My book, a travel narrative about living in Vietnam among the poor, was hard to write. But writing a compelling proposal was even harder—or at least it was until I found Lisa Tener to help me with it. She guided me each step of the way. Lisa had so many great ideas, I could hardly write them down fast enough. I came away with an amazing proposal that was so effective, that I had the rare and wondrous experience of having to choose between two publishing houses with offers.

I was thrilled when Kirkus Review called my book, “A lighthearted memoir of new friends, delicious food, and culture shock.” And Library Journal Review said, “Esterhammer creates laugh-out-loud moments of at times daunting or utterly embarrassing experiences.”

After my book came out, Lisa encouraged me to apply for the Nautilus Book Awards in the Multicultural and Indigenous Category. I did and I won the Silver Award!