Wordless Wednesday: BEA luggage...

so far, still empty! Eek! I can't believe I haven't posted anything for a week, but promise I will be back from BEA with plenty of stories, pics, and books to share!

Wordless Wednesday: BEA preparations!

I'm a snacker, she's a snacker, you're a snacker, too?

A couple of weeks ago, I started a whole lot of 'crumpet' chatter on Twitter. You see, I met and fell in love with the crumpet in England. Not crumpet as in a sexy woman of desire, this one is of the buttery, toasty, yummy variety.

They're a spongy, porous, bread that is somehow related to the English muffin, and absolutely amazing toasted and topped with butter and honey or jam. I love these tasty little treats, but they're not very conducive to a reading snack, since you have to devote a whole hand to managing it.

And I love to snack while I'm reading! It's almost as much of a requirement as the book. And man, oh, man, do I love the salt! Chips, crackers, popcorn, (notice not a vegetable in the bunch? Cue the phone call from mom....now!) & cheesy poofs. Any item that can be guided into my gaping mouth with only the forefinger and thumb works just fine for me. Need to turn a page? I am quite skilled in the art of pinky-page-flipping!

Anyone else incorporate food into their reading?

NYC, Publishing, and Networking Part II

(first part of this post can be found here)

My very first job came about from this networking system! A woman who had spoken to us was the president of a small publishing house. Her publicity director was looking for a new assistant, my email was forwarded on, I scored an interview, and landed the job!! It was a beautiful amalgamation of work, diligence, and strong networking abilities.

When my NYU program ended, I heard a few people mention that they hadn't sent out thank you's to the people who had spoken to us 'yet'. Yet?! I was astonished that they had let these amazing opportunities slip on past when they were falling right into their laps.

It's important to realize that successful networking bears hefty sacrifice. I had never been to NYC before and I didn't go out clubbing, sightseeing, or shopping my first several months there. I was too busy ironing clothes, reading up on the person who was to speak the next day, and compiling questions.

But you have to ask yourself why you're there and what's most important to glean from this experience. There will always be a million and one things to see and do in NYC, and that won't change! Just know that every opportunity to meet, introduce, reconnect, or sell yourself that you let slip by, someone else will use to advance themselves. There are a lot of people fighting for minimal publishing jobs, so make sure you are in the forefront of their minds!

The tips and tools you employ for this process will go on to help you throughout the rest of your career. You will portray eagerness, confidence, and independence to any potential employer. And believe me, anyone in NY can be a potential employer! You just never know...

NYC, Publishing, and Networking Part I

A Twitter friend will be attending a publishing program in NYC soon and I can't help but spew advice to her via 140 characters. I've been thinking back to the publishing program I did at NYU and am diligently impressing upon her the importance of networking. She noted to me that she is terrible at networking, so I wanted to help her out a bit with some of what I learned along the way.

It's not easy! Successful networking is a lot of work, but the results are enormously beneficial. I will now channel my mother as I suggest to her that she sit up front, pay attention, and ask questions. But you know what? Mother really does know best. ;-)

At my program, we had guest speakers, representing every area of publishing, visit our group. Every day, there I was, front and center, professional business attire, noting the speaker's physical description. (Sounds silly, but is so key! You will forget who is who a week after they speak and it's frustrating as anything trying to reimagine that person.)

I would ask one or two questions during their talk and write down the questions I asked, as well as the answer that was given. Afterward, I would hang behind the crowd a bit. Many people rush to meet the speaker, giving them minimal time together as they attempt to acknowledge everyone. I preferred to wait for the herd to thin, so that I would have a more extended chat. I would then approach the speaker, offer a firm handshake, hold eye contact, and introduce myself. I would ask a follow up question that referenced the talk, thank them for coming out to speak with us, and ask if they would mind my emailing them a resume.

That evening, I would hand write personal thank you notes to those who spoke and drop them in the mail on my way to class in the morning. (It's crucial to illustrate to potential employers that you have a working NY mailing address.) About a week later, I would follow-up with an email, reminding them of some tidbit we had discussed at the talk, outlining my publishing interests, and attaching my resume.

(the second part of this post will be published May 14)

Available for Review...

Women, Wisdom & Dreams: The Light of the Feminine Soul by Anne Scott
Published by Nicasio Press
132 pages, Paperback

In this elegant and practical guide on feminine wisdom and dreams, Anne Scott leads us into a deepening relationship with our dream world, not only to help us understand its personal significance, but also to use the insights we uncover there to help heal our world.

Asking us to cultivate a courageous attentiveness to our inner lives, Anne provides valuable tools for restoring the link between feminine spirituality and social change. Reclaiming the language of dreams, practicing states of inner attentiveness and stillness in our busy lives, and gathering in groups to share from a deeper place offer rich ways to reconnect to the love, joy, and creativity that are our birthright and contribution to life.

Mother's Day is May 10. Let's use this holiday, coupled with the guidance in this book, as an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the power in all women!

