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Are You a Blogger? Review Copies of The Marriage Project are Available

January 12, 2010 By kathilipp 5 Comments
The Marriage Project

The Marriage Project

I have an upcoming blog tour for my new book The Marriage Project (which, BTW I am pretty excited about…) and have scheduled most of my media tour. However, I have just squeezed out 25 extra review copies for bloggers and want to make them available to my blog readers (because, as you well know if you read my blog, I love you best.)

If you have an active blog (that means that more than your mom reads it, but not necessarily that you have as many followers as Ashton on Twitter,) post on a regular basis (if your last post was about how Jon and Kate look so happy together, don’t bother,) and are willing to do a thoughtful (not necessarily positive) review of the book, I would love for you to send me:

  • Your Name
  • Your E-mail Address
  • Your blog address

Send all the info to info@kathilipp.com I will get back to you with more details (when you need to post the review, posting on consumer sites, etc.) and you can see if it is something that you are interested in.

But what if I don’t have a blog?You ask.

If you have a friend that has a super-cool blog, introduce us! Leave the blog address in the comments below and I will check it out – who knows? Maybe you are introducing me to my new BFF.

Filed Under The Marriage Project

Our Life Changing Effect on the Marriages of the World

January 11, 2010 By kathilipp 12 Comments

This past Saturday, Roger and I had a first. We spoke together on marriage.

Roger is not your up-front kind of guy. He would much rather be at the sound board, designing lights or doing anything that did not require people to actually, you know, look at him.

But he did it. And can I tell you? He was so cute!

He did a great job, told some funny stories, made some great points about a man’s need for respect in marriage and basically stood upright for a whole 60 minutes.

I was pretty pumped after we got off stage. I took Rog aside and gave him a big hug.

Roger asked, “So, how do you think it went?”

“I think it went great. I think people were really listening and absorbing it all.” I was really getting excited. I continued. “You know, I think we are a great team, and I think we had a real impact on this group tonight.”

I noticed a woman making a beeline for me. This often happens after a speaking engagement; someone wants to say hi or discuss a point that we touched on, or has a question about the next step they should take in their marriage. I had noticed this woman throughout the presentations. Roger or I would say something and she would nod enthusiastically. (BTW – speakers and pastors LOVE this. Makes us feel like someone is listening…) She was holding a pen and coming straight for me, so that could only mean one thing – she must want me to sign one of my books for her. I smiled at Rog. We had made an impact.

When she handed me the pen, I got a whiff of her. It smelled like she had indulged in one too many cough medicines. Then she handed me a piece of paper which I signed – and then noticed it was an Alcoholics Anonymous accountability form.

The woman thought she had just spent the last hour in an AA meeting.

So much for the life-changing effect we are having on the marriages of the world…

Filed Under The Marriage Project

Shameless Self Promotion – And a Thesis on Paper Books vs. Kindle

January 4, 2010 By kathilipp 11 Comments

tmp-cover There are just some things that make me feel like a grown-up writer. Having my book come out on Kindle is definitely up there.

I just found out that The Marriage Project (released this month) is now available on Kindle. And that makes me very, very happy.

I know, many of you think Kindle is the downfall of modern civilization. (Or at least the publishing industry.) In fact, when my friend Cathy was at a writer’s retreat and mentioned her Kindle, another author proceeded to give her a lecture about how she was contributing to the demise of independent bookstores everywhere.

Which is hilarious, because besides me, no one has contributed more to the success of independent bookstores that Cathy (as judged by her bookshelves…)kindle

I “read” a lot of books every year. “Read” is in quotes because I also download a lot of books to my iPod to listen to while walking Jake the puggle (pug/beagle mix) or while driving to speaking engagements. (Roger is not  a book on tape fan and therefore does not want to listen to anything while we are driving together, preferring meaningful conversation. Whatever.)

If I read 100 books a year (which, may in fact not be too far off…)I would guess that my breakdown goes something like this:

15 Audible Downloads

20 Amazon Purchases (of actual books)

14 Kindle Downloads

10 Gifts from other friends and authors (either purchased in a store or as a free copy from the publisher – and BTW – I receive a lot more books than I read…)

41 books from Brick and Mortar stores (these would include B&N, Borders, Christian bookstores, independent bookstores, airport bookstores, etc.)

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So I am interested – what is your breakdown of what your read? Do you own an e-reader and if not – do you want one – or are you morally opposed to it. (Don’t worry, all opinions are welcomed – if not always embraced…)

Filed Under Shameless Self-Promotion, The Marriage Project, frontpage

Why it is more important to date than to take your kids to soccer.

February 22, 2010 By kathilipp 6 Comments

OK – I know I am going to get some comments on this post.

Let me be clear – while I am using the word “date” really what I am talking about is making time to connect with your spouse. I just happen to think dating is one of the best ways to do that.

With that being said, I am worried about the lack of dating among my friends (both flesh friends and webby buddies.)

In the survey results, the number one reason for people not dating was babysitting issues – not being able to afford said babysitter, or trust the ones you can afford. (Two of the people who commented were 1. My brother and 2. My neighbor Karyn. I love both of their kids so I guess it is time for Auntie Kathi to step up!)

But the second most popular reason was a lack of time in order to go out together. And that’s just a crying shame.

I have had several friends who have recently gone through empty nest syndrome. (No danger of that around here. Justen just told us he wanted to go for a master’s degree after college at San Jose State. Roger and I will never be alone…) But these moms have gone through the same pattern – gearing up to get the kids out of the house, then turning around and realizing the only one left is their hubby. Since she has spent so much of her life pouring into her kiddos, there hasn’t been a lot of time left over for bonding with her husband. Now – he is the only one left and she realizes that they haven’t talked about anything except the kids since 1995.

I know – at this point, you feel like the kids will never leave. But that is even more reason to date while the kiddos are at home.

It is so important that you not only be mom and dad, but that you be husband and wife first. Your kids will experience a deeper sense of security if they know that their parents are a cohesive team.

So if it is a choice between dating your spouse and one more activity for your kids, I vote for dating.

It is a great way to teach your kids:

1. Mom and dad are real people and really like hanging together – even without kids.

2. They are not the center of the earth.

Filed Under 1000 Dates, The Marriage Project