To enter to win a free copy of Attack of the Theater People:

Be sure to subscribe to the Words To Mouth e-newsletter ~ That is how I announce winners!

Leave a Comment Below or Call 206–309–7318 sharing about your own guerilla theater AND

Subscribe to Words To Mouth podcast/blog by clicking the icon to the right or Subscribe to Words To Mouth on iTunes

Deadline for entry - February 15th, 2009 midnight, EST

U.S. & Canada residents only; No P.O. Box

Attack of the Theater People Synopsis:It's 1986, and twenty-year-old Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being "too jazz hands for Juilliard." Mortified, Edward heads out into the wonderland of 80s New York City, bumbling through a series of disastrous day jobs before finally finding one that suits his limited abilities. Working as a "party motivator," Edward excels at getting thirteen-year-olds to dance at Bar Mitzvahs and charming business people as a "stealth guest" at corporate events. Eventually, he attracts the attention of Chad Severson, a devastatingly charismatic and unscrupulous young stockbroker who befriends Edward in order to obtain insider trading information. Unaware he's breaking the law, Edward is soon in a heap of trouble. Not only are the feds after him, but he's being stalked by an obsessive thirteen-year-old Bat Mitzvah groupie, and facing the revenge of his spiteful ex-stepmother, Dagmar. Only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue Edward from a stretch in Club Fed, tumbling him into an adventure involving roller-skating actors, jet-setting Persians, guerilla theater, and a Springsteen tribute band called Almost Bruce. Together, they must give the performance of their lives. Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the eighties with an even bigger heart.

Visit Words To Mouth website for mentioned links for The Mesmer Project,Marc Acito’s Website and Tahoe Jackson

Book Recommendations:

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Christopher Rice (Anne Rice's Son) Light Before Day

Thanks, as always, to Natalie Brown for her song You Gotta Believe from the Podsafe Music Network.

To enter to win a free copy of STILL ALICE:

Be sure to subscribe to the Words To Mouth e-newsletter ~ That is how I announce winners!

Leave a Comment Below (if you've read the book, tell us who you see playing Alice or any of the other main characters of the book)

Call 206-309-7318 and leave a voice mail message sharing something I can play on-air

Subscribe to Words To Mouth via the link on my website or on iTunes

Deadline for entry - February 30th, midnight, EST

U.S. & Canada residents only; No P.O. Boxes

STILL ALICE Synopsis:Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University. Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind...

“The book is about a young woman’s descent into dementia. And of course, we see her struggle against this horrifying and inevitable descent. But interestingly, as her cognitive capabilities diminish, we also get to see her grow. As her symptoms worsen, Alice loses her cerebral life at Harvard, where she’d placed her worth and identity, where she’d been valued and respected. Without it, she embarks on a desperate search for answers to questions like ‘Who am I now?’ and ‘How do I matter?' and is forced to search for meaning and intimacy beyond career success in her relationships with her husband and children, relationships previously neglected or on autopilot. But has too much time and distance passed in those relationships, and has Alice already lost too much of herself to reconnect before she dies?” Lisa Genova

Lisa's Bio:Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She has done research on the molecular etiology of depression, Parkinson's Disease, drug addiction, and memory loss following stroke. She is a proud and active member of the Dementia Advocacy & Support Network Internationaland DementiaUSAand is an online columnist for the National Alzheimer’s Association. She spends a considerable amount of time acting on stage in Boston and in local independent films. She is currently working on her next novel, LEFT NEGLECTED.

Books Lisa Mentioned:

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks

Thirty-Six Hour Day, C. Rayner

The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry

Don't Leave Me this Way, Julia Fox Garrison

**Thanks, as always, to Natalie Brown for her song You Gotta Believe from the Podsafe Music Network.

For links to cited books and websites, visit Words To Mouth website

COLD PURSUIT Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers leads readers into adeadly chase, where the right step can lead to the truth...and a single misstep spells disaster. A prominent ambassador is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run in Washington, D.C. Hours later, his stepdaughter vanishes in the mountains of northern New England. Back in her hometown of Black Falls, Vermont, to do damage control on her career, Secret Service agent Jo Harper is drawn into the search. But her efforts face an unexpected challenge: Elijah Cameron. With his military training and mountain rescue experience, Elijah knows the unforgiving terrain better than anyone. But he and Jo have been at odds forever—and Elijah believes the missing teenager isn't just lost…she's on the run. Forced to work together, Jo and Elijah battle time and the elements in a race into the unforgiving mountains. The twists and turns awaiting them will take them closer to the explosive truth…and into the sights of a killer.

