Lifting the Wheel of Karma Blog Tour

Blog Tour Schedule

2011-10-24T17:22:00.054-04:00

January 2012 - Confirmed Dates

January 1 (review)
Dad of Divas
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 2 (review)
Crazed Mind
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 3 (review)
Minding Spot
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 4 (book spotlight)
Live to Read
click link to read the posted book spotlight & enter the giveaway

January 5 (review)
vvb32 reads
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 5 (author interview)
You Gotta Read Reviews Guest Blog
click link to read the posted author interview

January 6 (review)
Tic Toc
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 6 (author interview)
Tribute Books Mama
click link to read the posted author interview & enter the giveaway

January 8 (review)
Red Adept Reviews
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 9 (author interview)
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
click link to read the posted author interview & enter the giveaway

January 10 (review)
My Favorite Things
click link to read the posted review

January 10 (review)
Knits & Reads
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 10 (review)
Adventures of Frugal Mom
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 11 (author interview)
The Book Connection
click link to read the posted author interview & enter the giveaway

January 12 (review)
Book Dragon's Lair
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 13 (review)
Bibliophilic Book Blog
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January 13 (review)
Concert Katie
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January 14 (review)
My Tower of Books
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January 15 (review)
Cheryl's Book Nook
click link to read the posted review

January 16 (review)
Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 17
CMash Loves to Read (guest post)
click link to read the posted guest post
CMash Loves to Read (giveaway)
click link to enter the giveaway

January 18 (guest post)
Community Bookstop
click link to read the posted guest post

January 18 (review)
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
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January 19 (review)
Community Bookstop
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January 21 (book spotlight)
It Takes a Book
click link to read the posted book spotlight

January 21 (guest post)
A Bookalicious Story
click link to read the posted guest post

January 22 (author interview)
City Girl Who Loves to Read
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January 23 (review)
The True Book Addict
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 24 (guest post)
Proud Book Nerd
click link to read the posted guest post

January 26 (author interview)
Ascroft, eh?
click link to read the posted author interview

January 27 (review)
Whispering Winds Book Reviews / Midwest Book Review
click links to read the posted review

January 29 (author interview)
The Plot Thickens
click link to read the posted author interview

January 30 (review)
Celtic Lady's Reviews
click link to read the posted review & enter the giveaway

January 31 (author interview)
The Character Connection
click link to read the posted author interview

Interview

2011-10-24T17:21:00.001-04:00

1. How did you come up with the title?
That's actually quite a story unto itself. It was harder for me to actually find the correct title than it was to write the novel! I struggled long and hard with this. If I told you some of the past titles that I thought about using, you probably wouldn't believe me. But to answer the question, earlier this year I was laying in bed one night, high up in the Himalayas on my way to India's highest mountain peak. I couldn't sleep because I still couldn't "feel" the right title. Then it suddenly hit me that "Lifting The Wheel Of Karma" was just perfect. My story is about karma, it's about the wheel of life, and it's about the need to take action, both physically and metaphorically, to change a great deal, and so that gave me the image of lifting, so then the title just fell into place.

2. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There are actually several messages in my novel, but if I have to pick one or distill it down to one concept, it's that we should all take care of each other as best we can.

3. How much of the book is realistic?

There is certainly some element of fantasy in my novel for the western mind to grasp, but a billion Hindus would probably argue that there is absolutely nothing "fantastic" about my story at all. Most of my novel is quite realistic, just in an extraordinary way.

4. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
If I could change one thing about my novel, it would be that it was much easier to write! Just kidding. There is nothing I would change.

5. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part about writing my novel was taking what could easily have grown into thousands of pages -my novel encompasses multiple cultures, continents, and decades- and keep it to pithy provocative prose that would read quickly and easily.

6. Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned a tremendous amount writing my novel. Probably the most poignant element was to never give up. Giving up is the only way you can lose in Life.

7. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
My interest in writing, honestly, goes back as far as I can remember, but certainly it became a significant life interest/pursuit in high school, when the concept of creating something that didn't exist before simply struck me as amazing.

8. Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
My favorite author is Theodore Dreiser, who wrote AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY, which was made into the moving, "A Place In The Sun" starring Elizabeth Taylor. I love that book because it conveys the inner pain of wanting something with every fiber of your being. I also love it because it single-handedly taught me just about every single vocabulary word I needed for taking the SATs.

9. Tell us your latest news.
I just published my novel a few weeks ago and have already gotten a tremendous response from readers and reviewers. People from around the world -New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, South Korea, The Philippines, and Belgium are connecting with and resonating with my story of healing and redemption, and that's just about the most amazing feeling in the world for me.

