Donate $5 to Miracle Foundation with a Click!

Today writer Mara Gorman features a book review of The Weight of Silence on her site, The Mother of all Trips, geared toward traveling with children. Mara writes the review for her “Mondays are for Dreaming” segment – and she has pledged to donate $5 to the Miracle Foundation for every comment posted on the article (up to $250)!!

So please – go to The Mother of All Trips today and read the review, and post a comment – and help empower these children with a simple click of the mouse! Mara writes, “The strength of the book is that even as she reveals her own internal struggles with despair, the overwhelming message is one of hope. By offering many concrete examples of how individuals can make a difference, Seale inspires her readers to look the problem square in the eyes and bring whatever resources they have to bear, just as she herself has done.”

“Therefore, as a tribute to the faith and optimism shown within the pages of The Weight of Silence, I’d like to make my own small contribution to the cause. For every comment that is made on this post I will donate 5 dollars to the Miracle Foundation, up to a total sum of $250. It’s a drop in the bucket, I know, but one thing this book has shown me is that small gestures do make a difference. As Seale says, quoting Mother Teresa, ‘If you can’t feed a hundred people, feed just one.’”

In other recent coverage, The Weight of Silence has been reviewed on AOL’s Gadling – read it here. Except for being called a yuppie (ugh!), it’s a nice review. Writer Sean McLachlan says, “Besides her personal story, two things really set this book apart from the ‘see the horrible things happening in the Third World’ genre. Firstly, it takes a mostly positive spin. While Seale doesn’t flinch from the uglier side of Indian life, she focuses on the children’s resilience and dreams. They don’t come off as poor victims waiting for rich peoples’ help. Her main point is that these kids aren’t in need of handouts, but the basic human right of a childhood.

The second strong point is that the book is well grounded in fact, skillfully interwoven with the narrative so that it never slows down the writing. The Weight of Silence is part travelogue, part expose, and gripping reading. The fact that this book shows deep respect for India’s people while not ignoring their faults sets this book apart.”

I was also quoted on the Conscious Discussions blog, from my guest appearance on the Conscious Discussions radio show on July 14. On the blog, Lillian Brummet has posted comments I made about what people can do to make a difference for “invisible” children around the world, from small steps to big. You can also listen to the original radio show on the player below:

Book Signing at BookWoman & other Events

Just because the initial book launch and Virtual Tour for The Weight of Silence are over, doesn’t mean I’m not still scheduled for more cool in-person events, feature reviews and radio shows. Here’s a little update on a few exciting things coming up in the next week!

BookWoman Book Store Signing – Tuesday, July 21 at 7 pm
Come to the awesome BookWoman store, where I’ll be speaking briefly about the book, showing a short photo slideshow presentation of these beautiful kids, and signing books. If you’ve never been to BookWoman, it’s a really cool independent, women-powered book store in North Central Austin. Stop by at 5501 N. Lamar – hope to see you there!
Click here for a Map - Click here to order The Weight of Silence from BookWoman

But – before the BookWoman signing there are a couple more interesting events I hope you’ll check out!

Creative Soul Radio Show – Saturday, July 18
Join Shelley and host John Williams on the blog talk radio show, discussing the book’s subject and my journeys in India. Listen online.

Austin American-Statesman Feature Story – Sunday, July 19
Read the books section on Sunday to check out a feature article about me and the book, by Jeff Salamon! Jeff is the Statesman’s books editor and writer, which is somewhat ironic, given that he is a self-described “slow reader.” As The Reader, Jeff will blather on about virtually anything that contains words — books, magazines, newspapers, websites, comic books, fortune cookie fortunes, etc. — as well as provide running updates on local and national literary events. Read the article.

And last but not least – on Tuesday July 21, before the BookWoman signing, tune into KOOP Radio 91.7 fm Austin at noon for a 30-minute show called Idea Lounge. Host Khotan Harmon will interview me, in one of her series of in-depth interviews that explore ideas, beliefs, strategies, skills, and resources that help shape a fulfilled life.
At noon, tune into 91.7 fm on your local radio, or go to www.koop.org and click “Listen Now.”

Thanks for following along on the exciting events surrounding The Weight of Silence publication. And, if you’ve read the book, I hope you’ll consider writing a review on Amazon.com.

Namaste,

Book Release Today!

Buy the book here

The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India is officially released! Buy your copy today – I thank you on behalf of these children, and your interest in reading their amazing, inspiring stories.

As you have noticed, today has also unveiled a new design to this site, and kicks off a Media Tour for the book from June 15-30. During the tour I will be appearing on a different website or radio show each day to do an interview Q&A about the book and the topics and issues surrounding these children of India. Some of the tour stops will be online feature articles, where you can just visit the website and take a look. Other stops are local Austin appearances and radio shows, or interactive online chats and podcasts. The book release tour will conclude with a Launch Party at The Miracle Foundation on June 30 at 6 pm (click here for map).

Join the facebook page!

The complete tour schedule can be viewed here. You can also view a schedule of each event on Facebook, and add them to your FB calendar if you wish. While you’re at it, join the Weight of Silence Facebook page!

How Can you Help with this Cause?

• Share this page with people you know

• Place an announcement about the book, with a link, on your own website or blog. Of course you can write whatever you’d like in your own words, and you can also get lots of information from the Media Kit.

• Add this page to Digg, Facebook, MySpace, StumbleUpon or other sites.

• Visit The Miracle Foundation for information on how you can sponsor a child or volunteer

• Get involved with some of the other wonderful organizations I profile in the book

• Make a donation to The Miracle Foundation, UNICEF, One.org, Children’s Defense Fund, or a nonprofit of your choice that is advocating for children’s rights around the world.

Thank you all again for the wonderful support you have all shown me!

Book Release – June 15!

Click on the cover to pre-order!

The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India official release date is June 15, 2009! You can pre-order the book here. I am so excited, and I hope that you will be interested in reading the book that I have worked so hard on, and that so many of you have supported me in, to give a voice to these children and make many others in the world aware of the issues affecting them. Also check back at this website – on June 15, the launch date, I will be unveiling a totally new look and design to the site, as well as launching a two-week Virtual Book Tour from June 15-30 – click here to view the schedule.

During the Virtual Book Tour I will be appearing on a different website or blog each day to do an interview Q&A about the book and the topics and issues surrounding these children of India. If you are interested in being a part of the book tour at your site, please drop me a line.

Also, if you are willing to help raise awareness by placing an announcement about the book and some brief info and a link on your site, I would really appreciate it. Of course you can write whatever you’d like about the issues and the book, and you can get lots of information from this website. To make it easier for you, if you wish, below I’ve posted a sample announcement blurb and link, and you can use the book cover image as well. Thank you all again for the wonderful support you have all shown me!

Dog’s Eye View Media proudly presents a true-life story straight from today’s headlines.  Shelley Seale’s narrative non-fiction book follows the lives of just such children as those brought to life in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India depicts Seale’s journey into orphanages and through the streets and slums of India where millions of innocent children live without families. During her three years of writing The Weight of Silence, Seale has befriended and told the stories of many such children – and has born witness to their struggles first hand. Foreword by Joan Collins.

Release Date: June 15, 2009
Buy the Book: http://weightofsilence.wordpress.com
ISBN: 978-0-9802323-7-0