Book Review: Small Talk by Diane Weston

Sometimes the hardest part about developing a relationship with someone is getting started. In Small Talk, author Diane Weston shares tips and examples on how to start a conversation, connect with others, and make a great first impression.

No matter where we are in life, no matter what our occupation, we need to learn how to best interact with other people. Life is about developing relationships. Some may be more meaningful than others, but all require us to understand the basics of communication.

Weston opens with why we need small talk and what the reader can learn from Small Talk. Then she covers the important basics of human interaction and communication. She discusses forms of non-verbal communication, like facial expressions and posture. The book discusses positive thinking and general rules for small talk. Finally, Weston shares tips and techniques to master small talk, using several examples to help the reader fully understand how to master each technique.

Small Talk by Diane Weston should be in business and personal libraries everywhere. No matter the size of your group or what relationships you're looking to develop and nurture, you'll find tons of help in this great resource.


Paperback: 140 pages
Publisher: Independently published (April 21, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1095426907
ISBN-13: 978-1095426906

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Love Your Husband Love Yourself by Jennifer Flanders

In Love Your Husband Love Yourself by Jennifer Flanders, the author shares the Biblical view of wives in marriage and how listening to God's Word blesses a marriage and families in countless ways.

Though Ephesians 5:22-33 is considered a controversial portion of Scripture in today's modern world, Flanders shows throughout her book that this is the way marriage was designed to be by our Creator from the moment He created Eve for Adam. Sharing her personal experience as a wife and mother, the author indicates the many benefits if you embrace God's purpose for passion in marriage.

Too often I fear this portion of Ephesians is maligned and used to bring division into a marriage. Here is what it says:

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Each person has responsibilities to the other. A wife is supposed to provide for her husband's physical needs and defer to him as head of the family. However, a husband is charged with an even greater responsibility: to take care of his wife and love her as much as he loves himself. In this world of self-satisfaction and being told to consider what we need first and then worry about everyone else, this is not a popular sentiment. But it does make one wonder how different relationships would be if every husband and wife were doing their best to follow Scripture.

What Flanders points out so well in Love Your Husband Love Yourself is that this Biblical view of marriage is not easy. It takes commitment, dedication, and most of all--prayer. Toward the end of the book, she is talking about marriage being a marathon, not a hundred-yard dash. This is so true. We need to keep our eye on the goal and keep moving forward.

If you've struggled with accepting God's purpose for passion in marriage or if you would like to explore more on this topic, Love Your Husband Love Yourself is an excellent resource.

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Prescott Publishing (February 14, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0982626908
ISBN-13: 978-0982626900


I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Coming in January: Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch

“But everyone else has it.” “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When you hear these comments from your kids, it can be tough not to cave. You love your children—don’t you want them to be happy and to fit in?

Kristen Welch knows firsthand it’s not that easy. In fact, she’s found out that when you say yes too often, it’s not only hard on your peace of mind and your wallet—it actually puts your kids at long-term risk. In Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, Kristen shares the ups and downs in her own family’s journey of discovering why it’s healthiest not to give their kids everything. Teaching them the difference between “want” and “need” is the first step in the right direction. With many practical tips and anecdotes, she shares how to help kids become hardworking, fulfilled, and successful adults.

It’s never too late to raise grateful kids. Get ready to cultivate a spirit of genuine appreciation in your family and create a home in which your kids don’t just say—but mean!—“thank you” for everything they have.

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Tyndale Momentum (January 26, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1496405293
ISBN-13: 978-1496405296


Pre-order here!

Author Spotlight: Heart Magic by Maria Andrade

Love needs help!

One out of two marriages ends in divorce in the US. Couples applying the communication skills in Heart Magic, are not merely “lucky in love” they are prepared to be harmoniously together for a lifetime. You can too!

Discover the 8 characteristics found in lasting marriages. Learn basic, “do’s and don’ts” to get along, build trust and a strong joyful partnership. Personal case histories included

Read an excerpt from Heart Magic, Keeping Love Alive and Well!

