Tempted by Cupcakes On My Book, Beyond Sugar Shock? Cover Them Up!

Are you hooked on cupcakes but want (and need) to get my book, Beyond Sugar Shock?

Follow the advice of my creative Facebook friend Natalie Rothman, who came up with an innovative way of dealing with those enticing cupcakes on the cover of my book: Just cover up those annoying (but pretty) cupcakes by pasting a piece of paper over them!

Thank you, Natalie, for this brilliant idea and for sharing a photo with would-be readers of Beyond Sugar Shock about how you got rid of temptation.

Here's what prompted Natalie to cover the cupcakes on the cover of my book:

"For me 'out of sight is mostly out of mind' and seeing the cupcakes on the cover was really bugging me — making me think of cupcakes — so I covered them up! Maybe when i'm done the book and the process, it won't matter!"

When I learned about Natalie's cupcake challenges, I invited her to send a photo of her holding up a copy of my book. When I got the photo, I cracked up. (Please forgive me if that's politically incorrect!)

Now bear in mind that I'm not laughing at her — I'm cracking up at Natalie's ingenious way of dealing with the enticing cupcakes. She was quite clever. Indeed, sugar addicts, as I've discovered from working with them for a decade, are really sharp people.) Also, I can relate to Natalie, because I, too, was once tempted by just about any sweet I saw. I daresay that the sugar-addicted Connie of 1998 might have had the exact same reaction upon viewing the cupcakes.

It's now time for an apology to all you sugar addicts out there.

Please, please, please forgive me if the cupcakes on the cover of my new book, Beyond Sugar Shock, are too enticing for you right now!

But bear in mind that at the end of our six-week Mind-Body-Spirit adventure together, those cupcakes won't bother you if I do my job right as your Sugar Freedom Coach/guide and you use the innovative tools you get in this program.

So Why Are Cupcakes on the Cover of Beyond Sugar Shock? Am I Being Mean to You Readers?

In case you're wondering why cupcakes are on the cover of my book, here are thoughts from my perspective. My astute publisher, Hay House, probably has other brilliant marketing ideas.

• Wherever you go these days, whether it's to the corner market, the drug store, a restaurant, or even a hospital, you will — without fail — be tempted, tortured or even taunted by sweets galore from cupcakes to donuts to sweet rolls to cakes. Usually, those tantalizing "treats" are really gorgeous, too. So what you see on the cover of Beyond Sugar Shock represents what's already facing you when you're "out there" in the real world.
• My role, as your Sugar Freedom Coach and guide to the book's six-week program is to help arm you and make you strong enough by teaching you simple, but powerful tools and techniques so you can easily face temptation, whether they come in the form of cupcakes, cookies, or pies. So, over the course of our six weeks together, you'll learn to make peace with cupcakes or whatever dessert foods most tempt or bother you. My goal is for you to finish reading the book and doing the Adventurcises (adventurous exercise) and be unfazed by these cupcakes on the cover of the book.  For instance, when I look at the cover of Beyond Sugar Shock, I just see something pretty — those cupcakes don't entice me in the least. Make sense?
• Another reason cupcakes are on the cover of Beyond Sugar Shock  is to draw the attention of sugar addicts everywhere. If the cover intrigues them — you? — enough, you'll pick up the book or go online to discover how it can help to dramatically change your life, right? (And my goal is lofty. I seek to help millions of sugar addicts. What better way to reach you than to have a book, which has a snazzy book cover such as this?)
• Now, for one final thought as to why cupcakes are featured. I suggested to my publisher, Hay House, to put cupcakes on the cover, becuase lately, cupcakes have become all the rage. In fact, if you do a Google search for cupcakes today, you get 102,000,000 hits! But what's missing from just about every post featuring cupcake recipes and information is the dirt — you just don't learn how dangerous these sweets can be — how too many cupcakes or any kind of dessert can trigger disease and an early death. 

So I hope you forgive me for the cupcakes on the cover. Now, let me help you overcome your desire for cupcakes or any other sweet, dangerous foods.

By the way, I just love getting feedback from readers. And coaching sugar addicts is something I feel compelled to do.

I also applaud Natalie for challenging me and asking me why cupcakes are on my book cover. You sugar addicts always give me amazing ideas! Thank you again, Natalie, for telling me about your cupcakes challenge and making me think about this.

For those of you who want to get help from my book but find the cupcakes too tempting, here's what I now recommend: Take the cupcakes test before you buy Beyond Sugar Shock!

If the cupcakes on the cover tempt you too much, cover them up as Natalie did after you bring it home. (Bear in mind that you're creating something that's only temporary.) Then, keep the cupcakes covered from you for as long as you need.

When you've succeeded in breaking free of your sugar addiction, then go back to the original cover.

And stay tuned, because we're going to hold a contest to see who can come up with the most creative interim cover to put over the three cupcakes on my book cover. (Bear in mind that your goal is to be able to see those cupcakes and not be tempted.)

So, are cupcakes your Achilles heel? Tell us now. And I'd love to hear from you — was putting cupcakes on the cover a good idea?

Please note: Beyond Sugar Shock is not officially published yet, but you can pre-order it now from either Amazon or my publisher, Hay House. The official publication date is June 1 in the United States and Canada and June 4 in Great Britain. Please keep checking back here, on this Sugar Shock Blog, to find out about exciting Beyond Sugar Shock Book Launch activities planned from June 5 to 14. You will, for instance, have opportunities, to listen to my interviews on my Gab with the Gurus Show with top health experts and leading thought leaders such as Jane Velez-Mitchell (on June 5, the official Beyond Book Launch Day) and Jeff O'Connell, author of the amazing book, Sugar Nation, on June 6. In addition, you'll have a chance to catch me interviewed on a number of radio shows and teleseminars or webinars.