 Small Changes Can Make A World Of Difference.Meet author Sheila Roberts, and you may be the lucky winner of a nice bit of change - $50 in Sheila's piggy bank!
Any woman can change her financial future. Writer Sheila Roberts believes this and she is on a mission to spread the word. Her new novel, SMALL CHANGE, is meant to both inspire and teach. "And entertain, of course," says Roberts. "But in this book I really wanted to show women that those little changes you make in your attitude toward money and your spending habits can add up to a big difference in your quality of life."
So what sort of the changes does Roberts advocate? For one, redefine fun. "Not all of us have the kind of income that supports living a lifestyle of the rich and famous," says Roberts. "So instead of trying to party like the wealthy, why not learn to enjoy the simple things in life that we can afford?" Like the characters in her book, Roberts enjoys simple pleasures like hunting for mushrooms and playing "Chick poker" where the high stakes are Hershey's kisses instead of money. Other lifestyle changes Roberts suggests?
Pay yourself first — savings before bills. If you wait to see what's left after you pay the bills, there won't be anything. Don't worry if you can't afford to stash away much. It all adds up.
Pay with cash or debit card. This way you're never spending money you don't actually have. "It's too easy to rationalize a spending spree when you're using a credit card," says Roberts. "I know from personal experience."
Find your financial Achilles Heel and fix it. Roberts maintains that we all have one. Protecting yours will protect your pocketbook.
Get smart. Check out money management books from the library. Listen to finance gurus on the radio or TV. Learn to control your money so that it can't control you.
Get support. Take a lesson from the characters in her novel and band together with girlfriends to help each other make those changes in how you handle your money.
Ms. Roberts will be sharing more tips and helping people find and protect their financial Achilles heels at the Leavenworth library's TGIF night on Friday, June 4th, from 7 to 8 p.m. She will also be giving away a prize valued at fifty dollars to give some lucky winner a financial boost. If you miss her there you can meet her at A Book for All Seasons on Saturday, June 5th from 1 to 3 p.m. where she will be signing copies of her new book SMALL CHANGE.
 Small Change
Take a trip to the charming little town of Heart Lake, and meet three best friends who you'll never forget . . .
Rachel, Jessica and Tiffany have money problems - major money problems. Tiffany's whipped out the plastic one too many times, and now a mountain of debt is about to come crashing down on her. Jessica's husband lost his job - thrusting this longtime stay-at-home mom out into the cold, cruel workforce. And Rachel's divorce has transformed her from an upper-middle-class mom to a strapped-for-cash divorcee. What are three best friends to do?
Get financially fit, that's what! Together, they start a financial support group called The Small Change Club - challenging each other to bring balance back to their checkbooks, and their lives. Even though frugality is a lot harder than they ever imagined, these women are about to learn some very important lessons: that making a series of small changes in their spending habits can make a world of difference . . . and some things in life, like good friends, are truly priceless.
With money tips, recipes, and a great story, Sheila Roberts walks the average woman through today's rocky financial landscape.
 Angel Lane
Keep the heart in Heart Lake. That's what three small-town shop owners hope to do when they launch their crazy-amibitions "Have a Heart" campaign - asking neighbors to commit one random act of kindness every day. Doing a good deed never hurt anyone. Or so they thought...When Emma slashes pries at her quilt shop, she almost stitches her way into bankruptcy. Sarah's free cooking class boils down to a hotbed of crime when someone swipes her favorite heirloom. And at Jamie's chocolate shop, things take a bittersweet turn when a local policeman starts giving her grief, stirring up feelings she's tried to forget - and slowly melting away her defenses...
With irresistible humor, warmth, affection - and recipes! - author Sheila Roberts serves up a generous, openhearted story about the friendships we make, the chances we take, and the lives we touch every day.
Praise for Shiela Roberts' novels
"Robert's witty and effervescently funny novel will warm hearts." — Romantic Times Bookreviews (top pick) review of Angel Lane
"Sheila Roberts makes me laugh. I read her books and come away inspired, hopeful, and happy." — Debbie Macomber
"Sheila Roberts is one of my favorite authors. Her stories celebrate every woman's hopes and dreams." — Susan Wiggs
"Roberts' trademark humor and memorable characters wrestling with real-life issues add up to a novel that will make readers smile and wish for more." — Book Page
About the Author
Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. She's happily married and has three children. She's been writing since 1989, but she did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. Her band days are over, but she still enjoys writing songs. When she's not speaking to women's groups or at conferences or hanging out with her girlfriends she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women's hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.
Click here to check out Sheila's other books.
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