Much has been written about how to find the “right person” to love, that “special someone” with whom we might share our life. Heart Magic,Keeping Love Alive & Well, is a book about how to sustain love once you have found it! Relationships form the thread which binds all life. The heart and soul of a people are reflected in how they treat themselves, each other and the natural world. In fact, the future of a society rests on its children and what they are taught about love and relationship. We are in a love crisis in this country with one out of two marriages ending in divorce. We must become better educated in the greatest of all arts-the art of relating.

Read the reviews!

“Congratulation on this easy reading and practical guide book for people who wish to succeed in love and partnership!”
– La Oferta Review Newspaper, San Jose CA

“I wish all people could read this to prevent broken marriages.”
– Douglas Stevens, Psychotherapist & Divorce Mediator


Maria J. Andrade, M.S. M.F.T., is a psycho spiritual therapist and poet. She was born in Ecuador, South America and raised in New York and California. In 1989 she was initiated in Andean Shamanism by Amazonian and Inca medicine healers of Peru. She uses poetry, stories and ceremony in her work. Her poetry and articles on social justice has appeared in the nationally awarded winning, bilingual newspaper, La Oferta Review and Vistazo San Jose, California as well as in La Opinion newspaper, Los Angeles.

Maria is a social and human rights activists who helped establish organizations such as Habitat for Humanity in Pomona, CA and FACTS (Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes Law) Los Angeles Chapter. She worked with Peace and Justice, a political activists group based in La Verne, CA and for 25 years served on the Board of the Carl Jung Society of Claremont as Program Coordinator gathering speakers and programs which bring transformative visions for the new millennium. She is founder of the “Heart Magic” workshops based on her book Heart Magic, Keeping Love Alive & Well. This book focuses on important fundamental principles and communication techniques for sustaining a loving and lasting partnership.

She lives in California and has a private counseling practice with her husband Sy Cohn. You can visit her website at www.magicunion.com.

It's Not Just About Finding “Mr. or Ms. Right” by Maria Andrade, Author of Heart Magic

Today's guest blogger is Maria Andrade, author of Heart Magic: Keeping Love Alive & Well.

Love needs help!

One out of two marriages ends in divorce in the US. Couples applying the communication skills in Heart Magic, are not merely “lucky in love” they are prepared to be harmoniously together for a lifetime. You can too!

Discover the 8 characteristics found in lasting marriages. Learn basic, “do’s and don’ts” to get along, build trust and a strong joyful partnership. Personal case histories included.

"It's Not Just About Finding 'Mr. or Ms. Right': Heart Magic Principles Help You Keep the Love You Find" by Maria Andrade

It is certain that finding the right partner is essential for a loving relationship. Yet, we have long held certain beliefs in our society, which don’t help us keep love once we find it! The divorce rate in America reflects this truth. One out of two marriages fail. Here are some beliefs we must change. The first goes like this.

“I want to find the right person. Someone who will love and respect me.”

This sounds like a reasonable desire. Yet, No.1 of the “8 Select Heart Magic Principles,” in my book, Heart Magic, Keeping Love Alive & Well, states that finding or keeping a loving and respectful partnership is based on whether we love and respect ourselves.

There are three areas where self-respect and love of self are reflected. We see it in how we take care of our mind, our body and our spirit. In terms of the body, we can see it by whether or not we eat a healthy diet, whether we rest and sleep well and whether or not we get enough exercise. As regards to our minds, self-love is shown in the amount of peace we feel and create around us. Are we able to control negative thinking, control anger, let go of past hurts, keep learning and growing in awareness? The better job we do in caring for our body and minds, the more our spirits will be at peace. A healthy partner will be more successful at creating an environment in which love and partnership thrives.

The second belief, which hampers the art of loving, revolves around the topic of romance.

“Romance only occurs in the courtship period. You can’t expect it to continue for ever.”

