This week’s feature article can help you get published, but it might also save your life. How’s that for a bold promise? It might seem like hype, but it’s the truth.

I do have to warn you though (as I often do), this article doesn’t contain straightforward advice. It’s a story. You might even say it’s a mystery.

No, there isn’t a murder involved.

And, this isn’t a whodunit.

It’s whatdunit.

So…

Let’s get on with it,
shall we???

* * *

My Misadventures on Mount Vesuvius

For approximately ten years I suffered from mild stomach pain. It wasn’t a big deal at first, so I didn’t try too hard to figure out what the problem was. It was simply annoying.

Don’t be a baby.

Take some Tums.

Drink a couple shots
of Pepto Bismol.

I didn’t know
what else I could do.

The symptoms would usually appear during a meal when I was eating out at a restaurant with my wife, Ingrid. It wasn’t anything she said or did (although, at the time, I considered everything). It also didn’t seem to matter what I ate, or how much.

Even when I ate a salad,
the symptoms were the same.

Feeling bloated.

Clammy.

Claustrophobic.

Need to loosen my belt.

Drink a few sips of ice water.

Step outside and get some fresh air.

Sometimes Ingrid and I would have to go home immediately after dinner instead of going for a walk or doing something else. Our date nights would climax with me shifting in my seat and making strange faces due to the discomfort. On more than one occasion I had to ask Ingrid to drive us home because I was turning fifty shades of green.

I was the proverbial party pooper.

Poor Ingrid…

But it was later, after we got home from a restaurant, that the real fireworks would begin. I don’t mean a fight or disagreement about how much it stunk for Ingrid to be with someone so frail (although that would have been fair).

No, these fireworks were happening
inside my stomach.

Bubbling sensations.

Sharp pains.

Uh-oh.

Getting light-headed.

Feeling like I need
to lie down.

Wait…

Where’s the
restroom!?

Like most people with seemingly “minor” medical concerns, I thought my stomach issues were just a minor inconvenience. I thought I was smarter than I really am, and, I diagnosed myself.

I stopped eating things like beans and onions, broccoli and cauliflower, and cabbage. That didn’t do it. Then I thought I might be allergic to seafood and I stopped eating that.

Nope.

In fact, things got worse.

I started getting sick all the time. Not just head colds, either. I’m talking walking pneumonia for months at a time. Repeatedly. In 2012 I think I was sick more often than I was healthy.

Then…

I passed out on a few
different occasions.

I fell down twice
in the process.

I hit my head (hard)
on the ground
both times.

And I had
a seizure.

Will somebody call
an ambulance, please?

Yes, I finally went to the hospital to figure out what was happening. I couldn’t be in denial any more. I was scared. And Ingrid was threatening to divorce me if I didn’t go the doctor.

Easy decision.

Over the course of several months
I had lots of tests done: EKG,
blood work, urine analysis,
and allergy testing.

Then the results…

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

No.

Kidney stones?

No.

Bad heart?

No.

Allergies?

No.

Stress?

No.

What was it, then?

I simply had
a thyroid condition.

Who knew?

When your thyroid is out of whack, your immune system can become virtually nonexistent. Once I knew what the problem was, it was easy to fix. You take some medication or treat your thyroid with natural cures. That’s what I did and I haven’t been sick since.

Here’s the point…

One “stupid little thing” can wreak havoc in your life, or end it. Same thing is true when it comes to your publishing career.

All too often we:

• Don’t realize how serious our issues are.
• We don’t have the knowledge or tools to fix them alone.
• And/or we’re too stubborn to get help.

I was guilty on all three counts.

How about you???

When it comes to your publishing career (and your health), I have a couple recommendations. That’s because I’d like to see you get your books published, and that isn’t going to happen if you’re not alive and kicking… or you’re not doing the right things.

So…

When it comes to your health, check out this book and get a copy: Intestinal Health. One of my author coaching clients, Mardell Hill, wrote it and it’s awesome. It’s a fast and easy read that will give you a better understanding about what you put in your body, and how to cleanse it. Plus, if you have any kind of stomach issues whatsoever, it can help you fix them. By the way, Mardell didn’t ask me to do this. I asked her if it would be okay AND I got her to lower the price of her book for you from $29.95 to $19.95. But you have to get the book now since this is a limited time offer.

Now…

When it comes to you getting a top literary agent I don’t have a book to recommend. But I do have a website (you’re on it right now) that’s packed with articles to help you get that book deal you’ve been dreaming of. I have a special Ask a Literary Agent page on my website where you can ask me questions.

And…

If you don’t already know this, you can schedule a 1-on-1 introductory coaching call with me. Use me as your Book Marketing Coach to help you develop or promote your books. In other words, I’ll diagnose some of the painful symptoms YOU might be experiencing… as an author. In the book department I’m well qualified.

Chances are I have a “magic pill”
to cure whatever’s ailing you.

Don’t wait until disaster strikes
(like I did) to get help.

Reach out,

– Mark