Happy About An Extra Hour a Day, by Nicolas Soergel

In lieu of my own blog today, I am going to use this post to highlight something so many of us could use: Time management skills. I don't know about you, but I never seem to have enough time to do everything I want to. Without further ado, here is our special guest:

About Happy About An Extra Hour a Day

Every day has exactly 1,440 minutes in it. Whether you work for a Fortune 500 company, run your own small business or are an independent freelancer, the way you spend those minutes helps or hinders the goals you want to achieve.

Nicolas Soergel, author of the new book Happy About An Extra Hour Everyday(Happy About, 2009) says anyone can create extra time in their life by increasing their efficiency. “If you can save one minute, 60 times a day, you can gain the extra hour needed to make your dreams happen,” says Soergel.

Throughout Happy About An Extra Hour Everyday the author offers easy to implement, time saving tips that he terms "quick wins".

About the Author -

Nicolas Soergel, was born in Germany in 1969. After completing his studies in business administration at the University of Cologne, he began his career in finance with Sony. Soergel later played a major role in setting up the German, Austrian and Swiss operations of the British vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson.

In 2000, Nicolas moved to Japan where at the age of 34 he became CEO of the Japanese subsidiary of T-Systems – a Deutsche Telekom group company. 3 years later he took over responsibility for the APAC region.

Throughout his professional career Nicolas has had the opportunity to meet and interview executives from around the world on the practical ideas they use to save time and get organized. You can read more at Nicolas’s blog: http://www.anextrahoureveryday.com/

Endorsements for the Book -

"Millions of people around the world are starving for one thing . . . TIME. Imagine what it would be like if right now you had one more hour each day to do just what you wanted. In this amazing book Nicolas Soergel provides an actionable blueprint for adding more time to your day. If you are among those who starve for more time you MUST read this book."

Jeb Blount, CEO of SalesGravy.com; Author of "Power Principles and 7 Rules For Outselling the Recession"

"'Happy About An Extra Hour Every Day' is an essential resource for all road warriors. As a 100,000 mile per year traveler, I am always looking for tips to make my trips easier and save some time. This book overflows with simple, easily adaptable ways to do just that. For me, just applying a couple of the tips makes my life easier. Well worth the price of admission!"

Rich Goldman, VP, Corporate Marketing & Strategic Alliances, Synopsys

"A global road warrior for many years, I thought I already was good at time management - but Nico made me think twice! Great reading, straight to the point."

Michael Hofmann, VP, Nokia Corporation

"Don't Procrastinate! Pay attention to the tips in the book that are relevant to you and make them work to save the time you need to get more done."

Vish Mishra, President, TiE [The Indus Entrepreneurs Network] Silicon Valley and Venture Director, Clearstone Venture Partners

"Easy to find - easy to read - Quick Wins for almost every situation. Winning an extra hour can be so easy."

Heinz Fischer, Managing Director, Loewe

"A must read for every assistant who needs to manage her own and other people's time."

Holger C. Johnson, CEO, ebuero.de

"A great guide to the little everyday things you can do at home, work and on the road to save both time and sanity."

Karen Leland, Bestselling Author of "Time Management In An Instant"

A Little Mayhem with Barbara Bonfigli, Author of Cafe Tempest

What Inspired the Idea for the Book and Inspired Me to Write It by Barbara Bonfigli

Since first traveling to Europe between college semesters I've been trying to pack lightly and take off whenever the chance arises. So it wasn't surprising that when I started to write my first novel I was sitting on a beach on Greek island with no intention of moving until my cash wore out. Wondrous landscapes and fantastical characters surrounded me. Theatre is my family tree; my mother was an actress, my great uncles were in Vaudeville and I re-lived my English incarnation as Lady Bracknell in my high school production of "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Nothing is more fun than rehearsals. Greeks eating and acting and discussing every imaginable subject seemed like the perfect co-conspirators on my imaginary island. Love of course is always a part of my life; my friends and my lovers are the stars of the show.

Besides loving to write, I have some perspectives -- on love, travel, spirituality -- that I wanted to share and I hit upon the fictional memoir as a venue that would give me the latitude to do that. I love writing songs too, but those are one story at a time.

Then there is Proust, who said-- you read a novel to learn about yourself. I think you write one for the same reason.



To learn about Barbara Bonfigli and Café Tempest, feel free to visit any of these sites.

Barbara Bonfigli’s website – www.cafetempest.com
Order Café Tempest directly from the publisher - http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php or from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Café-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313
To see the complete tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html


About Barbara Bonfigli

Barbara is an author, lyricist and theatrical producer. When she isn’t writing songs or travel articles, or producing shows, she packs some French roast and catches a plane to Athens. Then a ferry or a hydrofoil to... but that's classified.

She hitchhiked to Greece in her first nomadic summer, and discovered her native land. She’s been exploring it ever since -- hiking in the Pelion, kayaking in the Dodecanese, sailing the Aegean. In a tiny seaside taverna, over fried kalamari and a pitcher of homemade red, a few Greek families and she watched Obama conquer Berlin.

Maps are her recreational drug of choice. After wearing out five passports and four continents she uncorked her memories and imagination -- and a bottle or two of retsina -- to write her first novel, "Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island". It's a kind of "A Year in Provence" meets "Zorba the Greek". You are invited to the mythical island of Pharos, to laugh and dance in the hammock, not the cradle of Western civilization.


About Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island

What is it about Greece that makes it so exotic, so romantic, so tantalizing that it’s right at the top of everybody’s bucket list – the one foreign land they’re longing to visit? Our dreams are made on Never on Sunday, Zorba the Greek, and more recently My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mama Mia.

Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island is a witty, evocative, beautifully written novel that puts you right in the heart of Greek island life. It’s so alive with the sights and smells and tastes and characters of Greece that you can pick it up and start your Mediterranean vacation on page one. On a deeper level, the book is filled with the kinds of observations, reflections, and arc of self-discovery that make Eat, Pray, Love so compelling.

“Welcome to Pharos. Laugh and dance in the hammock—not the cradle—of Western civilization,” says author, lyricist, and theatrical producer Barbara Bonfigli. “I’ve been falling in love with Greece since I was old enough to drink retsina. But if Sarah hadn’t captured my imagination you’d never know how I feel about friendship, feta, and the abundance of grace that turns friends into lovers and fishermen into kings.”

Synopsis

When Sarah, a thirty-something American theatrical producer, is asked to direct the locals in their summer show, she picks Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. What follows is a hilarious adventure in casting, rehearsing, and consuming. Her neighbors are excited about acting but delirious about eating. Their rehearsals in a deconsecrated church become a feast in four acts.
Armed with a sizzling wit, a dangerously limited Greek vocabulary, and a pitch-perfect ear for drama, Sarah navigates the major egos and minor storms of a cab driver Caliban, a postmaster Prospero, and a host of fishermen dukes and knaves.

When she falls in love, there are even trickier seas to navigate. Her own offstage romance provides an exhilarating, unpredictable counterpoint to Shakespeare’s story of magic, intrigue, and the power of love.

The Moonlight Shines on Julianne Moore, actress and author

I am so honored to be a part of this tour. Julianne Moore is one of our finest talents of our time and a personal favorite of mine, so please forgive my while I gush. I have long admired Ms. Moore for her versatile acting skills and for her humanitarian work, so this is a thrill for me. If you missed the first part of her tour, please go to my other blog at http://margayleahjustice.com/?p=263 and watch the videos where Julianne talks about what it's like to be a redhead with freckles, about the name Freckleface Strawberry, and how she balances career with family.

Freckleface Strawberry and the Dogeball Bully

A Review

Best known for her roles in many block buster movies, such as The Hours and Forgotten, Julianne Moore is fast proving herself to be a multi-talented woman. I have long admired her for her acting abilities, for her humanitarian works, but now I have a new reason to admire her. For her writing. With a sweet sensitivity and imagination, she writes about a subject that everyone, despite their age, can relate to: The school bully. Everyone knows him, the boy who likes to terrorize those he perceives as weaker than himself. On the dodgeball court, he is king. What can be more frightening than a bully armed with a ball?

As a girl, I was not the athletic type (I blame all the years of dancing - I was an artist, not an athlete), so I dreaded going to gym class. More than anything else, I dreaded dodgeball. I knew, without a doubt, that if there was a ball thrown in that gym, it didn’t matter where I stood - it would find me. Add to that my own personal bully and school was not a pleasant experience for me. So it was that even I, as an adult, was able to connect with the character of Freckleface Strawberry. In just a few short words, I was transported back to my old gym and the fears of dodgeball and bullies. I only wish that I had come up with as creative a way to handle my fear as Freckleface Strawberry did. This is a wonderful book. If you have young children or grandchildren, do them - and yourselves - a favor and read this book to me. Hopefully, it will inspire them to face what life throws at them with the same courage as one spunky little redhead.

Here’s Julianne speaking about Being a Writer:

On Reading:



And on Writing Children's Books:




For more great videos, including interviews on Ellen and The View, you can go here.

Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully by Julianne Moore

Now Available on Amazon.com - To Order Your Copy Today - http://www.amazon.com/Freckleface-Strawberry-Dodgeball-Bully-Story/dp/1599903164
For complete tour information and the complete schedule, visit her tour home page at: http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/04/freckleface-strawberry-by-julianne.html

THE FOUR-TIME ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE AND HER SPUNKY, PICTURE BOOK STAR DODGE A BULLY
Acclaimed actress, and now beloved picture book author JULIANNE MOORE and bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join talents again for FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY AND THE DODGEBALL BULLY. This time, their perky, loveable seven-year-old encounters a bully on the playground—Windy Pants Patrick—during a game of dodgeball. As the brute prepares to hurl his might at Freckleface and her friends, she must figure out how to summon the courage to stand up to him. Ms. Moore tackles this all-to- prevalent problem with both humor and grace.

It is Ms. Moore’s infusion of hilarity and heart that has won her praise from booksellers, educators, reviewers—and most importantly young readers!—for her debut picture book Freckleface Strawberry, a charming tale inspired by a childhood experience.
Nicknamed Freckleface Strawberry when she a young girl, Ms. Moore disliked the title as much as she disliked her red hair and freckles. “As a child, my hatred of my freckles was only matched by my love of reading,” said the author, who eventually grew to tolerate her red hair and freckles and find amusement in telling her own kids about her childhood nickname. Dodgeball isn’t based on personal experience, but creating a feisty character who makes the best of a bad situation—and does so with style and wit—is essential to Ms. Moore.

JULIANNE MOORE is U. S. Ambassador for Save the Children working with children and families in rural areas, focusing on literacy and early childhood education. She successfully launched the Save the Children Valentine program in 2008 whereby children’s book illustrators donated art work for cards, with the proceeds benefiting poverty in the United States. She is also a member of Reach Out and Read, a children’s literacy organization dedicated to educating parents on the importance of reading to their children, as well as an acclaimed actress who has appeared in such movies as The Hours, Far from Heaven, The End of the Affair, and Boogie Nights. Ms Moore was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting from Boston University’s School of the Performing Arts. She now lives with her husband and children in New York City.

Thank you so much for joining Julianne and I today to celebrate the launch of this wonderful book, and to Nikiki Leigh of Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours for giving me the honor of taking part in this tour. I am deeply honored. ~ Margay Leah Justice