Favorite Authors:

Rex Stout

Mary Stewart

Carla's Reading Now:

MJ Rose's latest The Memorist

**If you like time travel, check out The Time Traveler's Wife

Visit Words To Mouth website for links to Carla Negger's books and read an excerpt of COLD PURSUIT and her very latest THE BETRAYALS

Carla follows Nora Robert's sage advice "I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one"

Upon editing my conversation with Josh, I realized this interview is as much for writersas it is readers. Josh, foldshis life philosophies and his writing tips adeptly into MATRIMONY and our interview. He isan engaging conservationalist and a natural teacher, not to mention, of course, a gifted writer.

How would you summarize Matrimony?(From Josh's website)

Jonathan Franzen once said that the better a novel is, the more difficult it is to summarize. The protagonist in Martin Amis's novel The Information says something similar. He's a writer himself and he's being interviewed about his novel and the interviewer keeps asking him what his novel is about. Amis's protagonist, who, like many Amis protagonists, is a pretty difficult fellow, says something to the effect of, "It's 150,000 words, and if I could have said it in any less I would have." I sympathize. But if I had to describe Matrimony, I'd say it's about the twenty-year history of a marriage (it's about two marriages, actually--arguably three) and that it's about love and friendship, and the pleasures and perils that attend to those things. More generally, the novel is about what it's like to be in your twenties and thirties--even your forties in some cases--when you're waiting for life to begin and you find to your surprise that it already has begun and that the decisions you make have consequences that you're not even aware of yet. This is particularly pronounced in the case of my protagonists, Julian and Mia, since they get married at twenty-two, right out of college, and find themselves a year later living in Ann Arbor among friends for whom marriage is the last thing on their minds. College towns can perpetuate an eternal adolescence--I know; I've lived in a lot of them. And there's a real divide between married people and single people, the way further down the line there's an even bigger divide between people who have children and people who don't. So Julian and Mia have done what seems like the supremely adult act--getting married--even as in other ways they are far from fully formed. This is certainly true professionally. Julian is struggling to finish his novel; Mia is slogging away on her psychology dissertation. In that sense, the book is about what happens when life calls even when you're not ready for it to come calling.

Josh's advice about writing that first draft:"Write by hand...to move forward and not back" and "Write, write, write and read, read READ!"

Oops, one question from Mari I missed (Thank goodness Josh was willing to answer via email):Mari: The dialog was so meaningful throughout the book, I would like to know if the author was able to reflect his life (did his parents share tidbits of wisdom or is this his creativity)? Here’s an example: Page 59 – “My father’s always saying that college is the great equalizer. Here, we’re all taking the same courses and eating the same meals. But then we graduate and gravitate toward our own kind.” What a strong statement/wisdom. I noted several phrases in the book that read like “ah-ha” moments to me.

Josh: That's a great question. That actual line of dialogue, like all the dialogue I wrote--like everything in MATRIMONY, in fact--is made up. But a writer is always on the lookout, always thinking, always observing, and you absorb the things that people say to you. Certainly my parents shared tidbits of wisdom with me over the years. It's hard to imagine a parent who doesn't, and perhaps my parents especially--my father was a professor for 50 years, so teaching came naturally to him, and to my mother as well, even if in a different way. But neither of my parents ever said that line of dialogue. Almost everything I write comes to me only at the moment I write it, though of course there are years of having lived and thought about things stored away somewhere in the recesses of my brain. In general, I love writing dialogue. How people speak characterizes them so deeply. it's interesting to me (and pleasing) that you chose the line of dialogue you did. It's not a major moment in the novel, it would seem, but to me it is a major moment and one that I often bring up when I talk with book clubs. I'm more than twenty years out of college now, and I'm struck by how different many of my college friends are from what they were like in college, but how similar they are to what they were like before college, and to what their parents are like. I think college is a time of real experimentation for a lot of people. Economic concerns, while still present, may be less pressing than they are later, and so people are more on the same playing field. It's the great equalizer, as Carter's father says. And in some ways, though I didn't realize it as I was writing the book, this idea, this tension, is the driving force behind everything that happens in MATRIMONY. You take a couple that meet in college, you take friends that meet in college, and you subject them to what life is like after college, and interesting things happen. What is it like to fall in love in college and to try to stay in love many years later? That, to me, is what MATRIMONY is about."

To read an excerpt of MATRIMONY and Josh's SUGGESTED READING, and find out how to have Josh "visit" your book club, check out the Words To Mouth website.

