I’m on a new-book-sharing kick these days. My friend Tanya from Comic Strip Mama has just released her first book, and I am very excited to share it with you: Stairway to Awesomeness: 30 Fundamental Steps to Living a Life of Awesomeness.

I first met Tanya through her Comic Strip Mama Facebook page. These cute and relatable comics kept popping up in my newsfeed, so I just had to check her out. I learned pretty quickly just what a funny cartoonist and writer she is, in addition to being such a sweetheart and genuinely nice person. So when Tanya shared that she was going to be publishing a book, I was happy to jump on her Stairway to Awesomeness Blog Tour to help her promote it. 

To learn a little more about Tanya, aka Comic Strip Mama, why she decided to write her book, and what her writing journey was like, please check out the Q&A that follows. And, there may or may not be TWO giveaways linked at the end. 🙂

Q: What’s inside the mind of Comic Strip Mama the author?

A:  Life is HARD and it isn’t always fair. And sometimes, life is downright insane! I have experienced many of life’s seemingly insurmountable blows and for many years I struggled and lived a dark, disturbing, depressing, miserable and reckless existence as a result. Eventually, I discovered why I was struggling so much. That is when I changed my way of thinking and being and reinvented myself into the person that I am today…a strong, happy and positive person and parent who strives to achieve “awesomeness” every day, in every way!

In January of 2012, I embarked on a comic and writing hobby journey that eventually turned into a self-syndicated webcomic and writing business, Comic Strip Mama Enterprises Inc.. Since, I have been “stripping away” the insanity of life and parenthood in an effort to make people realize that life is better when you’re laughing and not taking it SO seriously! Ultimately, my mission as a person, a parent, a cartoonist, an author and an entrepreneur is to encourage and inspire others to embrace the insanity, focus on the positive, recognize the blessings and find the humor in life. I feel like I am obligated to share how I have learned to live this way as my positive contribution to the world. I do this by providing a daily dose of humor and inspiration to my readers through the power of social media and I hope that my book will reach and teach millions more worldwide!

Q: Tell us why readers should buy Stairway to Awesomeness.

A: Stairway to Awesomeness is not your average self-improvement book. It is the ultimate self-improvement book that goes against the grain of many self-help/self-improvement books out there. I take my readers on my very real tragedy-to-triumph life journey and explain HOW and WHY I changed my way of thinking about many things that so many of us are conditioned to believe. The 30 fundamental steps that I write and illustrate about are tried-and-true and life changing and I prove that achieving a life of awesomeness IS possible. There is also a very unique and humorous comic twist throughout the book that will make you smile as you make your own climb to awesomeness!

Q: What makes a good self-improvement book?

A: An awesome self-improvement book should educate, inspire and motivate the reader to WANT to change and improve their life for the better. But most importantly, it should give the reader a sense of confidence that they can realistically achieve positive results.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

A: If I’m meeting a deadline or have a goal in mind, I write with focus and intention. Otherwise, I write and illustrate about thoughts and experiences that effortlessly enter my scatterbrain mind and I usually have more than one writing projects on the go! I also use a smartphone app for my comic and writing ideas on the go!

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

A: The fact that I am able to reach, entertain, educate, encourage and inspire millions of people to be awesome!

Q: How did you celebrate the completion of your book?

A: I celebrated the completion of my book the same way that I celebrate any awesome milestone in life. I let out a big “Wooo Hooo!” with a fist pump, spent some quality time with my special ones, expressed my gratitude for everything awesome in my life and enjoyed a glass of wine… or two.

If you’re interested in connecting with Comic Strip Mama, please check out her website and her Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads pages. And if you’re interested in checking out her book, available in paperback or on your Kindle, please click here!

Oh, and as promised, I’m sharing two different giveaways that you can enter to win your very own copy of Stairway to Awesomeness.

1. You can enter Comic Strip Mama’s Stairway to Awesomeness Book Release Extravaganza Grand Prize by clicking here. This giveaway includes:

• 1 signed paperback copy and 1 Kindle copy of Stairway to Awesomeness
• 1 Comic Strip Mama™ calendar
• 1 Comic Strip Mama™ t-shirt
• 1 Comic Strip Mama™ mug
• 1 $10 Amazon gift card
• 1 Kindle copy of Submerged

2. You can enter a Rafflecopter giveaway here for a Kindle copy of the book that I am co-hosting with my friend Kayla at Chasing a Daredevil and Twins, who is also hosting the blog tour for Comic Strip Mama today. (Ok, truth be told, I’ve done nothing to earn the title of co-host for this giveaway . . . Kayla did all of the work of putting it together and very kindly asked if I’d like to be a part of it. So, if you’re looking for another wonderfully kind person to stalk, I urge you to check out her blog and Facebook page. When I’m not chasing after my own daredevils, I appreciate reading about her little ones’ antics!)