Why settle for silver when you're meant for Gold?

Write Your Book in 2012: Book Coaching from A-Z to help you accomplish your dream

2011-12-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

Have a great book idea but don't know where to start?
Could you use a friend who's done it before to walk with you through the whole process?
Want to save lots of time and money?
Want to have your book available on amazon.com and worldwide?
Want to get up to 80% royalty on every book you sell?
Or, already have a self published book and want to learn how to market it more effectively? We can help you get started.

Consultations
On an as need basis where we can help you get started with any questions you might have in relation to:
-Setting goals to write and finish your book
-Pre self-publishing steps
-Social Media Marketing Start Up
-Marketing Ideas tailored to your book
-Or anything else in relation to helping you towards achieving your dream

Write and Publish Your Book in 2012! A Program tailored to your dreams coming true
I will act as a book coach to help you from A-Z, from writing all the way to getting your work published or submitting to a formal publisher. I will help and support you to see your dream fulfilled in 2012.

By the end of the plan you will have completed your final book manuscript and either be ready to send a proposal to formal publishers, have set up and published through your own publishing company, or if your work catches my heart, I may even consider publishing your book with Silver to Gold. All plans include regular coaching sessions to help support you as you accomplish your dream.

3 month plan
6 month plan
9 month plan

In addition to the book coaching above, you are welcome to add on any of the following:
*All Access pass, Monday-Friday between 9am-5pm, I will be available to answer questions that come up outside of our regular sessions.
*Marketing your book by helping you set up your own website, social media, videos, etc
*Editing
*Cover and formatting

Note: If you are interested in the Write Your Book in 2012 Program, please submit a proposal outlining where you are at in the writing process up to now, a summary of your book, your purpose for writing the book, why I should take you on, and which time lengths and add ons you are interested in. There are limited number of projects that will be taken on board so contact me soon if interested. If your proposal is accepted, we will tailor the program to your needs and begin in January.

*With Skype, this is now available anywhere in the world!!! The advice and support you will receive will save you tons of time and money which will make it well worth the investment.

To reserve your place, send proposals, or for further information, email JenMiskov@silvertogold.com.
Here's a FREE article on How to complete and Publish your first book
Or check out upcoming seminar today.
Jen has written several books and also has completed her PhD. She is excited to help others begin to achieve their similar dreams!

Write and Publish Your Book in 2012: A Seminar

2011-12-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

Don't wait until New Years Day to start living your dreams, set goals now so that you can begin your journey to complete and publish your dream book in 2012. Presented by Jen Miskov, PhD, with Silver to Gold, this introduction seminar will get you started and on your way towards achieving your dream.

You will meet other authors, hear what the writing process is like, write out goals for 2012, and learn what needs to be done before you can get published. There will also be a question and answer time. Limited number of spots available so sign up soon!

Saturday December 17 from 10am-12pm in Anaheim (directions will be emailed upon registration)

SPECIAL!!!Get 2 free books and a discounted price of only $40 if you sign up by December 10. After that the price goes up to $50.
Final registration deadline 12/15.

Looking forward to getting you started on living your dream in 2012!

<p>If you</p>
If you can't make this seminar, here is a helpful article to get you on your way.

Also, Book Coaching where I will work with authors to take them from where they are at now to them seeing their book published in 2012 is now here! Contact me if you want to learn more at JenMiskov@silvertogold.com.

2 Kings and a Pioneer

2011-03-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

I had the amazing privilege of intersecting the stories of 3 great people in history. I came across the first 2 when I was in Memphis, Tennessee for a conference where I was giving a paper on Carrie Judd Montgomery. These were all unexpected as I was so busy working on submitting my thesis that I had absolutely no time to research where I was about to go, so all of these intersections came as a wonderful surprise to me. Of course I ditched the first day of the conference to explore the city where along with a couple friends, we ended up at Graceland. I had never realized how significant the artist Elvis was in breaking down racial barriers by choosing to integrate black music into his style. By a white person embracing this genre, through music, he began to breakdown dividing walls. Additionally, some of Elvis' biggest success came from his Gospel music. Music is one of the most powerful mediums of communication. That and other artistic expressions have some of the most significance impacts on the world.

The next stop after learning about the "King" of rock and roll was to see where Martin Luther King Jr. experienced his last moments on this this earth. I went to the hotel where he was assassinated (Room 306). Later that night I also went to the Mason Temple where he spoke the night before he died. Interestingly enough, the prophetic quote below that he said there suggests that he felt the end was near. That didn't matter though because he had accomplished his destiny. One of my personal heroes, it was fascinating to be in the same space where he both spoke and then also where he later died. To see part of his "I have a Dream" speech and to read an excerpt about him that I have in Silver to Gold go here.

Visiting the East Coast, my good friend Laurie and I went to Mount Vernon and learned all about George Washington and walked where he walked. I never realized what a humble and great leader he really was. Even though the people wanted to make him king, have him be president longer than 8 years and much more, he turned them down and put the government in the hands of the people. He was also a genius farmer who innovated some new methods to be more effective in farming the land. I had no idea of his courage in battle, his humility, and his strength. He stood apart from the rest during his time.

