Amanda Aksel's Blog, page 6

The Man Test Blog Tour & Giveaway!

Yes! I'm so excited to announce that The Man Test is finally out! 

You can check out at:
Kindle
Kobo
Nook
Amazon 
Smashwords

 Even though I am SUPER excited (and relieved) that the book is out, I'm even more excited about the Blog Tour and Giveaway. Stop by the following blogs between March 25th-April 10th. Don't for get to enter the giveaway for this cool prize: A Lolita Flirtini Martini Glass!- Enter Below!


The Man Test Blog Tour Dates

Tuesday, March 25th
Connect with Chicklit Club

Wednesday, March 26th

Frances O Thomas
Thursday, March 27th Bookish Diversion
Friday, March 28th Little Johanne Book World
Saturday, March 29th A Drip of Truth

Monday, March 31st Chosen By You Book Club
Wednesday, April 2ndJulie Valerie's Book Blog
Thursday, April 3rd Happy Tails and Tales
Friday, April 4th Kit ‘N Kabookle
Saturday, April 5th Laurie Here
Monday, April 7th Book Loving Mom
Tuesday, April 8th Evie Bookish
Wednesday, April 9th Best ChickLit 
Thursday April 10th
Authors and Readers

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Meet My Publisher

I'm so excited to announce that The Man Test will be the first title published under the new collaborative publisher, Elephantine Publishing.

That's not all . . . I'm also a co-owner of this new publisher. It was magical the way it started. I LOVE publishing. I mean, I'm CRAZY about it. When I decided to take my destiny in my own hands and publish my first novel, I knew I wanted to create an actual publisher.  However, I didn't think I could do anything with it until much later in my life.

Then, my friends and fellow authors, Sara Panek and Heather Hildenbrand, decided to partner with me and start the company. Since then it has been an incredible whirlwind. It's amazing the synergy the three of us have together. Everything seemed to be aligned. In fact, when we got our LLC agreement notarized, there was a card holder on the front desk with little elephant heads on each end. A clear sign it was meant to be.

Elephantine is open for business! Learn more below and don't forget to buy the first Elephantine novel, The Man Test, on March 25th.

The Elephantine Story 

While sharing marketing tips and discussing cover art, independent authors Amanda Aksel, Heather Hildenbrand, and Sara Panek all came to the same conclusion; wouldn’t it be great if there was a publishing house that offered all the resources of traditional publishing, while still allowing the creative freedom of independent publishing? They set out to create their vision, and Elephantine Publishing was born.

Elephantine is a collaborative publisher. Our goal is to partner with you to turn your love of writing into a successful career for years to come. We work side by side with our authors through every step of the publishing process to create a unique and professional title to share with the world. Using strategic marketing, we provide our authors with industry tools and resources to build readership and grow sales.

Our aim is simple. We seek to provide access to all stories worth telling, whether or not the words fit into a neatly labeled box. Words that resonate in your bones. Stories you’ll never forget.
Connect with Elephantine Publishing at www.elephantinepublishing.com Twitter: @ElephantinePubFacebook: www.facebook.com/elephantinepublishing

The Man Test- Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Get Your Copy of The Man Test on March 25th&Enter The Giveaway Below!
The Man Test by Amanda AkselRelease Date: March 25, 2014Publisher: Elephantine PublishingCover Design: Jessica Rose Goldner Bowman

Marin Johns is San Francisco’s Pollyanna couples therapist. She’s months away from wedded bliss when she discovers her fiancé is having an affair. After nursing her broken heart with Kleenex and break-up songs, she adopts a new brand of thinking when she uncovers a tell-all book that proves all men are liars and cheaters who will do and say anything so they’re not found out. No exceptions.

In an attempt to convince her friends of her newfound truth, she begins a fictitious relationship with James, a do-gooder from Montana. Marin seeks any means necessary to catch him cheating from hiring a PI to enlisting the help of a fidelity tester. Will her new "boyfriend" beat the statistic or will Marin regret the satisfaction of being right?

To learn more visit: www.amandaaksel.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandaaksel
Twitter: @amandaaksel 

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How I Stay In Shape

How do you stay in shape? Classes at the gym, running the block, or maybe you frequent a yoga or pilates studio. Me? I LOVE exercise videos. Maybe it's genetic because my mom loved her Sweatin' to the Oldies with Richard Simmons. She got in great shape too.

