Pamela Patrick Novotny

"Readers know Seymour best as the beautiful TV star of Dr. Quinn, but the actor, nee Joyce Frankenberg, is also a painter and devotee of all things self-help. Full of spiritual advice on how to cope with kids, marriage, divorce and illness, Novotny underscores the central theme-be positive-by citing Seymour's story and her mother's internment at a Japanese POW camp during WWII. Also included are vignettes of others who've triumphed over loss and adversity. Whether noting the tragic accident that crippled Seymour's longtime friend Christopher Reeve or sharing the travails of women who endure cancer or diabetes, the author trumpets the need for hope and optimism. As such, she shares, in a restrained way, Seymour's disappointments in love, her friendships with ex-husbands and her determination to champion the blended family."

"Self-help books rarely tell us anything we don't already know, but sometimes they manage to restate the obvious in a way that is, well... helpful. Commonsensical advice is built into a sort of autobiography, which is supplemented with anecdotes about how Seymour’s friends grew from their travails. A chatty, comfortable tone draws readers into the story. Seymour has had plenty of opportunity to test her commitment to change, and her fans will be most interested in hearing the details behind the actress' divorces, financial setbacks, and near-death encounters, including complications during the birth of twins when she was 45. Expect interest in the book to be accelerated when Seymour tries out her ideas on Oprah's ever-needful studio audience."