These 2 "Kings" and a pioneer all had what I would call "it." They had something that set them apart from the rest, led by strong convictions to not compromise their hearts and destinies. They all embarked on a destiny of following their hearts and responding to the needs and the culture around them to bring huge breakthroughs. Elvis contributed to breaking down racial walls, Martin Luther King Jr. risked everything to bring freedom and equality, and George Washington believed that it was the destiny of the colonies to be free and so he fought in a way where only two options existed, freedom or death. All of these 3 no doubt faced criticisms from all sides but nonetheless carried on to follow their hearts and God-given destinies to shine in the way that they were destined to, no holding back, they were made for such a time as this. While they all had their faults, they didn't let those hold back from engaging in their destinies. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to learn more about these. I hope my recent journey and those who came before can similarly inspire each one of us to continue on to engage in our destinies at all costs. Until next time, thanks for listening,
Jen

Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

2011-01-17T11:13:00.001-08:00

"While we don't have to live anyone else's dream, we do have a responsibility to live our own. Each of us has a dream inside of us. Some of us more than one. A difference can be made in the live of others when we step out and fulfill our specific, and I believe our God-given dreams. Beauty comes as a result when we follow our hearts. Others are blessed, challenged, and empowered when we take hold of our lives and make decisions towards living our passions, towards following our deepest desires.

There are people around us who are waiting for us to come alive, people who need for us to live our dreams so that their lives will be better. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who once said, "I have a dream," and look what happened when he followed his heart. It's time for us to do the same.

So now, because other lives depend on it, including our own, may the True Revolutionaries please step forward and march toward your destinies."

©Jennifer A. Miskov, excerpt taken from Silver to Gold: A Journey of Young Revolutionaries

My PhD led me to El Fronton?

2010-12-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Who knew that after another 10 hour day of working on the complete draft of my PhD I would be led right into the center of bodyboarding history. Well, that's exactly what happened. Let me explain. After 3 years of working on the same PhD project and nearing the end, I basically locked myself away for a few months to finish the draft of about 350 pages of research (80,000 words). Getting tired of editing and refining day after day, I had enough and so after a grueling 10 hour day, I impulsively said to myself that I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

I quickly looked up Ryan air flights to see what was the cheapest and I noticed Gran Canary Island was a cheap flight. Island = sun and beach, so I booked the ticket without looking at my calendar to see if I had any other prior engagements. I desperately needed a break!

After booking my 3 days in Gran Canary where I was going to be stoked just to leave the cold England behind for a bit a sunshine, my brother told me that there were waves there. Bonus, although I had just brought back all my bodyboarding gear to Cali my last trip home. Usually I at least leave a pair of fins and rashguard in the UK but this time I did not. I researched and found a place there where I could rent stuff as well as looked up the local surf spots and checked when the swell was going to hit them. Upon arrival, I immediately surfed Confital since that was near my hotel. The next day, I headed out to surf El Fronton.

After driving around the city and asking nice people to point me in the right direction, I came upon this little point break with only 3 guys out. As I watched what I believed to be El Fronton, another bodyboarder walked by me and carried on past the rocks. My curiosity caused me to follow him and I am SO glad I did. Once I made it to the top of the rocks, in the distance I saw glassy waves, air reverses, and backflips spotting the water.

I quickly jumped in my car and drove straight there only to see a black van in the parking lot with Mike Stewart as the driver! What was he doing here? I was just on holiday, taking a much needed mental break from my studies so that I could be refreshed to finish my thesis and there in front of me was Mike Stewart. Even more, when I paddled out to the waves, I saw GT and lots of other bodyboarders that looked familiar to me (although I have literally been out of the bb scene for over 10 years now so I only recognized a few of the old schoolers). When asked how to come in from my session at Fronton I was encouraged to just take a wave over the reef. I must admit, that was a little sketchy for me as I grew up only on beach breaks in Newport Beach.

Once I came in I heard someone in the distance yelling my name and its Manny Vargas! I did his IB Summer Slams back in the day and I hadn't seen him for probably over 10+ years. Long story short, I ended up extending my plane ticket twice to stay in paradise, had a super fun session with only one other out and Manny doing water photography, played in this swimming pool type thing adjacent to the ocean, took photos of the El Fronton Invitational and got to hang out with the best bodyboarders in the world, who by the way, are all pretty cool guys.

Crazy how everything worked out. I can only say that I am thankful that Christmas came early to me and that not only did I get sunshine and beach, but I got to paddle out with some of the best bodyboarders in the world all in a desperate plea to take a mental break from my thesis. SO thankful to God and so blessed for this intersection in paradise. I hope everyone has a happy Christmas! See more pics of the El Fronton event and of Gran Canary Island on my facebook page

2009-12-15T08:52:00.003-08:00

Silver to Gold is a tale of struggle, friendship, love, loss… Above all, its a tale of the adventure of pursuing a deep-rooted dream, the type of dream that you can feel flowing through your veins. You cannot shake it. You are being beckoned towards your full potential. Nothing less will satisfy. It is the type of dream that you are sure others are as committed to as you… aren’t they?

