Before I start this issue, I'd just want a moment of silence in remembrance of a great figure, someone who had so much passion and zest for life, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. I am deeply saddened by his sudden passing on September 4 at the early age of 44 while he was filming a new series on the Great Barrier Reef. The stingray he was swimming with during the taping flung its tail at him and one of its long barbs pierced into his heart. Steve pulled it out and died soon afterwards. It must have hurt like crazy. But he died doing what he loved, so in a way, that is a comforting thought. My heart goes out to his family, especially his widow Terri, whom I also like very much, and his two young children, Bindi and Bob. I greatly admired him for his compassion, love for the animals, and knowledge of wildlife. He was a highly genuine person who brought out the excitement in others. He was such a daring person who enjoyed life to its fullest, and that brings us to the topic of this newsletter issue.

Are you daring enough to enjoy life to its fullest? Do you take risks? I'm referring to risks that could potentially change your life. It is important to take risks. Taking risks allow you to explore, discover, and learn new things; it brings you to a whole new road you've never before traveled. Without taking risks or seizing the opportunities to know new things, you would be stuck in one road for quite some time, missing out on new experiences you could ultimately truly enjoy.

Risks don't have to be risky at all; and many times, you won't view them as risks. For example, starting a new relationship is a "risk." You could get a broken heart as a result of entering in a relationship, but chances are, you could potentially find your soul mate, too.

I recently accepted a risk to take. Believe me, I thought before I leaped being a cautious person that I am. I said yes to this adventure because my heart tells me it's the right thing to do, and that it will thoroughly be worthwhile.

I've accepted a speaking engagement in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a completely foreign country to me. I know I will encounter many difficulties during this trip since I am both blind and disabled with severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but this will be an experience I will never forget; it'll be a door opener to my career as an author and speaker.

I am absolutely honored that I've been invited to be a guest motivational speaker for an event organized by Sole Vishyuns and Canadian National Institute for the Blind. After my speech and a Q & A session (with perhaps a mini coaching session if any audience members have life-advice questions), I will hold a book signing. Sole Vishyuns has graciously and kindly offered to accommodate my special needs during the trip, so that was one huge factor that has determined my acceptance; I am truly grateful for their kindness.

The details of the event are forthcoming, so if you're from Canada or plan to travel there, I will definitely be more than glad to welcome you to the event. It will take place some time in the spring of 2007. They had first planned to have me go there in November, but they realized that will be a rush. We all agree that the springtime will be much better, and we can all prepare at a comfortable pace to make this experience a highly enjoyable one for all of us. I will definitely keep you updated whenever I receive any information.

As you may recall, back in May, I have accepted a speaking engagement for an annual event in Long Island, NY. Back then, I thought that was quite daring of me, but compared to this engagement in Canada, that will be a much easier trip to undergo! We (my dear mother and I) will take a train to Long Island; we'll have to take a plane to Canada. We haven't been on a plane since 1994 during our sixth and last trip to China. It was mighty hard...

In this issue, I'd like to share with you an article I've written about my personal publishing experience as a blind writer. I've received good response to it; as a result, a radio show in Glasgow, Scotland interviewed me; the show is for the blind run by the blind. That is so interesting, is it not?

Blind, Disabled Writer Successfully Publishes Own Books

Writing and publishing is a process that is both challenging and rewarding for most people, especially for those who are blind and physically disabled, and this is the case with me. Having lost my eyesight at the age of seventeen, I no longer could express myself in my artwork, so I turned to writing to share with others my imagined worlds and creations. I became an author at the age of twenty, completing three books within one year. I wrote my books using a screen reader, a computer software that reads what's on the screen and tells me which keys I type. It has great functionality that enables its users to use most computer programs with relative ease.

When I first started out as a professional writer, I was clueless to as what I should do to publish my books. I never heard about self-publishing or print-on-demand-technology, nor did I know that traditional publishing is not the route for everyone. I began by researching on the Internet and joining discussion e-mail groups consisted of writers, publishers, editors, and other professionals in the publishing world. I searched for publishers, and learned what to look for in a publisher. For my first book, "Daring Quests of Mystics," I first published it with a small publisher who uses print-on-demand technology. It differs from many other print-on-demand publishers in that they review manuscripts in order to accept those of high quality before accepting them for publication. I was thrilled when "Daring Quests of Mystics" was accepted, and in a matter of a few months, my book was published.

For my following two books, "The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine" and "Dance with Your Heart" (and later "Daring Quests of Mystics" when my contract with the publisher ended), I decided to self-publish them through Lulu.com. Although Lulu.com is listed as the publisher since I bought my ISBNs through them, I still consider myself as a self-publisher, for I have completed every self-publishing task, including formatting my manuscripts, on my own without eyesight; I had to upload the formatted ready-to-publish pdf files onto Lulu's servers, set the binding type, color, specification, pricing, etc.. I also found editors and artists to design my covers.