"It's a love story, but in a much larger sense, it's about loving life and wanting as much of it as you can have," says Robert about THIRD WISH

For more details and a chance to win a free copy of THIRD WISH, visit The Words To Mouth website.

Be sure to visit the Words To Mouth website for links and a chance to win a FREE copy of ONO

ONO is a Business Book with a Soul (From the ONO website)If you find yourself wanting more time for the things that matter in life—spouse, children, a “higher purpose,” or a hobby you’re passionate about, you want ONO.

Too many financial obligations make the juicy things in life harder to have. Options, on the other hand, make them all possible. You get to pick. It’s delicious and available to anyone at any income level.

ONO will teach you the mastery levels of Family First Entrepreneurial thinking which will create options in your life. It will show you how to maintain a work-life balance. ONO gives busy moms and dads the permission they need to love their families more than their jobs – yet still create financial independence. Our children spell love T-I-M-E. Sadly, we have to buy that time. ONO will show you how.

If you’re tired of not having a plan that shows promise of breaking loose from the burden of life’s financial obligations. You want ONO. At the end of life it will be the people we love, the places we saw, and how we grew as humans that we will remember. ONO will be your blueprint to create the time and money for all of these.

ONO will help you:

Learn the true definition of wealth

Realize the power of building relationships

Limit lifestyle to create options

Discover how to live the Family First Entrepreneurial lifestyle

Through ONO, Marc Warnke will be introducing to you both a lifestyle and a path to follow that will allow money to create wealth and produce positive changes in your life. If fears about having enough money were no longer a part of our daily decisions, we would be free to focus on something greater than ourselves. We could devote energy to a Higher Purpose, whether it was spending a lot more time with our children, volunteering to do church work, helping kids learn to read, donating time, effort or money to a favorite cause, or even shoveling rhino poop at the zoo.If you find yourself wanting more time for the things that matter in life—spouse, children, a “higher purpose,” or a hobby you’re passionate about, you want ONO.

Marc Recommends:Good to Great

THE SECOND OPINION"Question Everything"

Dr. Thea Sperelakis, diagnosed as a teen with Asperger’s syndrome, has always been an outsider. She has a brilliant medical mind, and a remarkable recall of details, but her difficulty in dealing with hidden agendas and interpersonal conflicts have led her to leave the complex, money-driven dynamics of the hospital, and to embrace working with the poor, embattled patients of Doctors Without Borders. Her father, Petros, is one of the most celebrated internal medicine specialists in the world, and the founder of the cutting-edge Sperelakis Center for Diagnostic Medicine at Boston’s sprawling, powerful Beaumont Clinic.

Thea’s rewarding life in Africa is turned upside-down when Petros is severely injured by a hit-and-run driver. He is in the Beaumont ICU, in a deep coma. No one thinks he will survive. Thea must return home. Two of Petros’ other children, both physicians, battle Thea and her eccentric brother, Dimitri, by demanding that treatment for their father be withheld.

As Thea uncovers the facts surrounding the disaster, it seems more and more to be no accident. Petros, himself, is the only witness. Who would want him dead? The answers are trapped in his brain . . . until he looks at Thea and begins slowly to blink a terrifying message.

In The Second Opinion, Michael Palmer has created a cat-and-mouse game where one woman must confront a conspiracy of doctors to uncover an evil practice that touches every single person who ever has a medical test. With sympathetic characters and twists and betrayals that come from the most unlikely places, The Second Opinion will make you question…everything.

For links and details on how to win a FREE copy of THE SECOND OPINION visit the Words To Mouth website

Come along as Mahbod Seraji leads us on a familiar coming-of-age journey in a distant land threatened with revolution. At times, humorous, at others, heart-wrenching. Open your experience to the universal truths of Middle Eastern culture and see the world--your world--a little differently ~ You’re bound to recognize your brother, your parents, your friend in those once nameless faces and consider ROOFTOP's poignant message of love, courage, grief, and hope.

ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN Book Description from Mahbod’s Website:This stunning literary debut paints a vivid portrait of growing up, discovering love, and awakening to the reality of life in a nation on the verge of revolution in the 1970s. Rooftops of Tehran opens in a middle-class neighborhood in Iran’s sprawling capital city. The rooftop of the narrator’s house – the tallest in their alley - is the perfect spot for sleeping on hot summer nights. It’s also the perfect location for stargazing, sneaking cigarettes, talking about American movies, and confiding, analyzing and agonizing through the typical trials of being a seventeen year-old boy, including being in love. This is the spot from which the narrator quietly watches his secret love, his beautiful next door neighbor Zari, promised since birth to his friend and mentor, nicknamed Doctor, a man adored and respected by the whole neighborhood. It is from this high perch that the narrator witnesses the SAVAK's brutal hunt and arrest of Doctor and realizes the oppressiveness of the regime under which he resides. And the rooftop is where the narrator and Zari ultimately find quiet refuge in each other after the shock of Doctor’s senseless faith ripples through their close-knit community and brings about terrible, unexpected repercussions. With the candor only an Iranian can offer, Seraji's narrative bares the enduring struggle between beauty and brutality infused into the centuries-old Persian culture while reaffirming the human experiences we all share: contentment, terror, love, helplessness, ferocity, and hope.

"On the Plane with Annette Bening" Blog Excerpt (I'm glad I got to read the rest of it after speaking with Mahbod--don't miss the "Continue Reading" message at the bottom):...Wow! Annette Bening in Iran, I thought to myself. I looked up and suddenly noticed a cheerful, beautiful, blond lady walking toward the snack bar, happy, carefree and relaxed, talking to the person who was walking along side of her, smiling, moving her arms—great energy for someone who like me must have woken up in the wee hours of the morning to make the damn flight! Wow, the Academy Award wining Annette Bening and Alfre Woodard, one of the most underrated actors of all time! Both their pictures were in the paper in front of me. The ladies checked out the meager snack bar counter, and settled for a cup of coffee. I have to admit, I felt a little giddy being in the same room with an Oscar winning actor, but I decided to rise above my giddiness and pretend like I hadn’t noticed her. I buried my head back in the paper. For more, visit Words To Mouth.

Mahbod is reading CITY OF THIEVES, by David Benioff ~ Check out the “early days” Words To Mouth interview.

Visit Words To Mouth for links to ROOFTOPS website and other Words To Mouth interviews.

To Enter to Win a FREE Copy of ROOFTOPS:

Subscribe to the Words To Mouth e-newsletter (how winners announced)

Leave a Comment Below telling us what piqued your interest from the interview/blog post

Call 206-309-7318 and leave a voice mail message I can play on-air

U.S. & Canada residents only; No P.O. Boxes, please

Deadline: June 30th, 2009 ~ midnight, EDT

~ "Thanks" to Natalie Brown for her song You Gotta Believe from the Podsafe Music Network ~

I interviewed Dr. Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D. longer ago than I'd like to admit. To be honest, I ran into some editing issues with the sound quality and some phone interference, so I put it on the back burner. After revisiting the interview and all the excellent info Dr. Shosh offers, I inquired some moms on their interest in the content. Many moms were interested in hearing about Postpartum Depression and the treatment. Though it's still not perfect, I re-edited the file and finally posted it. It was a bit of a pain, but I really think the information Dr. Shosh offers is priceless. I realize it won't be of interest to every Words To Mouth listener, but let's face it, we're all either parents at some time in our lives or know someone who is, so if you don't listen, just be mindful of people around you who may find this interview useful. Be aware the sound levels were a bit off, so you will hear some white noise and possibly a few phone key blurts--Hey, I tried.

Description on POSTPARTUM FOR DUMMIES from the Dummies Website: It's a great blessing when a new mom with postpartum depression (PPD) is fortunate enough to be diagnosed early by a knowledgeable medical practitioner or therapist. But without guidance, it isn't always clear where the boundary between normal baby blues and PPD lies. As with any other illness, the quicker that PPD is identified and treated, the faster the woman will recover. Postpartum Depression For Dummies can help you begin the process of determining what’s going on with you and give you a better idea of where you fall so that you can get yourself into proper treatment right away. The book covers all aspects of PPD, from its history and its origins to its effects on women and their families to the wide variety of treatments available—including conventional Western medicine, psychological therapy, alternative medical treatments, and self-care measures.

POSTPARTUM FOR DUMMIES reveals:

Why some doctors may be hush-hush about PPD

How to distinguish between pregnancy hormone changes, "baby blues," and PPD

The difficulties of getting a proper diagnosis

The role and importance of a therapist

The benefits of medication for depression

Alternative treatments with a successful track record

How to find the right balance of psychological, medical, and alternative treatment

Ways you can help foster recovery

The nutrition you need to care for yourself properly

How to help your partner help you

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION FOR DUMMIES also provides the additional resources you need—web sites, organizations, and further reading—to help avoid the unnecessary suffering caused by undiagnosed and untreated PPD and survive and thrive as a new mom.