With a vast and callous army pressing down on them fast, there is nowhere for Desire and the other Young Revolutionaries to run. Her situation is desperate. This is not how her journey is supposed to end, certainly not before it has even truly begun. The legend is strong. Desire knows it offers escape and hope. More than that, it promises fullness and abundance. That is, after all, why she set out. But what will Desire do when faced with the choice of pursuing her dreams when others choose something different?

In a world where so many dreams never make it reality, Desire’s journey will inspire, challenge, and encourage you to dust off those dreams that have lied dormant and move forward to take hold of them once again.

See What People Are Saying about Silver to Gold below, learn about how music is integrated into the book, or order online today through this site or from the following places

What People Are Saying

2009-12-15T08:52:00.001-08:00

“Silver to Gold is an inspirational story to dream seemingly impossible dreams. It is an encouragement to press through every challenge and obstacle, until our vision becomes a reality. Jen is an awesome young revolutionary who has courageously pressed in to the dreams of God for her own life regardless of the cost, and counted it all as joy! I highly recommend this book to everyone who is not prepared to settle for anything less than the very best!”
-Heidi Baker, Ph.D, Founding Director, Iris Ministries, Inc.

"Jen, did you put superglue on my copy? Cause I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!! Gripping, powerful, encouraging and challenging. Loving your work! The week after I got my job, I read Silver to Gold and, as well as being gripped by the story, I saw clear links with my own experience. I felt motivated to keep moving forward to the next goal, the next challenge, the next step. Silver to Gold challenges you to not settle for second best, but to push on towards the fulfillment of your dreams, and to encourage those around you to do the same. This book could change your life..." - Steve

“An incredible account of a girl who refused to let go of her dreams. This book is so encouraging, a must read for those who get weighed down by other people refusing to join them on their journey! Keep dreaming and keep walking!”
-Leanne Taylor, 20, student, UK

“I have known Jen for over ten years and I have watched her live the Silver to Gold adventure. I have witnessed the birth of this book as she talked and wrote this epic story. It came out of her soul not just her mind. This adventure will stir, invigorate and compel you to go for the Gold. I highly recommend it.”
-Robert Fulton, Vineyard International Coordinator Emeritus

“This is a modern-day Pilgrim's Progress, a tale that resonates with both science fiction and allegory of a young woman who rejects a life of compromise and finds her true fulfillment in overcoming obstacles and discouragements to reach her higher goals. This is inspirational reading that will inspire and resonate with any of us who have been tempted to give up. Once you pick up this fascinating story you will not want to put it down.”
-Dr. Allan Anderson, author of Spreading Fires

"A revolutionary book/novel for 'young revolutionaries' (in the book's subtitle) written by a PhD student (at the University of Birmingham, UK) who aspires to inspire; the book comes with all kinds of added dimensions at the www.silvertogold.com website - its riveting prose will keep us enthralled even while its message - to inspire us all to reach beyond the silver lining& horizons that often limit us so that we can reach the gold standard! - means that it will work well as a gift to high school & even college graduates."- Amos Yong, author of many books, one being The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh

"Silver to Gold is a story of extraordinary courage. The heroin's determination not to settle for anything less than the total fulfillment of her dreams inspires us not to accept mediocrity. We all have dreams hidden in our hearts, but for some reason we hold back and are scared to pursue them or we give up along the way. This is a message of hope showing that it really is possible to achieve our greatest goals."
-Alice Claire Stapleton, 20, UK

“Jennifer Miskov's desire to communicate a story with relevance and meaning is excellent. Today more than ever, we need writers who are willing to awaken our imagination and in turn touch our heart.”
-Dr. Gregory Allen, MFT and Director of Freedom4U

"Jen!! Wonderful book! I read it the day after I got it in the mail. Every time Azariah went down for nap I picked it up. Great work! Ill be ordering a few more copies to give out."-Chanelle, USA

"I am steadily reading through my copy of the book and I have found it not only to be a great read, but also very thought-provoking and inspiring, particularly at this time of year when life can get very stressful. I would certainly recommend a copy to anyone in need of a motivational boost, especially if they are engaged in any type of academic study or pursuing a dream that seems distant or unobtainable."- Dr. Helen I.

Also read an article about my book here

Official YouTube Video: Breakdancing

2009-11-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to Affi who rocked this video production, Alice and Andrew for stepping into to share their thoughts, and all the breakers, especially the one who is the future of the next generation. Good times and hope you like it!

