In my last post here, ages ago (well, in June), I linked to another blogger's tribute to her dog, Sadie, who had recently passed. At the time, I didn't know that blogger; I just knew of her.
Six weeks later, I met Secret Agent Mama (who has a real name, too: Mishi!) at the BlogHer conference. I was thrilled to spend the afternoon with her and two others at a watering hole near the Sears Tower, and we got to know each other. I'm so glad that we did. We became friends and now keep in touch.
I sent her a copy of Remembering Ruby to share with her kids.
A few weeks ago, Mishi sent me the link to something her daughter Olivia had written in tribute to Sadie. Apparently my book inspired her to write it. I was deeply humbled; I initially wrote my book for my own family, but hoped that it would help others work through their grief (especially children!). I have said since its publication that I just wanted to "help one kid through it". I've been told on a couple occasions that my book did help a youngster cope with their loss, and Olivia's well-written tribute seals it for me: I did what I came to do.
Now I'm feeling greedy. I hope this book helps hundreds of kids.
I want to thank Mishi for sharing Olivia's work with me!
Also, a note to Olivia: You are a wonderful writer, Olivia! Keep it up; I look forward to reading more of your work someday!
Showing posts with label Progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Progress. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
High School Hometown Ink, The Sequel!
Yippee! I have asked my parents to pick up a copy of this week's Farragut Press, but I found the article online. Enjoy!
FHS grad authors book
Kim Johnson - Thu, Jan, 3, 2008
Are you struggling with helping your child deal with the loss of a four-legged member of your family? If so, Melisa Wells, a Farragut High School graduate who now resides in Illinois but still has strong ties to the Farragut community, has written a book entitled “Remembering Ruby: for families living beyond the loss of a pet,” that may be able to help.
Wells wrote the book after the death of her family pet, a beagle named Bijoux, who succumbed to cancer at the age of 13.
“I searched high and low for a children’s book that I could share with our sons, then 10 and 8 years old, during our ordeal. None of the books I found ‘spoke to me’ and I decided to tell our own story,” Wells said.
“Remembering Ruby” is the result of an entire family’s labor of love and a fitting memorial to the dog that became one of us,” she added.
Wells said she changed the name of the dog in the book to Ruby because Bijoux would have been too hard for some smaller children to pronounce. Since the word bijoux is French for “little jewels” she felt Ruby was a fitting substitution.
Wells, who holds a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Old Dominion University in Virginia, said, “I call this a family book because there are two parts to it.
“The first part, a children’s story, is told from my oldest son’s point of view. It is about the relationship he developed with the dog. Then the dog was diagnosed with an illness and it goes through how we were able to help her enjoy her life and how we coped with her illness.
“The second part is a short advice guide for parents and, because all children grieve in different ways, it offers ideas on how, as a family, [they] can help everyone get through it,” she said.
“I primarily [wrote the book] for my family, but, of course, the secondary goal would be to help others,” she added.
Wells said she did most of the research herself, but solicited input on the parents’ guide from her own veterinarian, Dena Heflin, who is a member of the Illinois State Veterinarian Association.
“People who have read it have been extremely positive. One of the things that makes this book so different is that I used family photographs. People have told me it makes the story more real and they relate to it better,” she said.
“Remembering Ruby” is the first book Wells, who is a freelance magazine writer, has written; but the publication process took only about one year.
“The actual writing did not take that long. It took less than a month because it had all happened to us. All I had to do was write it down and make sure it was appropriate for the age group that I was targeting, which is 4 to 10 year-olds and their parents.
“I had both of my sons read it and edit it for me. I remember two things I wrote that my oldest son said, ‘Mom I would never have said that,’ so I changed the wording,” she said.
“The process of working with the publisher took about eight months, so it took about a year from start to finish,” she added.
“Remembering Ruby” was published by Outskirts Press in Parker, Colo., in September 2007. The book can be ordered from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or directly from the author. For further information, contact Melisa Wells at rememberingruby@sbcglobal.net.
FHS grad authors book
Kim Johnson - