AIRLEAF VICTIMS UPDATE MAY 3, 2008

AIRLEAF VICTIMS UPDATE MAY 3, 2008
Dear Airleaf Victims and Friends:
This week, I'd like to welcome our three new members. We now have 434 members in our group. I have taken down the Google advertising at this point because we have more than enough victims in our group to move forward with governmental legal proceedings. If people go to Google and look up Airleaf, they will find our site fairly close to the top so they can still find us. I also have additional names to contact if more are needed to make our case with the authorities. Although I am not at liberty to discuss the case at this moment, some official public news should be forthcoming in the next few weeks—so hang in!
At this time, we have to put our faith in the Indiana federal and civil authorities whom I am confident are giving good attention to our case. Although Detective Buskirk was very instrumental in putting our case together, the city of Martinsville can't afford to prosecute our case. The last I heard was that their prosecutor has been called away on active duty overseas, and this is okay. I would much prefer to have the larger agencies prosecute this case than the local Martinsville office which would have limited consequences.
I told you two weeks ago that I would share some of the results of my research with you after I completed it. Nearly half of the people who have been in touch with me in our group are senior citizens. Some of them are well into their 80's and one just turned 90. I mention this because a former Airleaf employee told someone off the record that Airleaf did target older people. I found this horrifying because those "golden years" have now been tarnished by Airleaf for so many of our authors. Many of these people wanted to leave a legacy behind for their families and invested all their spare money in promises that were never kept.
Some of our victims are disabled and a number of them live on meager incomes. They gave whatever money they saved to Airleaf with the promise that they would enter the hall of fame. Instead, they are now members of Airleaf's "Hall of Shame."
It was very interesting to see how many people were solicited by Airleaf with letters that said, "We Want Your Book (Name of Book) in Airports All Over America!" The salesmanship was incredible. For those of us who are trusting and naïve, it's easy to see how we could be fooled into believing that this could happen. Airleaf gave the illusion of hit books being sold in book stores all over America. It was a pyramid scheme where some authors—including me—were asked to bring other unsuspecting authors into the "family." I have mentioned this before and I'll mention it again—when I was on my Airleaf "high" in the early days, I was asked to call other potential authors to woo them in. These were big spenders only—people looking to spend between $5,000 and $8,000. I was the recent acquisition that Airleaf was using for their propaganda, sending letters out that one of their authors was on CNN. Yes, I was a compelling case. What Airleaf didn't mention was that I arranged that interview—NOT THEM. They weren't part of that equation at all. Based on my success, they asked me to speak to three different people to try to convince them to come with the company. Sad to say, I did. No doubt, those authors ended up the same way as the rest of us—ripped off.
By the way, there's an off-shoot predatory publishing company of Airleaf's that I will leave unnamed at this moment which most of you have written to me about. This company is having potential victims called by loyal friends of the company to convince them to publish with this company. That's why I strongly advise you before you do anything, feel free to check with me and I will give you honest feedback. Remember the old saying, "Hit my once, shame on you—hit me twice, shame on me!"
Last week, someone posted on our Airleaf Victim's blog a private personal conversation between two former Airleaf employees. I found this despicable. The purpose of our blog is for you to put in comments about your experience—not for employees to embarrass and humiliate each other. I removed the posting as soon as it was brought to my attention by one of our members.
I'd like to congratulate Terri Levine whose book "Coaching is for Everyone" hit the market this week. Terri is excellent at doing marketing. She sent out an email blast asking people to make her book number 1 on Amazon on the date of release, May 1. In return, she offered free workshops to anyone who bought the book. She generated so much excitement that even I bought the book on May 1! I checked her Amazon rating several times that day, and at one point, it was 200! This is an amazing accomplishment that came from some great marketing. If you have any marketing strategies that have worked for you, please send them to me and share them with the group.
In a few weeks, I'll be formulating our new Author Co-op venture where we can all support each other's book sales. Stay tuned!
This week, we have three books I'd like to share with you from our authors who now have them out in print.
From Floriana HallFRANCIS, NOT THE SAINT is a true story of a family’s triumph over adversity during The Great Depression and World War II. It is an important part of history.
It is a mesmerizing story of a wonderful mother who taught her three children morals and manners and was sometimes thought of as a saint, and a father who was anything but a saint, though his religious background gnawed at his very soul.
It is a story of a man who tried to juggle three families at the same time and found out that it cannot be done--a man who lied and cheated and made his children victims of his lies. None of the families had enough food or the necessities of life.
It is a spiritual story of forgiveness which is a criteria for complete and peaceful existence. But most of all, it is a story to help warn young women to beware of egotistical men who flatter too much, flirt too much, cry too much, and who lust for too many.

From Patti Harlow:
Rock With Rodney & Party with Perky to Preserve Wildlife is a book for ages 8 to 18+, because we all need to know! We all need to know about the many assaults happening to Our Environment; affecting our lives! Before it s too late! Rodney the rock n' roll Rabbit, Perky the powerful partying Panther, Dylan the dancing Dog, Courtney the creative Cougar, Taffy the totally tubular Turtle, Fanny the fun-loving Fox, Hart the hilarious Hippo and Sam Slimey Snake get together for a party at Rodney's. While playing a game from Perky s bag of fun, "Way Out Yonder"; a game of the beauty and misfortunes of Our National Parks and Historical Landmarks spread across the USA, they decide to stop playing with fictional plans, and take action with their newly learned knowledge in helping to save Our fragile America the Beautiful!
From Kathy and Mike Staran:
Conch Waves is our latest book, featuring the same main characters of Karen and Mark Stevens as in our earlier book, Palm Monday. In this book, the main characters decide to buy a home in Key West, FL, as a vacation home. They head to Key West, to take ownership and move into their new home, and upon their arrival there, the excitement begins! They both end up taking an incredibly interesting journey throughout the Keys, with a group of characters who will surprise the reader at every twist and turn of the plot. This book features mystery, intrigue, the dark sides of the character's emotions, all amid beautiful scenery in a tropical setting."

That's the news for today. Hang in—better days are ahead!
Love, Bonnie