Also Available at the Following Locations

2009-11-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

In the both the USA and UK, this book will be available for purchase through this website anytime, through me, or you can contact me (JenMiskov@Juno.com) for info if you want to do a bank transfer or send a check.
Available in the UK at these locations:

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
-Waterstones Bookstore
-Chaplaincy
-Off the Wall Gift Shop

HARBORNE
-Rappie Pie in Harborne High St. just across the street from Waitross and a few doors down from St. John's at 18 Vivian Road.
-GKR Grocery corner market (after Shell garage and Army/Navy store on left hand side, Harborne park road)

KIDDERMINISTER
-Trinity Methodist Church Centre, Churchfields,
Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY10 2JL
01562 824450

Available in the USA at:

The Book Cellar 5340 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, California 92807
Mon -Thurs: 8:00 to 5:00 Fri:8:00 to 4:00 Sat:closed
Sun: 9:00 to 12:30 & 5:15 to 8:30
714.777.5400

Additionally, Silver to Gold is now also available for purchase on Amazon.com (look up "Miskov")

Listen to this song when you are about to read page 83 in Silver to Gold

2009-11-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is my first Silver to Gold Youtube attempt starring the very wonderful Bekah Driscoll. Enjoy...

My First Book Reading USA/ First Book Lanch UK

2009-11-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

November 6, 2009 at the lovely Scherer house in California, I celebrated along with some close family and friends the very soon emergence of my book which is due to come out early December. So fun and thanks to everyone who came out!
This was followed by my first official Book Launch in the UK December 5, 2009. The theme was silver and gold and you can see more pictures on my Facebook group. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Discuss with the Author

2009-09-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Join "Silver to Gold" on Facebook to see photos and interact directly with me!

Life Behind the Story

2009-09-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

Before I talk about some of the developments in my life and part of the process of the whole “silver to gold” philosophy being formed in me, you might like to know that at one time I was a very serious bodyboarder, Yes, it’s like surfing but we lie on our bellies with a foam board instead. Unfortunately Microsoft Word hasn’t yet identified this as a sport, but let me tell you it was my life and I still love it. Baywatch video (yeah, I am the one in the water with the green jersey and the red board, can't believe I'm showing you this but here you go). Please don’t ask me why I moved to the most landlocked city in England where there’s no waves though or else I might cry; you’ll find out soon enough.

I’ll start the story when I was 22 years old. Less than a month after I graduated from a California university in 2000, I moved to Mozambique, Africa for six months to help the poorest of the poor. This was just after they were hit with the devastating floods. My time there was life changing to say the least. While living at the orphanage as my base, I had the opportunity to help teenage prostitutes get off of the streets, feed the poor, offer prayer, and care for orphans. I was also a part of organizing several medical clinics into the refuge camps as well as helping to plant a church. The joy I saw in their lives even when they had so little was a beautiful sight.

I moved back to California the end of that year and prepared to go back to Africa to give my life for the poor. Because of various circumstances, I ended up staying in California and developed and designed an intensive five week discipleship course with about fifteen youth from my church which turned out to be life changing for many of them. One of these girls about six years later said the following when we were talking one night: “Don’t settle for silver when God wants to give you gold.” Those words were powerful and struck me deeply. Maybe because I was in a situation where I needed to let go of something that was holding me back from more in my life or maybe it was the fact that she had spoken my own words directly back to me. What she said had been my saying for years. I challenged so many people to not settle for less than God’s best in their lives with those words and to hear them spoken back to me made them come even more alive for me.

Throughout the next couple of years, a story had been forming in my heart that I fully believed would empower and encourage people to pursue their dreams at all costs, to not settle for silver when they were meant for gold. So I zealously printed 2,000 copies of this little story, formerly known as From Silver to Gold: An Adventure from Freedom to Abundance, and passed them out for free at a rally in San Francisco in 2003. I didn’t realize at that time though that there was more of the story to be formed. At that point, the story had no dialogue and no characters; it was a rough sketch of what was later to come.

Throughout the next few years I ended up transitioning into a career with Starbucks coffee. I grew in the company and enjoyed it very much while on the side continuing to develop my little story. I took several writing classes off and on and attended a few writing conferences. All this was for the purpose of shaping my story. As I continued in my Starbucks career, I always knew there was something else I was supposed to be doing after my time there. I knew deep down I was meant to be involved in teaching or training, whatever that might look like. I also had this growing desire to study in England and I knew that to teach I would need a PhD. The one thing that always held me back from pursuing more education was the money thing. It took me several years to pay off my school loans from my undergraduate course and I was not looking forward to being in debt again, thus I put off returning to school…for six more years!

As the story continued to form in and through me over the years, sometimes I would move forward to try and get it published, only to get rejection letters. Nevertheless, I continued working on it off and on. I realized though that if at the heart of this story is an encouragement for others to lives their dreams, that I have to be living mine if there is to be any integrity in the story. If I am not living my dreams, if I am settling for silver in relationships/careers/etc. when I am intended for gold, then who is going to listen to me, who is going to believe that the story has any integrity. So as a result of trying to stay true to the heart of the story and to maintain my integrity, in 2007, I quit my job, sold my car, said goodbye to all my friends and family, and let go of my comfortable life in California to go on an adventure to England.

Now that I am in England, I am back in school and pursuing a PhD and enjoying it. The transition I faced the first year away was hard but now after that time, I feel more connected here and have had some opportunities here that I never would have had back in the OC. In the summer of 2008, I got to be a part of leading a team of students whose job it was to welcome new international students to the university through a week of fun events. I also ran my first ever half marathon then as well. Currently, I am a part of leading a group through my church that does free healing prayer right in the heart of the city center here.

I really do believe that there is something beautiful, maybe even supernatural in taking risks, in following one’s heart, in pursuing one’s dreams. I encourage you to not give up on whatever your dream may be, even if it seems like it is taking forever. If you stay on its path and keep moving towards it, eventually you'll get there, some quicker than others. Well, that is all I have to say for now. So this is me and what I’m about. Thanks for coming on this little journey with me down memory lane, hope you enjoyed the ride.
Jen

The Story Behind the Story

2009-08-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

This was an article that was published with Radiant that I wrote in 2007 before I moved to England. It shows some of the story behind the Silver to Gold story...

LIVING A LIFE WITH NO REGRETS
"What if failure didn’t exist?

What if there are dreams deep in our hearts because God is the One who planted them there, and now He’s just waiting for us to take hold of them?

Five years ago, I wrote a short story that I felt had been planted in my heart to share with others. I got overzealous and paid more than $2,000 to get a few thousand copies printed so I could pass them out for free at a rally in San Francisco. What happened next threw me for a loop: My boss ended up scheduling me for that same weekend even though I had asked for it off. I didn’t think it was a big deal until I began having trouble getting my shifts covered. Maybe this was God’s way of saying I wasn’t supposed to go after all. Maybe the whole thing was all in my head. I was ready to give up, when all of a sudden, the clouds parted and someone was able to cover my shifts at work.(This is the original 2003 version of my book. Would be interesting to find out who still has this?)

Now, five years later, my little story has grown from 15 pages with no characters to over 60 pages with character development, action and dialogue, and I am working toward making a small book out of it and eventually getting it published. Was I wrong in paying all that money to prematurely get my unfinished work out? Was I too zealous and trying to move faster than God? Quite possibly I was a little off in the timing, but I did learn a lot in the process. I have no regrets because I learned to become more patient and to understand what waiting for God’s timing really looks like. I learned that for the future it is important to cultivate the seeds I feel God places in my heart instead of immediately looking to share fruit that is not yet ripe.

There are many more times, however, when I didn’t take the leap, when I didn’t take a chance because I wasn’t totally sure it was from God. Indecision has produced paralysis in my actions and has stunted my growth at times. My indecision did not arise from having bad intentions; often I put off a decision because I truly wanted to honor God. But how long shall I keep putting off decisions, dreams or promises I think the Lord has given me as I wait to hear specifics from Him? I don’t regret all the lessons I’ve learned from those times that I have risked, despite not being 100 percent sure. Sometimes we have to be willing to take that step into the infinite abyss of uncertainty and trust that God will be with us no matter what the outcome. When He continues to stir up passion for specific things inside of us, it is probably because it is not just “us” feeling that way, but rather part of the plan He has for us.

This very day I am on the verge of leaving my wonderful church community, family and job to move to Europe to do some extra schooling. This has been something that has been in my heart to do for years now. During a ministry trip to New Zealand last year, this dream inside of me got even stronger. Is this from God? Am I making a mistake by going because I haven’t heard the audible voice from God telling me to go? Is He the one leading me there? Honestly, I am not quite sure if it is Him or me. I haven’t heard Him say “no” yet, so at this point I am diving in. While it will be a sacrifice for me to leave behind everything I know and hold dear, I would rather risk and experience my dream than to not go and to always wonder.

There is a verse that I learned in high school that has stuck with me and has transformed my whole perspective in making decisions. In Romans 8:28, Paul writes: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (TNIV).

How wonderful to know that we can never fail. Failure is a word that need not exist in a life that is called according to the purposes of God. Yes, we do have to deal with consequences of poor decisions, but if we are really seeking God, are guided by His word and are on the brink of making a decision that is in our heart, we know that whatever the result, He will eventually turn it around for our good and grow us in the process, regardless of the results. If we are wrong, we are wrong, but at least we tried and learned something in the process.

Discerning the voice of God isn’t easy, but we shouldn’t let our uncertainty paralyze us. Thomas Merton once said, “A tree glorifies God by being a tree.” So let us shine, let us begin to take risky steps toward those dreams that God is waiting to burst from within our hearts. Let us dive into a life lived with no regrets.

Jen, temporarily living in Old Towne Orange, Calif., before moving to England, will one day get her book, Silver to Gold, published, if it's the last thing she does."

Contact Me

2009-07-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

What did you think of the story?

2009-07-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

I would love to hear what you thought of my book. How did the story affect you? Did it make you look at any situations in your life differently? What sections or themes stuck out to you and why? Is there anything you are now pursuing as a result of reading this? Are there any changes in your life you are going to make as a result of this?