Reading Group Questions

2011-10-24T17:19:00.002-04:00

Which character was your favorite at the beginning of the novel?
Which character was your favorite at the end of the novel?
If your favorite character changed, why? Can you relate to the predicaments to your favorite character? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
Do you believe one person hurting another is like a hand curling into a fist and smashing the foot?
Do you believe each one of us has a Dharma in Life?
If you believe that we each have a Dharma -a duty, a purpose, a path- will that change how you live the rest of your Life? What do you think your Dharma could be?
Do you believe Joseph is right, that God wouldn't mind if we spent a little less time telling him how great he is and a little more time helping each other?
Do you believe forgiveness is a path to healing?
Could you forgive someone who had brought you so much pain?
Could you find the strength to ask for forgiveness from someone you may have caused such pain to?
Do you believe in reincarnation? If so, why? If not, why not?
Do you believe that supernatural forces and/or spirits impact, influence, or otherwise guide the course of our lives? If so, why? If not, why not? If you do believe this to be true, do you believe that they can be the cause of unpleasant, even painful, experiences that are nevertheless for our own benefit/good?
Do you believe that some people, like Joseph's parents, come into this lifetime with the purpose of being of service to others? Even if that means sacrificing their own lives?
Do you believe that supernatural forces and/or spirits impact, influence, or otherwise guide the course of our lives? If you do believe this to be true, do you believe that they can be the cause of unpleasant, even painful, experiences that are nevertheless for our own benefit/good?

Excerpt

2011-10-24T17:15:00.001-04:00

Reviews

2011-10-24T17:14:00.001-04:00

"I couldn’t put it down. The author deftly weaves Eastern philosophy with Greek mythology."
—Philippe Erwin, CEO, Collision Studios

"Amazing! A tour de force."
—Anne Seltzer, Seltzer Development Strategies

Press Release

2011-10-15T10:49:00.004-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: AnnMarie Petitto
annmarie@smithpublicity.com
856-489-8654 ext 305

Lifting the Wheel of Karma
by Paul H. Magid

REMARKABLE DEBUT NOVEL BY AUTHOR
WHO HAS LIVED EVEN MORE REMARKABLE LIFE

A Modern Tale that Harkens back to the Myths of Antiquity
A Profound Spiritual Journey
of Extraordinary Healing and Redemption

Paul H. Magid knows all about overcoming adversity and channeling that experience into evocative handiwork. He has endured more in one life than some people might face in ten lifetimes. Magid was paralyzed from the neck down in a severe spinal compression accident, though fortunately he made a full recovery. He was beset in the decades that followed with multiple joint reconstruction surgeries, Hashimoto’s Disease (thyroid), Gilbert’s Disease (liver), Crohn’s Disease (intestinal), and Addison’s Disease (adrenal). He still must take more medications each day than most people take in vitamins in a week’s time.

It was this lifetime filled with unrelenting hardship and penetrating adversity that severely tested Magid’s inner strength, resolve, belief system, and infused him with the creative drive to craft a novel that is a distinctive mix of enlightening spiritual journey with the intensity and power of the ancient mythological archetype.

“Life itself,” says Magid, “is of course a spiritual journey, often a painful one, yet persevering through that pain can lead to powerful wisdom and healing insights. For me, the most engaging spiritual stories are the ones that tap into the mythical dimension that resonates deep within the collective unconscious of us all. While I always knew I wanted to share with the world a deeply meaningful tale, I also knew I wanted to deliver one that recognizes that our lives are permeated and guided by forces beyond our control, forces more powerful than us, and very often with designs not of our choosing that will challenge us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

Lifting The Wheel Of Karma brings to life Joseph Connell, a gifted high school athlete from Montana, loved deeply by his family, yet tormented by nightmarish visions he can neither explain nor escape.

He believes the answer to what threatens to crush him can be found in the knowledge possessed by a mystical old wise man, who lives deep within the remote Himalayas of India.

If Joseph is ever to find the peace he so desperately seeks, he must get this wise old man to reveal what he truly knows, but that will not be easy...for this sage knows far more than he truly admits.

Paul H. Magid started writing his debut novel, Lifting the Wheel of Karma, 25 years ago while still in high school. He tried repeatedly to abandon it, but the work refused to be forsaken. Eventually he realized that sharing this story with the world was, in fact, his Dharma –his duty in life.

Along the way he has worked as a Wall Street financial analyst, a waiter (not a very good one), a Hollywood Agent Trainee, a real estate developer, a summer day camp director, an award winning screenwriter, and independent filmmaker—including his autobiographical film, “A Life Unfinished,” which screened in The Hamptons International Film Festival.

Please visit the author’s website at: www.Paulhmagid.com

Lifting the Wheel of Karma is available at Amazon

Review copies available

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