For me it's all about time and solitude. I don't have a lot of time to work out during the day, but I carve out 30 minutes and I don't want to spend ANY of that time driving somewhere to workout. Working out at home save so much time! And fuel. Hmmm . . . I never thought about how GREEN it was.

Now, everyone's different and wants something from a video that fits them. It's taken me years to collect my favorite and best at home workout dvds. So without further ado, here are my top five favorite and best workout videos.

One- Jillian Michaels, 30 Day Shred
I learned about this workout from my friend and favorite designer, Jessica . Seriously, if you're short on time and want to make your 25 minutes count, then this is for you. I'll admit, I pretty much stick to level one because Jillian is f*ing serious. This workout truly can transform your body.







Two- Zumba Fitness
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ZUMBA!! I first discovered Zumba at a gym when, guess who, Jessica invited me. All of the workouts in the set are fun and get your heart pumpin'. This is my primary cardio training. When I don't really feel like working out I always turn to Zumba because it's stress-free. If you love dance and latin beats, then you will LOVE Zumba as much as I do.





Three- Shape, Long, Lean and Strong
Maybe it's just me, but it was so difficult to find a decent yoga video that was shorter than 45 minutes. Shape's LLS is 26ish minutes from start to finish. Not only is this workout time efficient, but it's effective. It's amazing how strong I've become as a result of this yoga video. I think it's all the planking.







Four- Shape, Bikini Body Camp
This is a great buy because it has three 30 minute workouts on one DVD. I love the cardio interval-training workout. It's no joke cardio and really works up a sweat by taking your through sets of cardio "hills." Even my husband's done this workout with me. 








Five- Integrated Strength Training with Jeffrey Scott

This program is a little longer than half an hour, but it is AWESOME! It's challenging enough to transform your body, but not so difficult that you want to stop in the middle of it. It's primarily strength training, so grab your hand weights!






There you have it, my top five favorite workout videos! Please leave a comment below and let me know how you stay in shape.

Make Money. Change The World.

Eric Michael Pearson PhotographyTo Do List
1. Make Money
2. Change The World

In one way or another, if you're a driven professional who cares about others, then this list is likely the subtext of your usual "to do lists". This wonderful slogan comes from my new OBSESSION Marie Forleo.

Hope you don't mind, but you're going to get the full story of how this amazing woman has helped my life and my business in just a few days.

So, I'm crazy about this new quinoa salad recipe I discovered at Elizabeth Rider's site. Us non-dairy pescatarians have to find our flavors somewhere. It's delicious! (see below for the recipe link)

ANYWAY . . . I was browsing her site, and I stumbled on a page where she was talking about B- School and how if you're an entrepreneur you HAVE TO GO TO B-School (B stands for Business). I thought it was something Elizabeth offered, but it brought me to a site for guess who? Marie Forleo!!

I put in my name and email, and before I knew it I had watched 90 minutes worth of amazing information. Marie's story really resonated with me because she started off on the NYSE, and even though she had a nice future ahead of her, she decided she wanted to do something more creative that could help others. She experimented with diverse work until she came into coaching. Now she's making money and changing the world.

Why do I relate to her story?  I currently work as a financial advisor, but my dream is to write my stories and get them into the hands of the women who want and need them. Not to mention helping other authors learn the biz and live their dream of being a full-time author.

When I finished the videos I was so inspired, and I wanted to go to B-School. Then I discovered she had a scholarship program, which I applied for by making my first youtube video ever! You can check it out below.

Between gettin' shit done, I've been glued to MarieTV. Marie's videos are funny, entertaining, and full of wisdom for your business and your life! I've been so inspired and learned a ton, so I wanted to share my top five take aways so far.

1. Everything is Figureoutable 
          - So what if you haven't done it before, you can and WILL figure it out.

2. It's not about what you know or sell, its how you position and package it. 
          - I don't know exactly how to implement this into my business, but I'm hoping B-School will     show me.

3. ( In a Jersey Accent) If you're tawkin to everybody, you're tawkin to nobody. 
          -Narrow your audience, customer, or market to a very specific niche. You become the expert and grow in your success.

4. If you don't want to schedule it, you probably don't want to do it. 
         -If it's important don't wait, do it NOW . . .okay that was from an earlier blog, but at least put it on the calendar.

 5.The world needs that special gift that only you have. (My favorite)
          - No additional commentary needed.

If you're looking to grow your business or within your industry, please check out Marie Forleo. You'll be glad you did.

Learn more about Marie Forleo here and click here to join B-school. 

Yummy Quinoa Salad Recipe  from Elizabeth Rider