If you would like to share a paragraph or two, you can add it to the comments on this post. Or you can alternatively email me at JenMiskov@silvertogold.com with your review and a picture of yourself if you would like to be included on this site with a picture next to your review. I will try this out and see how it goes.

Other places you can review my book are on Amazon.com where you can find my book by doing a search of "Jennifer Miskov." You can also review my book on my Facebook group and Fanpage as well as through any newspapers, local newsletters, magazines, or other websites that allow for that.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Questions for Reflection

2009-07-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

I myself am on my own journey towards that abundant and fulfilled life I have heard of. Some of these questions I have answers to, but many more are things that I am wrestling with as well. If anyone has any other questions that might suit this section, please submit them through the contact me form.

Was Desire right in pleading with Dawn to move forward or should she have just let her make her own decision and let her go?

When someone in our lives stops short in an area in their lives where we can see there is so much more awaiting them, what is the best response we can give?

How much responsibility is on us to encourage, inspire, challenge them to move forward and when is enough enough?

Is there anyone in our lives where our words of encouragement have been what someone needed to move forward?

What is the correct balance of fighting for someone’s best and enabling them, encouraging them to press on to better and letting them live their own life?

If Desire was surer about Sam and wanted to marry him, do you think she should have stayed in the Silver Mountains with him? What if they were married and she wanted to move forward but he wanted to stay, what should she have done in that situation? Is there ever a time to sacrifice and give up our dreams to follow through on previous commitments and responsibilities?

What happens when the person we are committed to gets stuck and holds us back from moving forward? Is there a possibility that further down the line, this person will also potentially have the same desire to go towards the Golden Pastures but maybe they’re just not ready yet? And how can we respond in that situation of waiting?

If because of honoring a commitment we find ourselves in the Silver Mountains when really we want to be in the Golden Pastures, what can we do in our present situations to make them Gold? Is there anything we can do to change the dynamics in the situation to transform it into Gold? Is there another way to look at things? Another approach we can take to make things better during the time that we are there?

Does one have to go through the Silver Mountains before they reach the Golden Pastures? And if you do have to pass through the Silver Mountains before moving on to the Gold, how do you know when the time is right to continue on?

Is that part of the process or is there any way of jumping over the Silver Mountains to make it to the Golden Pastures? Will it mean the same thing if one hasn’t paid their dues by pressing through the Silver to get to the Gold? What if the opportunity comes our way to make the jump from the Bronze Hills directly to the Golden Pastures?

Is it a good thing that Desire left some of her friends behind to follow her heart? What would she be like if she decided to stay back with Dawn and wait for her to be ready to take the next step? With Sam, if she decided to stop and settle in the Silver Mountains? Would those stirrings in her heart for the Golden Pastures simply be repressed and come back again or would they die out and fade away? Would she eventually see Sam as her Golden Pastures?

When faced with choosing the good and the more comfortable verses the risky but the best, are there different times when the good is just good enough?

When striving for the best, will there always be something better to strive for once achieving it? How will we know when we’ve reached the Gold?

Is Gold stationary or does it move, does it change in different circumstances?

Is there the possibility that once we arrive at Gold, it opens up bigger dreams and more possibilities than before?

Are there any areas where we may have thought they were Silver situations but they are really Gold?

When Desire finally reaches The Golden Pastures after some time, it seems that she still is not fulfilled. Had she found the abundant life and gotten bored of it? Will there always more? Even if she returns and “rescues” all the others and brings them back with her to The Golden Pastures, will she then be satisfied or will there always be something else, something more she needs to do to find true satisfaction?

Is there true contentment here without God? Or even with God, is there a way that one can be fully satisfied here and now or will there always be more of God to know? What is that abundant life that Jesus spoke about and how can we thrive in that now?

Which character are you most like?

2009-05-26T15:56:00.001-07:00

This fun test will eventually be developed to help you look at a specific area of your life and find out which character you most relate with in that area. From there it will ask you questions to help you look at steps you might need to take to move forward.

Music in Silver to Gold

2009-02-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

The song "Bad" by U2 is integrated throughout the story. The song "Goodbye" by Plankeye is printed on page 78 in the story and should be listened to at that point.
The following are songs that I feel resonate with the story at different points. I give you suggestions of where I feel they might fit in. It might be fun to read the story a second time and at each point below, stop and listen to the song listed before moving on to heighten the experience and let certain themes sit in even more...

As a disclaimer, I hold no rights to any of these songs, except for permission to print Plankeye's song "Goodbye" in my book. None of these artists are affiliated with this book these are just song that I like that I wanted to share with you in relation to the story.

How to Write and Publish Your First Book

2008-10-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

By Jen Miskov on November 26, 2009

Many of my friends have come to me since hearing of me publishing my first book and have told me that they too want to write a book. I thought I would write done some of the things that I have learned in this process to help others who will be doing the same thing soon. Here’s a little bit about my process in writing and publishing my first book along with some tips that will hopefully be helpful to you in your journey.