Lulu.com primarily acts like a printer. Whenever I need more copies of my books, I simply order them through Lulu.com at the printing cost without any other fee associated with it. Lulu also fulfills my orders when people order my books through them or from Amazon.com and other booksellers, like brick-and-mortar bookstore managers.

I highly recommend Lulu for several reasons:

1. There are no contracts to sign; there is only the member agreement (the usual terms of service)

2. You retain full copyrights to your work

3. There are no fees to publish any work (but you have the option to buy one of the two ISBN services they offer)

4. You can make your books available through Ingram by purchasing their ISBN service, and it will in turn make your books available on Amazon.com and other major outlets; and bookstores and libraries have the ability to order and stock your book

5. Publishing is instant; after you upload your file onto Lulu's server and specify the options, your book is immediately published once you click on the last button at the end of the simple steps. Once it is published, it is immediately available for others to order through Lulu. (Getting listed on Amazon can take up to eight weeks.)

6. You can have the option of making your book available only to yourself through Lulu, so you can order a copy to make sure everything looks okay before making it available to the public

7. You can publish your books in different sizes and binding types (i.e. trade, textbook-sized, perfect, coiled, stitched)

8. You can use your own ISBN instead of theirs, so you will be the publisher of your work

9. Their printing quality is quite high, combined with paper of fine quality and glossy covers

10. 24/7 availability—you can publish, revise, and order your book anytime

11. You can revise your book anytime for an unlimited number of times, and it's free, unless you have their ISBN+ Distribution where you have to pay $80 for any revision

Publishing through Lulu has been a wonderful experience. Since I do everything myself, depending solely on a computer, and cannot travel to any printers, using Lulu's printing services have been a dream come true for me.

As for marketing my books—I mainly depend on the net for that as well. I design and maintain my own website at http://www.shirleycheng.com

Yes, a blind can do all that just with plenty of passion and faith! I also enjoy appearing on radio shows, holding book signings, and I am in the process of scheduling speaking engagements in my area.

Shirley Cheng (b. 1983), a blind and physically disabled motivational speaker, author, poet, co-author with highly acclaimed experts like Dr. Wayne Dyer and Jack Canfield in two books (including the latest installment in the bestselling "Wake Up...Live the Life You Love" series), has had severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since eleven months old, and did not receive education until age eleven. She mastered sixth-grade level in all areas after about 180 days of elementary school. She hopes to earn multiple science doctorates from Harvard University. http://www.shirleycheng.com

This is a busy month for me; I am scheduled for two book signings, one of which I mentioned in my previous issue: book signing and inspirational talk on Friday, October 6 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Borders Books & Music. The other signing will take place on Sunday, October 15 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. during Mid-Autumn Festival sponsored by Mid-Hudson Chinese Community Association (my local group).

I am crossing my fingers that I can have a signing at Waldenbooks by the end of this year, as well as at Barnes and Noble.

Here is my radio update:

* As I mentioned, I was interviewed on a show for the blind and it is called VIP on Air with host Michael Hughes. The interview will be available on my site once I receive a copy of the recording all the way from Scotland. Michael is an insightful, optimistic person and a great host, and I thoroughly enjoyed our talk.
* On October 17 at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time, I will be a guest on The Phil & Scotty Show on am 920 CKNX (midwestern Ontario, Canada)
* On December 6 from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, I am slated to appear on A Fresh Start with Sallie Felton radio show. I'll give you all the details when the date nears.

If you have noticed, I had taken a summer vacation from radio interviews. Even though I love appearing on radio shows, it was a nice rest.

Last but not least, I have contributed to a new book titled Letters to God compiled by Vicki R. Craig, Esq. I am greatly honored that she would like to feature my letter in the book. I will provide more information about this book once I receive all the information from Vicki. Like me, she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis as a child, and is a fighter and always optimistic. She has received 3 law degrees and won many awards for her service to America. Needless to say, I am humbled and privileged to be in her book.

Frankly, it's getting a bit hectic to introduce myself nowadays. I know that sounds silly, but it's a bit "too much" to say:

"I'm an author of three books, a co-author of two books, and a contributing author of three books (not counting ones where I only contributed a paragraph, etc.)."

You see? Any suggestions? Help! (To me, "co-author" and "contributing author" mean the same thing.)

Okay, I lied, I still have one more news to share (isn't this long enough, you ask?). Last month, I've been inducted into the World Positive Thinkers Club, a non-profit club that has over 500 members, including Oprah Winfrey. If you want to read more about this, please go to my blog at: http://blog.shirleycheng.com The post is titled Shirley Cheng Joins Oprah Winfrey, Nancy Reagan in World Positive Thinkers Club.

Well, folks, that's all I have to share this month (yeah, this is the truth). Until next time, remember to be a little daring; get out there and explore the world! Yeah, crikey!

Shirley Cheng