If you would like a review copy of this book, please email your request to: onlinepublicist [AT] gmail [DOT] com. Reviewers will receive a finished copy of the book. **I have a limited number of copies available for International Shipping.** All other copies will be available for US and Canadian mailing addresses.

Have you ever wanted to write a book?

I sure have, but I think a degree in creative writing comes with that built in desire. I find, though, that rather than just sit and write a book, I spend a lot of time coming up with a pile of incoherent parts that could, if properly sifted through and cataloged, accidentally comprise a book.

The books of my creation often come to me in bits. A title here, some great one liner, or an encounter that I imagine would fit right in with...something else. Beyond that, I get sort of stuck.

It's the big questions that throw off my creative mojo: how does it end? Does it have enough punch? Should it end thoughtfully, or with a bang? How do these characters meet? Should I spill family secrets? What's my point with this? And how, oh how, do I move my character from the kitchen to the backyard?

So, for right now, I have a box of bits to sort through. I'm like the Little Mermaid: "I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty. I've got who's-its and what's-its galore." If I just add a few more thing-a-mabobs, maybe that will bring it all together!

Eventually I will get some thoughts down. I'm sure of it. But for now it's story lines. There's the one that involves the major league baseball player (convenient seeing how baseball season just started, right?), one about a lady and her cat (autobiographical?), a dark mystery, a collection of short stories, and on and on.

As book lovers, do you have the same desire? What's your story line?

Easter weekend well wishes...

(I can't decide whether this pic is whimsical, nostalgic, and cute, or terrifying beyond all reason. Feel free to share your thoughts!)

Well, it's Easter weekend, and while the thought of enjoying a relaxing weekend seems so wonderfully tempting, I know the reality will be somewhere more like get in the car, get out of the car, buy eggs, color eggs, hide eggs, stuff baskets, cook, clean, keep clean, have alternate outfits on hand in case not clean, and make sure all those eggs are accounted for!

But I do have plans to play this amazingly fun game that is my new, all-time favorite! It's called BookWorm, but it's not the BookWorm you think it is. I know there is an online Scrabble-like game that goes by the same name, but this one is very different.

It's a board game and it's simplicity is genius: the players move around the board, (each space on the board represents a letter of the alphabet) if you land on a vowel or a question mark, you're up! The player to your right picks a card and reads the selection on it out loud. Every selection is a passage from a book! Books that represent literature from the 18th Century on. After the selection is read, the reader asks the player a series of questions to see how well they were paying attention. There are questions asking characters names, colors used to describe scenes, scents mentioned, or other descriptive details. And it. is. Awesome!

The game was a gift to my better half many moons ago. He has no idea where it came from. And I can't find it online! Can you believe it? Because of the spelling of words and the books used, I believe it's British, but just don't know. It's become my misson to find it because I think all my booklover friends would love it as much as I do.

Has anyone else heard of or played this game?

Memoir For Review

Don't Call Me A Crook!: A Scotman's Tale of World Travel, Whisky, and Crime
by Bob Moore
Afterword by James Kelman
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Dissident Books
(May 1, 2009)

Bob Moore's lost memoir is set to be crowned a classic. It's a tribute to one man's triumph over the law, morals, and sobriety. As unapologetic as Charles Bukowski, with the novelistic flavor of Hunter S. Thompson's The Rum Diary, this book is reminiscent of dark pubs, raspy voices, and tall tales told over strong whisky.

Bob Moore, a Glaswegian, was a marine engineer, building superintendent, and moonshine runner. He traveled throughout the U.S., Australia, Egypt, South America, Japan, and China. He also conned women, fought with pirates on the Yangtze, and set a coffee shop ablaze.

Don't Call Me a Crook! is picaresque, perverse, and darkly funny. With its unforgettable characters and strange plot twists, it reads more like a novel than a memoir.

Originally published in 1935, Don't Call Me a Crook! is a mysterious and overlooked treasure. No critics reviewed it. To date, only four holders of original editions have been identified. Only a handful of people seem to have ever known of the book.

Bob Moore is a mystery… literately. Don’t Call Me’s original publisher has no records of him or his book in its files. No used-book dealers offer Don’t Call Me and only a handful of institutions hold it in their collections. Despite intent research, what became of Moore after the publication of his story is unknown.

James Kelman is author of the Booker Prize-winning novel How Late It Was, How Late.

Email me to request a review copy: onlinepublicist [AT] gmail [DOT] com. Reviewers will receive an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of the book. This title is available for shipping to US/Canada mailing addresses only.

Happy April, ya Fool!!

Happy Fool's Day, all!

If you're like me, you love the idea of the holiday, but are just never quite sure what to do with it. I like to believe that I will come up with some witty form of trickery and jokery that will have friends chuckling and slapping their knees in fond remembrance for ages to come.

The reality, however, is that I will sit back and marvel at what others do. No plastic wrapped cars for me. No snakes or Prince Albert's in cans. No cheesy, predictable lies. I will jealousy read of the keen planning, organization, and creativity of those more motivated than I.

If you're anything like me, and find joy in and happiness in letting others do all the work, then check out the Top 100 April Day Hoaxes of All Time. Seriously, no joke. ;-P