Get Writing

Thinking of writing a book is an overwhelming concept when you think of it as a whole. If you take it section by section it’s more manageable. I highly suggest setting aside time each week to write. It doesn’t matter what you write, just make it a habit that you dedicate time to and get your creative writing juices flowing. I had been stuck, crippled with writer’s block after so long and then I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and started doing some of the weekly exercises in there to help unleash my creative juices. By writing 3 pages in my journal each day, thoughts, prayers, complaints, whatever, helped me get into a habit and get rid of all the concerns in my head that hold back creativity. By having an artist date once a week where I do something creative all by myself whether that be paint a picture, put together a collage, go to an art gallery, learn a dance, play guitar, it helped me to sow into my life in other creative areas. A couple times I wrote one random line on the top of a page (“the green monster”) and then let my words flow and I ended up writing two children’s short stories from those times. It was nice to get away from the towering project of Silver to Gold that had been looming over me for almost 7 years by that point. Un-engaging and then re-engaging helped me a lot.

Practically speaking, I encourage you to take one chapter, one section at a time. Set realistic deadlines or else you will never finish. You can work backwards in setting your goals by figuring out when you want to have you release party of the book to when the manuscript draft needs to be finished to each chapter drafted and so on.

Perfectionism is the Enemy

I really don’t think your book should have to take 7 years as mine did. Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird helped me to understand when enough is enough, when it’s time to finish and move on. She writes about how an author can know when they are finished with the book. She says that “perfection is the voice of the oppressor” and she goes into a good analogy of trying to get all of an octopus’ legs in the right place at the same time, the legs being the plot, dialogue, setting, etc, then right when you think everything’s set, another leg flops out of order. Then she goes on to say that you know you are done when, even though you know the manuscript is not perfect, that you have absolutely “no steam left in the pressure cooker” and you know it is time to move onto something else (93-94).

If I didn’t finish and publish my book, even though I know it can always be better in one way or another, it would have killed me! There’s other things in my life that I need to move on towards, other books I need to write but I needed to finish Silver to Gold before I could fully move on and move forward. I highly encourage you to set a goal, a timeline and move towards it.

Semantics

Writing is a true craft that can be learned. I had my basic story and I knew what I wanted to say but I had none of the tools to know how to add meat to the bones, to make dialogue sound real, develop characters. There are lots of good books that can help you refine your basic writing skills. For fiction I found the The Art and Craft of Story Telling by Nancy Lamb helpful as an overall how to structure and develop dialogue, character, etc. I am completely sold on Hooked by Les Edgerton for creative ideas in how to refine the beginning of your story. There are even interviews by literary agents, editors, and publishers in the end of the book to know what specifics they are looking for when reviewing a manuscript. These and other resources like writing groups or networks on line are great places to get advice.

Feedback

Initially, I would pick no more than 3 people to help give you consistent feedback on your writing. This group of 3 should be diverse and should be people who are for you, who want to see you succeed, who can give you the time you need, and who can also give you honest and constructive feedback. A manageable way to make it easy for these to help you is by refining your chapter and then giving them one chapter at a time to look over and give you feedback on. Ask them specific questions to look for problem areas you have identified. If you give someone the whole draft of your book to read and get back to you, they might be overwhelmed. Small junks keep them from becoming burnt out.

Get them to look at big picture stuff first, more globally and then as you are nearer to the end, focus in on who can do more in depth and detailed copy editing and sentence structure refinement.

Professionals

If this book is truly your “baby,” I would suggest that after you have got the draft as great as you can get it with the help of your feedback friends, that you do two things. Get a manuscript evaluation of the story to give you an idea of any holes or problem areas you hadn’t seen before. After reintegrating all the new changes and getting feedback and making the draft as near complete as possible, I would hire a professional editor to help do the final edit. There are several different types of edits one can do. There is a content edit and a line edit. Content is an overall feel and the line edit is grammar, punctuation, more detailed help. Content editing comes before the final line, or copy, edits. Determine which ones you need and look for your editor accordingly. Some editors will do both.

There are several services out there where you can receive a free sample edit of your work before investing money in the editor. I high recommend doing this before you enlist an editor or else you can loose lots of money and not be satisfied with the final result. This can be done in the early stages of writing, Once you have a chapter that is polished off, you can submit it to different editing agencies and the editors interested will do a sample edit of your chapter for free as well as give you a quote for the whole project. This enables you to be able to find the right person who sees the vision and has the skills to refine your manuscript to your liking so you know who to choose when you're ready. A couple of these agencies are book-editing.com and pronovelediting.com. Overspending time in reading the final draft and having others read as well before submitting for publishing will eliminate extra fees for having grammar mistakes and other errors once its already sent for print. Once you have your final edit returned and you revise it, you are ready to move forward toward publishing.

Endorsements

Plan ahead to find endorsements that will help with your target market and audience. Send them the best copy you have. I ended up sending people unfinished drafts of my work just so I could hear back from them in time but this is not ideal. You want to give them your best possible draft and give them at least a month to read and get back to you.