This is love heresy! It is a myth, which is not always verbalized but often apparent when couples begin to take each other for granted. They may no longer prioritize time for being together. Affection starts to wane. They may give more of their attention to work, study, their children, extended family, friends or their hobbies, the TV or computer, rather than to each other. This diminishes romance and brings alienation in partnership. In many cases it creates bickering, because like children if we can’t get the positive attention from someone we love, we tend to get that attention through conflict.

This is why No. 2 of the Heart Magic Principle is that for love to survive you must prioritize your relationship. This keeps romance alive no matter how many years go by. How do people fall in love with each other? The answer is they spend quality time together. They express how much they appreciate one another with affectionate words and actions. So it is essential that partners continue to spend quality time, to share their day, their thoughts and feelings, an enjoyable moment, an opportunity to give physical or verbal expressions of affection. Our lives are built moment to moment, so when loving couples look back on their years together those years are filled with intimacy and valuable experiences shared. This is why such partners can feel the power of love for each other and romance thrives no matter how much time has passed!

A third belief, which must be changed for love to endure, states, “All we need is love.”

If this were actually true, marriage would not be the kind of crapshoot it seems to be in our country. One of the most important principles in my book is that we must have preparation in order to be educated in how to be good partners. More and more people agree, because they are seeking to learn healthy communication habits and skills to resolving conflicts productively, before they live together. In my book, they are described as the “Dos and Don’ts of Relating”. If we are truly devoted to having a happy life and a peaceful world, what better place to begin than under our own roof!

I believe more people in our society will fulfill their dream of having a loving and happy home once these beliefs I have mentioned become a thing of the past. I am happy to say that in the past 25 years, I have seen a greater change in consciousness precisely in that direction and I hope my book will continue to be of help to people in that regard! Thank you. I have enjoyed being with you.



Maria J. Andrade, M.S. M.F.T., is a psycho spiritual therapist and poet. She was born in Ecuador, South America and raised in New York and California. In 1989 she was initiated in Andean Shamanism by Amazonian and Inca medicine healers of Peru. She uses poetry, stories and ceremony in her work. Her poetry and articles on social justice has appeared in the nationally awarded winning, bilingual newspaper, “La Oferta Review” and “Vistazo” San Jose, California as well as in “La Opinion” Newspaper, Los Angeles.

Maria is a social and human rights activists who helped establish organizations such as Habitat for Humanity in Pomona, CA and FACTS (Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes Law) Los Angeles Chapter. She worked with Peace and Justice, a political activists group based in La Verne, CA and for 25 years served on the Board of the Carl Jung Society of Claremont as Program Coordinator gathering speakers and programs which bring transformative visions for the new millennium. She is founder of the “Heart Magic” workshops based on her book Heart Magic, Keeping Love Alive & Well. This book focuses on important fundamental principles and communication techniques for sustaining a loving and lasting partnership.

She lives in California and has a private counseling practice with her husband Sy Cohn. You can visit her website at www.magicunion.com.

I Don't Have to Argue with You, You're Not My Wife by Gary Morgenstein, Author of How to Find A Woman...or Not

Today's guest blogger is Gary Morgenstein, author of the comic step-by-step guide to finding true love, How to Find a Woman…Or Not.

Tired of ordering in Thai food and watching a Netflix on Saturday nights? Don’t despair. Finding true love isn’t impossible as long as you view the entire world as one big singles bar. Walking your dog, practicing yoga, riding mass transit, buying a book, even visiting a friend in the hospital can lead to the woman of your dreams.

Critically-acclaimed novelist/playwright Gary Morgenstein provides the romantic roadmap!

Using his own battle-scarred experiences as a divorced man along with many years “spinning” as a public relations specialist, Morgenstein takes men (and women eager to go inside the mind of a guy) on a step-by-step comic and erotic guide to love and sex.

