist the mattress and box spring lightly with rose water. Bury the petals or scatter them at the base of a tree. Dispose of the candles.

In that spirit, a little-known “holiday” was created by productivity expert Laura Stack. Wednesday June 2 is National Leave-the-Office-Earlier Day. The idea behind the day isn’t to sneak out early to go drink a latte in the park. The idea is to be mindful of your workday. You have eight hours — make them count. Tap into that get-things-done vacation mode at the office at least once a week. You’ll go home after 40 hours feeling more productive, satisfied, and eager to fill up your non-work time with other happy and healthy things.

“Bender’s philosophy is inspiring, empowering, and what women and girls truly need in this world where we’re torn in so many directions.”

“After reading this book, you’ll feel inspired to change.”

“Bender offers an entirely new approach to reconnecting with one’s desires.”

As an acquisitions editor, it’s fulfilling to see the books we publish make a positive impression in the world. And I knew this one would.

What is Sierra’s philosophy all about? It’s about rediscovering your best, ideal self by aligning with your own deep inner wisdom — not society’s — and engaging ALL aspects of your being.

Today, many women feel the need to engage with something so completely that it infuses their entire being, something they can feel at the core. Look at the success of a book like Eat, Pray, Love, in which Elizabeth Gilbert transforms her life by committing to a journey around the world, picking up enlightening spiritual principles and practices along the way. Sierra Bender’s book gives you a practical set of tools to bring that type of spiritual wisdom into your life on a regular basis. Sierra makes those lofty spiritual practices real, always reminding you that your higher self isn’t on the other side of the world. She’s within.

Look up “Goddess to the Core” on facebook and follow Sierra Bender for inspiring lifestyle tips.

Publishers Weekly chimed in at just the right time with a pitch-perfect review of one of our newly released books: The Wild & Weedy Apothecary. Described as “well-considered alphabetic valentine to natural healing,” author Doreen Shababy proves her graceful and extensive knowledge of herbs. From manicotti to tinctures, from homemade yogurt to healing salve, Shababy gracefully walks us through her lifelong love of spiritual and culinary herbal applications. PW says, “Generous with her sources and references, Shababy’s voluminous guide will help armchair naturalists and horticulturalists get the most out of nature’s bounty.”

Did you know that in the ancient traditions of Greece, Rome, India, and the Far East, medications and perfumes were one and the same? And did you know that the plantain weed is instant first aid, or that the petals of cleanly grown roses are completely safe to eat? Shababy shares these amazing facts effortlessly. Her warm and knowledgable voice offers readers an abundance of practical tips in the garden as well as delightful information for the soul.

While they taste so good, these kinds of indulgences can also jeopardize our best-laid healthy eating plans. A dietian at WebMD offers her perspective on Surviving Girl Scout Cookie Season, which includes a nutritional analysis of each cookie and a few tips for conscientious ways to eat them. ”Believe it or not,” she says, ”two or three cookies will go a long way if you really savor every bite.” I think we all know that she’s right. You can also do things like “reset” your palette between bites and be more conscientious about tuning into your sensory environment. For example, you could eat a crispy cookie then a soft cookie to maximize the taste in your mouth.

Better yet, making your own thin mints may be the most satisfying trick of them all, especially with this recipe at 101 Cookbooks, which contains only natural ingredients.

Do you have tips on how to mindfully indulge in sweets, or is that a contradiction in terms? I think it’s probably no mistake that the cookies fit so well in the freezer, perfect for slow savoring.

At her worst, the author admits to having called as many as 10 psychics in one day–and at $1.99 to $19.99 an hour, this habit became a terribly expensive addiction. She eventually had to hide it from her friends and family and find the resources to recover from it, one step at a time.

What is it about getting a psychic reading that is so alluring?  The path of life can be challenging and full of an overwhelming number of options that we never had before. A psychic reading can uncover these paths, like a well-defined choose-your-own-adventure book, making it easier to choose which road to take. However, while the advice offered by a psychic can certainly be accurate and useful, it is never fool-proof, as any good psychic will let you know.

Lisa Barretta is one such psychic, author of The Street Smart Psychic’s Guide to Getting a Good Reading. Lisa Barretta admits to having “psychic junkie” tendencies of her own, having discovered of love of Tarot card readings at an early age. She discovered her own gift for intensive astrology readings (ahem; I know she’s good) and pairs that with her own set of psychic tools and intuition. Her book is a user’s guide to getting a solid, useful reading from a psychic, including how much a reading should cost, what the benefits and possible risks are, and a thorough description of all the types of readers on the market, from mediums to angel readers to tea-leaf readers.

If you find psychic readings to be way too appealing, there are support groups out there, especially the one started by Ms. Lassez, the author of Psychic Junkie. But if you hire psychics from time to time and would like to hear more about what life is like on the other side of the cards, Lisa Barretta’s street smart skills will offer a fascinating and practical read.

On top of all that, there’s the little question of your own level of interest to contend with when it comes to dating. Is he really the potential partner worth fussing about? When a lot of the people you know are married, does it become difficult to trust your own instincts?

Servet Hasan’s new book Tune Him In, Turn Him On offers a unique new perspective on this dilemma. Next time, when dating has you down, before calling your friends, and before crafting a clever little email sure to get his attention, turn it all off and check in with yourself. Sit still, meditate, and think deeply about the situation from a spiritual perspective.

Servet Hasan says “When it comes to love, men, and relationships, our most valuable resource gets buried beneath layers of preconceived, linear thinking.” That is, of course, our intuition. Intuition seems to be an underused tool in relationships, both for single people and those in long-term relationships.

Does your intution help you tune into and better relate with the person you are dating? Does your intuition help you create a stable and strong relationship?