Decide whether you want to go with a traditional publisher or if you want to self-publish

I followed the Wayne Jacobsen’s advice in an article describing the process he went through in relation to the book The Shack. From this advice, I have decided to start my own publishing company and sell 2,000 copies on my own before connecting with a formal publisher. There are lots of reasons why I chose this but that’s for another time or you can read the article for more information.

Self-Publishing

Invest the little extra to buy your own ISBN number because then you will have all the rights to your book and any printers can not have exclusive rights that tie your book to their ISBN. Many places offer a free ISBN to you but the only problem is that it will tie your book to their company.

Submit your best and final draft. Spend the most time proofing the draft that you will be submitting for publishing. Have others help you. Eliminate all unnecessary errors. Pretend like what you turn in will be your actual book. If you spend your time getting that draft great, you will avoid unnecessary correction fees later on. Then when they return the formatted version to you, spent your time proofing and having others help you proof for any errors they have made. Once it looks like the best, approve it and off you go.

For book covers, I decided to go with a design company and hire them. The nice thing about that was that any last minute corrections or minor changes didn’t incur extra charges because they were very graceful although most publishing firms will charge you per change, even if it’s minor.

Time Lines

To avoid higher rush fees, realize it will take a good 8 weeks + most of the time to do the whole formatting process. Once you have your print ready files and cover prepared, print time plus shipping is usually only around 2 weeks but verify this through whatever company you choose to go through. I prefer companies that have a 24 hour email response time and a contact person I can call with any concerns.

Marketing and Pre-Sales

I focused on marketing before I had even finalized my book. I highly encourage you to network but to spend the majority of your time and energy on completing the manuscript and then begin building into marketing.

I sold over 300 books before my book was even printed and released through Pre-Sales. My strategy was to have people buy multiple copies because the way that most people read and buy books is by word of mouth. So if I have friends who know me and believe in my as my ambassadors to people I might not necessarily be able to reach, then my book is hitting a more diverse crowd. I sold through personal contact as well as through my website. The moment I determined the page number of my book, I could determine the retail price and thus I started presales then. I also printed 2,000 copies of a rough draft of Silver to Gold and passed them out for free in 2003 so many people had already been aware of this project and expectant. More on marketing in the future when I learn more myself!

Books that helped me in my writing process:

The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

This book helped me break out of my writer’s block and gave me activities to do to help me get the writing juices flowing again.

The Art and Craft of Storytelling by Nancy Lamb

This is a great basic overview for fiction writers who might be new to writing in this genre.

Hooked: Write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go by Les Edgerton

Besides really liking the cover design of this book, it’s a whole book written on the fact that if you don’t hook people in the very beginning of your story, they won’t make it to the end. There’s good question and answer section in the back to learn more of what literary agents, publishers, and others in the industry are looking for when they receive a manuscript on their desk.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

This is part instructional but mostly reflections on the writing process by the author herself.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

This is an excellent book when thinking though some ideas of how to market successfully.

I hope that my process in writing my first book will help support you to finish and publish your first book as well. I would love to hear from you if this has helped in any way. Good luck and keep writing!

Silver to Gold Project

2007-05-16T17:05:00.001-07:00

The Silver to Gold Project is a network of dreamers. The project is all about connecting dreamers with each other to mutually encourage, support, challenge, and inspire other dreamers to go after their dreams and not stop until they have seen them come to pass. Being a member of this project means that one is agreeing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their dreams or goals that they have deep inside their hearts. It is a commitment to not settle for the good in life, but to go for the best, to not settle for silver, but to go for gold. It means being willing to take big risks, make huge sacrifices if necessary, to follow through in living your dreams.

The Background Story of this project lies in a dream that I have been pursuing for the last 5 years. My dream is to publish my book and get it around the world to inspire people towards living an amazing and abundant life filled with dreams come true. The book is a fiction allegory entitled “Silver to Gold” that one day WILL BE published if it is the last thing I do. This is one of my current dreams that I am still actively pursuing. Working on a story like this also means that if I am to have any integrity in this work that I too must be living a life where I am actively engaged in pursuing all the dreams God’s put in my heart.

Some of the Inspiration that helped move me toward this project came when I had coffee with a friend this past week. Bekah, I have known for over 7 years and have always seen her to have a gift with music. As we met, we each shared where we were at in pursuing our different dreams, me with my book, her with her music career. I have no doubt in my mind that if we both continue hanging tight to our dreams and pursuing them, making necessary sacrifices and taking risks where needed, that one day we will both be able to sit down for coffee again and swap a published book for a published CD. You see, people need to experience the gift and talent that Bekah brings (look for her @ http://www.myspace.com/bekahdriscoll), they also need to experience the story that I bring because that is part of the reason we are here. I realized that during and after our time together, that I was further encouraged to move forward with my dream. Being around others who are passionate about living the dreams in their heart can only inspire and encourage those around them to do the same. This is my hope for this project. May it bring courage to each who enters to take one more step towards the fulfillment of their dreams. More coming soon on this...