From making eye contact, dazzling opening lines, online etiquette, younger and older women and how to conduct yourself on a date to what goes into a successful relationship (in and out of the bedroom), How to Find a Woman…Or Not is a riotous, poignant and indispensable blueprint for passion and commitment


“I DON’T HAVE TO ARGUE WITH YOU, YOU’RE NOT MY WIFE”
by Gary Morgenstein

The first date I had after my marriage broke up was with this very foxy late 40s woman, off the nerve.com dating service, at an Indian place on East 6th Street in Manhattan. Here we were, sipping wine and dipping Nan in chutney. For all I knew, there were many middle-aged men at adjacent tables dripping rivers of sweat down their shirts on their first date in more than 25 years. Pale expressions, gaunt looks, notes scribbled on the inside of the sleeve, do you still bring flowers/candy/Mateus Rose/exactly what do I do on a date?

A date. What the hell was a date? That thing you get dressed up for, but without the wife crowding you in the bathroom and criticizing your choice of shirt/socks/pants. Where you get dressed alone and then meet at a bar or, even more terrifying, pick them up at their apartment. A strange woman’s apartment filled with strange foreign objects like lamps and windows and end tables. Where they have dangerous traps like a couch and bed and you’re expected to dance and kiss and, as for sex, well…

Then deciding where to eat, having no knowledge of their prior eating habits, what might anger them.

What, are you crazy offering me a shrimp when you know I’m allergic and it could kill me? You think you’re getting anything now?

Smelling good, dressing right, speaking properly, not dribbling béarnaise sauce down your chin, coming up with good stories/jokes, hoping you don’t repulse her.

A date. A great deal like March Madness, one mistake and you’re eliminated, back to Boise, baby.

Yeah, I was terrified that night. I’d recently quit smoking. After learning my marriage was kaput, my friend Vicky explained women don’t like to kiss smokers. Hmm, let’s see, tongue or addiction, which wins? Got that monkey off my back in a few days. I swallowed several tic-tacs, took deep breaths and prayed for guidance.

I mean, do you act as if they’re a friend or colleague at work? Is that how you charm a woman? Just talk, be smart and witty, hopefully the hammering of the heart won’t lead to cardiac arrest. Somehow I remembered turning blue wasn’t a turn-on.

If I remembered. Even in college and post-grad, I wasn’t exactly a stud muffin. Okay, I had my triumphs, which I ascribed more to delusional behavior on the part of the woman, greatly aided by alcohol and Quaaludes. But now I have gray hair. My jawline isn’t exactly taut. I keep myself in shape with weights and yoga, but no six-pack. Maybe one Bud Light.

Suave I never was. Nor rich nor powerful nor famous. No Jack Nicholson snapping his fingers courtside. Plus I’m a Republican living in New York. I do have a few things going against me.

Yet here I was. She laughed at my jokes and looked at me a certain way. I think it’s called with sensual interest. That was in retrospect, mind you, because I was just hanging on the ropes, babbling and throwing down wine like they’d just found three spots on my lung. Somewhere between the aloo chat and the tandoori chicken she suddenly reached across the table and squeezed my hand. Course, she needed a bath towel to wipe away the perspiration, but a strange woman had tenderly touched me. What would my wife say? Wait, I didn’t have a wife anymore. I was alone. Looking for love in all the wrong places.

Outside on a frigid January night that made icicles shiver, she tongued me up and down East 6th like a vacuum cleaner to a dirty rug amid cries from passing cars of hey, get a room. She slipped my hand under her down jacket and then under her sweater and then under her blouse. Just before I lost feeling in my fingers, I touched the top of another woman’s breast.


In addition to How to Find a Woman…Or Not, Gary Morgenstein’s books include the novels Loving Rabbi Thalia Kleinman, about a divorced man who falls in love with a beautiful woman rabbi; Jesse’s Girl, a powerful story about a father’s search for his adopted teenage son, and Take Me Out to the Ballgame, a political baseball thriller, as well as the baseball Rocky The Man Who Wanted to Play Center Field for the New York Yankees. His prophetic play Ponzi Man played to sell-out crowds at the New York Fringe Festival. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, surrounded by lots of books and rock and roll CDs.

Gary Morgenstein’s HOW TO FIND A WOMAN…OR NOT VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘10 runs from February 1st to Feb. 26th. You may follow his tour each weekday by visiting http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/.