Please give us more information on Beauty’s Secret. Who is the book aimed at and what kinds of things can readers learn from it?

I targeted the book to pre-teen girls ages 7-14, although it’s been a delight to see mothers start their 4-year old with the story and older teens and adult women buying it for themselves or a friend. The message is universal, and the contemporary fairytale story appeals to all ages. But it’s the pre-teens I feel most compelled to reach, as they are being bombarded by so many unhealthy messages from our media and today’s role models, and don’t yet have the emotional capacity to discern truth from fantasy. It’s a fact, our girls are “growing up” faster than they have in any time in history, or at least they think they are (I also say this from personal experience, I have a 6-year-old daughter!). They are still young girls internally, yet want to look and act like big girls because that is what our society is teaching them as acceptable. Girls used to make the “big girl” transition going from middle school to high school, now it’s from elementary school to middle school. I want to reach them during these years so they don’t “lose” themselves in the transition.

One of the key things readers will see when reading my book is what happens when we forget that “It’s what’s inside that counts.” My main character, Beauty, becomes too focused on her external beauty and begins to treat herself and others harshly, and one day looks in the mirror and an ugly face is staring back at her. I have a wonderful artist (Dawn Pitre) and she captured this look perfectly. Through the message of a mystical angel, Beauty (and readers) learn the importance of connecting to her Heartlight, her true self and essence of who she is where her inner beauty lies. It’s very powerful, and I’m thrilled to say the world is embracing the message fully. Beauty’s Secret just became a Gold Recipient in the 2009 Mom’s Choice Awards. It’s also won several other national awards: First Place in Children’s Fiction in the USA Book News National Best Books Awards, a Moonbeam Silver Medal, and the COVR Visionary Award for Best Children’s Book of the Year.

Where can readers find out more about your book? Where is it available?

I invite readers to watch my video:

On it I discuss my personal story in developing Heartlight Girls. Please also visit my website at  and my blog .  On my website, readers may join (free) the Heartlight Girls Club to receive my monthly newsletter, as well as request an autographed copy of my book. Beauty’s Secret is also available at bookstores nationwide, including online booksellers like Amazon.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am so excited to be living my purpose and passion! I have six books planned for the Heartlight Girls series, and am currently working on book two titled Star’s Attraction, A Girl’s Discovery of Inner Power. I also travel around the county speaking to parents and girls of all ages about this important message, my goal is to bring this awareness to as many as possible. I invite your readers to help me spread this message! Inquiries regarding speaking engagements can be directed to my booking agent Nancy Hansen at nhzgreentri@hotmail.com. If we all work together, we can make this a world where our girls feel safe, secure, empowered, and confident in being who they truly are!

Image: Debra Gano

Post from: Blisstree

Interview With Debra Gano – Part 2

I loved the concept behind this book so much that I asked Debra if she could answer a few questions for the readers of Blisstree. I know you are going to love hearing about the positive message she writes about!

Congratulations on your award-winning book. Tell me how you came to write Beauty’s Secret, A Girl’s Discovery of Inner Beauty.

I worked for many years in the very externally-focused “glamour” industry as a professional model and actress, and witnessed so many people (including myself!) being so consumed with what was going on with the outside, yet paying little attention to what was inside. The ironic thing was that these people had so much- great looks, money, and often fame – yet something was missing and they were not necessarily happy. I know I wasn’t.

A near-death car accident, as well as other “tragedies” (I now call them gifts), caused me to turn within, to abandon the “false” self I was portraying, and become connected to what I call my “true” self. The real me, where my inner beauty lies. As I discovered living from this perspective, my self-esteem increased, I was so much happier, and I felt a freedom I had never felt before. I then knew it was my purpose and my passion to teach this to girls, teaching them “What I know now, but wish I had back then.” I wanted young girls to be able to learn this at an earlier age than I did to avoid being trapped by their misconceptions of themselves so they could live a life fully empowered and free.

Why is self-esteem an important thing for girl’s to develop? What are some common reasons young women today may have a low self-esteem?

Without a strong sense of self-worth, girls are so much more susceptible when making the transition into the “big girl” stage, whenever that might be for that particular girl. Low-self esteem is the cause for just about every issue in society, and with girls, this results in making poor choices when it comes to boys, body image, and peer pressure. These unhealthy choices are what is contributing to the staggering numbers of teen eating disorders, depression, pregnancies, substance abuse, plastic surgery, and even suicides.

Many factors contribute to a young woman’s low self-esteem, the layers start building over the years…remember, we are not born with low self-esteem! Parents of both genders play an important role in developing a young girl’s sense of self-worth, that’s why I like to work with the parents as much as the girls, for often it’s the parents who will plant the initial seeds of insecurity. Teachers, friends, and peer pressure add additional layers, but I feel our media is the biggest culprit. Girls today have access to so many vehicles of media, and are bombarded by unrealistic images that they compare themselves to. Without a strong sense of self-esteem, a girl will believe the untruths others say about her, and then will repeat these untruths to herself on a daily basis, becoming her own worst enemy. As much as I would love our media to change overnight to be more empowering for girls, we all know this will take time, so my goal is to empower girls so the layers of insecurity never build and they can discern for themselves in a healthy way the things that are coming at them so fast.

Thank you, Debra.  We’ve got Part 2 of our interview tomorrow, so be sure to check back to hear the rest of Debra’s amazing story.

Images: Debra Gano

Post from: Blisstree

Interview with Debra Gano

Mia J.

So what did Mia J. win?

She won an autographed copy of Debra Gano’s book Beauty’s Secret.
Beauty’s Secret is the first book in a new empowering series for pre-teen girls called the Heartlight Girls. Winner of the 2008 COVR Award for Best Children’s Book of the Year, this is a contemporary fairytale of a young teen named Beauty who learns an important secret from a mysterious angel that helps her connect to her heart, realizing her true worth and inner beauty. Endorsed by best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author Jack Canfield as, “A book every girl should read, Beauty’s Secret builds a strong foundation in girls and helps to counteract negative influences of the media and unhealthy role models in our society. The powerful message of author, model and actress Debra Gano, along with the stunning illustrations by noted artist Dawn Pitre, make this a hardcover book perfect for girls of all ages.

Visit www.HeartlightGirls.com for more information.

Congrats Mia! I hope you enjoy your book.

Post from: Blisstree

And we have our first Blogtoberfest winner…