PREGNANAT ON PROZAC from Dr. Shosh's website:Shoshana Bennett answers such questions as:

Does the media exaggerate the risk?

What of options such as tapering the dose?

What alternatives are worth pursuing?

Most importantly, Dr. Shosh empowers each woman with the knowledge to make the best decision for her. Pregnant on Prozac is a must-have for any prospective mother who has experienced depression or anxiety as well as anyone with a friend or loved one in this situation.

Go to the Words To Mouth website for links

To enter to win Pregnant on Prozac OR Postpartum Depression for Dummies:

Make sure you are subscribed to the Words To Mouth e-newsletter (how winners announced)

Leave a Comment Below sharing your own experience with postpartum depression or why this interview piqued your interest.

Call 206-309-7318 and leave a voice mail message I can play on-air

U.S. & Canada residents only; No P.O. Boxes, please

Deadline: June 30th, 2009 ~ midnight, EDT

Meet Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D., "Dr. Shosh":

She is the author of Postpartum Depression For Dummies and co-author of Beyond the Blues: Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression. Her latest book Pregnant on Prozac was released on January 10, 2009. She’s also created guided imagery audios that are specifically focused on helping moms take care of themselves. National TV shows including “20/20? and “The Doctors” feature Dr. Shosh as the postpartum expert and news stations consult her. Several publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News have written articles on Dr. Shosh’s work. She’s interviewed regularly on national radio and television and has been quoted in dozens of newspapers and magazines such as the Boston Globe, Glamour, Psychology Today, New York Post, Self, Cosmopolitan, USA Weekend and the Chicago Tribune. Dr. Shosh is a pioneer in the field and considered the “go-to” expert for postpartum depression. She is a survivor of two life-threatening, undiagnosed postpartum depressions. She founded Postpartum Assistance for Mothers in 1987, and is a former president of Postpartum Support International. She has helped over 18,000 women worldwide through individual consultations, support groups and wellness seminars. As a noted guest lecturer and keynote speaker, she travels throughout the US and abroad, training medical and mental health professionals to assess and treat postpartum depression and related mood disorders. She earned three teaching credentials, two masters degrees, a Ph.D. and is licensed as a clinical psychologist. She is working to pass legislation that helps reduce the incidence and impact of postpartum mood disorders.

Visit The Words To Mouth Website to Enter to Win a FREE Copy of EASY ON THE EYES

Easy on the Eyes (from Jane's Website)At 38, Tiana Tomlinson has made it. America adores her as one of the anchors of America Tonight, a top-rated nightly entertainment and news program. But even with the trappings that come with her elite lifestyle, she feels empty. Tiana desperately misses her late husband Keith, who died several years before. And in a business that thrives on youth, Tiana is getting the message that her age is starting to show and certain measures must be taken if she wants to remain in the spotlight. It doesn’t help that at every turn she has to deal with her adversary—the devilishly handsome, plastic surgeon to the stars, Michael O'Sullivan. But a trip away from the Hollywood madness has consequences that could affect the rest of her life.

About Jane (from Jane's Website)Born in Visalia, California, I'm a small town girl at heart. I love central California's golden foothills, oak trees, and the miles of farmland. In my mind, there's nothing sweeter in the world than the heady fragrance of orange blossoms on a sultry summer night. As a little girl I spent hours on my bed, staring out the window, dreaming of far off places, fearless knights, and happy-ever-after endings. In my imagination I was never the geeky bookworm with the thick coke-bottle glasses, but a princess, a magical fairy, a Joan-of-Arc crusader. My parents fed my imagination by taking our family to Europe for a year when I was thirteen. The year away changed me (I wasn't a geek for once!) and overseas I discovered a huge and wonderful world with different cultures and customs. I loved everything about Europe, but felt especially passionate about Italy and those gorgeous Italian men (no wonder my very first Presents hero was Italian). I confess, after that incredible year in Europe, the travel bug bit, and bit hard. I spent much of my high school and college years abroad, studying in South Africa, Japan and Ireland. South Africa remains a country of my heart, the people, the land and politics complex and heart-wrenching. After my years of traveling and studying I had to settle down and earn a living. With my Bachelors degree from UCLA in American Studies, a program that combines American literature and American history, I've worked in sales and marketing, as well as a director of a non-profit foundation. Later I earned my Masters in Writing from the University of San Francisco and taught jr. high and high school English. I now live in rugged Seattle, Washington with my two young sons. I never mind a rainy day, either, because that's when I sit at my desk and write stories about far-away places, fascinating people, and most importantly of all, love. I like a story with a happy ending. We all do.