Family Talk

Book Details
Author: Christy Monson
Release Date: June 2014
Publisher: Familius
Genre: Self-Help

This book is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

How to Organize Family Meetings to Solve Problems and 
Strengthen Relationships

Family Meetings (or councils) are SO IMPORTANT!

We tried as a young family...but I SO WISH I had had this books as a guideline...they would have been SO MUCH BETTER!

Using real-life examples Christy Monson will show you how an effective family council can be set up and instigated.

She will often also explain the results of the family council and how it affected the family.

Truly effective~ if you do it the way the book describes!

Author Interview

How long did it take you to write this book?
I finished the first draft of the manuscript in about 8 months.

Why did you decided to write a book about family councils?

Christopher Robbins, Familius editor, asked me to write this book. At first I felt a little overwhelmed by the task, but as I got into it, I had a wonderful time remembering all the funny things, the problems, and challenges our family and other's in my counseling practice faced as they raised their children. I could feel something greater than myself helping me write this book. So, as I got into the manuscript, I began to have a great time. It is one of the most fun writing projects I've done in a long time.

What is the full title of the book?

The book is entitled, Family Talk, How to Organize Family Meetings, to Solve Problems and Strengthen Relationships

What does the back cover have on it?

The back cover has: 

You'd be amazed at what a little meeting can do. In the safe, loving environment of a family meeting, discover the perfect place to:

* Teach family values
* Set rules, expectations, and consequences
* Solve Problems
* Create family unity
* Plan family outings
* Address sibling rivalry
* Foster maturity
* Set financial goals
* Learn from mistakes
* See the good in each other
* Empower children
* Navigate serious issues
* And much, much more

Is this book fiction or nonfiction?

This is a nonfiction book about strengthening family relationships, and increasing the love in your family.

Anything else you want to add about this book?

This book is a lot of fun to read because of the examples of the things kids do and the way they think. Each story will bring a smile as the reader learns true principles of how to love and nurture a family.

Thank you Christy for sharing your expertise with us!

Praise for Family Talk
The Family Council Guidebook is a vital and necessary addition to every home. In this day and age when emails, chat rooms, and staring at computer screens are rapidly replacing real-time human interaction, what better corrective could there be than a guidebook to how to talk with one another in meaningful, productive and healing ways. Christy Monson knows what she is talking about. It is a great blessing that she is sharing it with all of us.
—Ben Bernstein, PhD, Author of Test Success! and A Teen's Guide to Success

I add my praise for Family Talk!

If you have a family or want a family or know of a family~ this book will be so valuable to you!
Christy has the experience behind her!
And her wisdom is tremendous!

I now TRULY BELIEVE in family councils!

HELP YOUR FAMILY ~ PRACTICE FAMILY TALK

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | FAMILIUS | AUTHOR WEBSITE

About the Author

Christy Monson established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She also practiced in Salt Lake City, Utah for several years before her retirement. She has a B.S. Degree from Utah State University and an M.S. Degree from University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

She was born in Medford, Oregon, but now lives in Ogden, Utah.

She loves writing. It is her way to relax, escape from the stresses of daily life, and put the things she is passionate about down on paper.

Christy's books are published by Familius.

* Love, Hugs, and Hope: When Scary Things Happen

* Becoming Free: A Woman's Guide to Internal Strength

* Family Talk: How to Organize Family Meetings to Solve Problems and Strengthen Relationships

Her articles have been published on the web at Familius, Gospel Ideals, Paper and Parchment, Share the Love, Hugs, and Hope, and ANWA.

AUTHOR LINKS
Twitter | Pinterest | FaceBook | ChristyMonson.Blogspot.com
 ShareLoveHugsandHope | ChristyMonson.com | TextingThroughTime.com

Becoming Free w/ $25 Amazon Giveaway

Book Details
Author: Christy Monson
Release Date: 2013
Publisher: Familius
Genre: Self-Help

This book is just like having an individual therapy session with Christy Monson.

Pulling from years as a therapist and drawing from her client's personal stories; Christy helps us understand what we need to do to overcome fear, phobias, and personal traumas.

She teaches us how to:

*Set goals
*Understand misconceptions
*Approach self-care
*Communicate better
*Journal
*Meditate
*Have positive self-talks
*and much more

So many wonderful ideas in so many different areas!

Each section ends with an amazing overview with ideas to journal, how to ask for help, and things to do for goals.

"Just as a butterfly emerges from a tight constricting chrysalis to beautify the world, you can break out of old confining habits, find peace, and attract healthy relationships with Christy's step-by-step process."

This is a book to be read, and studied, and applied!
Every woman needs to read this book!

TOUR GIVEAWAY
$25 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Christy Monson has always loved pioneer history, especially stories of the prophets. She received her B.A degree from Utah State University, and a M.S. from University of Nevada at Las Vegas. After her six children were raised she established a successful Marriage and Family Therapy practice. She has published articles in the Ensign, Friend and other children's periodicals.

Her blog is:
http://www.christymonson.blogspot.com/

Her websites are:
http://www.christymonson.com/index.html
http://textingthroughtime.com/

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Love, Hugs, and Hope w/ $25 Amazon Giveaway

Book Details
Author: Christy Monson
Release Date: August 2013
Publisher: Familius
Genre: Children's Picture, Self-Help

What do you need when SCARY things happen?

LOVE!
HUGS!
and HOPE!

This book is adorable and yet so powerful!

Cute illustrations and profound wisdom!

We all have bad things happen to us!

Find out what to do with your feelings of hurt, anger, fear, and sadness in this wonderful book!

Especially helpful for children :)

This book was written after the tragic shooting in Newton, Connecticut.

TOUR GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Christy is also doing a BOOK GIVEAWAY 
on GOODREADS ~ (ends 9/15) 
or purchase at Amazon | Familius

Scary things that happened in the author's family~

When I was about four I fell into a swift-moving canal that ran in front of our house. My dog Mo ran along the bank barking wildly. The cold water snatched me and swirled me around. I felt very scared. I paddled hard toward the side and grabbed a tree branch sticking out in the water. Soon my mother came and pulled me out. I lay on the bank, out of breath and dripping wet—my heart still pounding. I hugged my dog, Mo, thanking him for calling 'help' with his barks.

When we lived in California, our young son had two good friends who lived next door. One day the boys were playing with matches at the neighbor's house and accidentally lit a palm tree on fire. The fire truck came to put the blaze out; and afterwards, the fire chief gave the boys a stern talking-to. They were scared enough they never lit fires again.

Author Interview

How did you meet illustrator Lori? How did your collaboration work?

Lori Nawyn did the art and I wrote the script for this picture book, Love Hugs and Hope, and we are both very happy about it. However, we didn't start out to work together. Lori and I knew each other from a couple of SCBWI Conferences. We had formed a picture book critique group that met each month so we were friends. But it was the publisher that teamed us up. Lori is a darling, and I love her art. We never collaborated on the book at all. I turned in the manuscript and Lori and the publishers did the rest.

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing about 7 years and loving every minute of it.

Do you have children? If so, did you draw on your own experience as a mother in writing this book?

My experience as a mom has really helped me in writing this book. Children just need to talk things out a lot of times. They want love and reassurance.

You're a retired family counselor. How did your training and/or years of practice help you with this book

I kind of had a sense about how to process with kids from being a mom, but my training as a therapist really gave me the knowledge I needed to help children heal. In my practice I saw a lot of kids that were dealing with tragedy of some kind or another. Talk therapy is good for kids, but art is a wonderful way for them to release feelings.

How long did this book take to create?

It took me about a week to write the first draft of this manuscript. I felt so sad for those who had experienced loss in the school shooting at Sandy Hook. Shortly after that a gunman shot up the Clackamas Towne Center in Oregon. Our daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters live about three miles from the center. The parents monitored the events carefully, but turned off all media to protect the kids from knowing about it. However, the next day at school the children were all talking about it, so you can't protect children from knowing about tragedies like this.

As I thought about these two catastrophes, I felt something needed to be written to help parents and children look at disasters like these, be able to share their feelings, and find hope in the world around them.

Do you have other book ideas along the lines of children's self-help/picture books?

I love writing picture books. I have many other book ideas I'm thinking about, but right now I'm focused on  a series about children's feelings.

How did you find a publisher for the book?

I am so fortunate to have found my publisher, Christopher Robbins, and Familius. At LDS Storymakers Boot Camp, Rick Walton was conducting  out picture book section. He began talking about Familius and what a great new company it was. When he found out I was a retired therapist, he suggested I contact Familius, and I'm so happy I did.

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Texting Through Time: John Taylor and the Mystery Puzzle

What a FUN concept!

Micah and Alicia have a really, really smart phone.

In fact this phone is so smart that with a push of the PAST, PRESENT or FUTURE screen Micah and Alicia can time-travel.

Time and place this trip?

John Taylor, Third Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Boyhood.

With that Micah and Alicia are swirled back in time to when John Taylor was a boy.

Their adventure continues on through John Taylor's lifetime and the many things he accomplished.

Each time they "travel" with President Taylor the phone requires them to "text" their journal of the experience back home.

The only glitch with the phone...they must solve a puzzle by taking pictures at different times of their journey before they can go back home.

This book has wonderful illustrations of the different pictures and how they fit into the puzzle.

Wonderful way to re-tell the life of a prophet especially in today's technology-filled world.


(A digital review copy of this title was provided by the author for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)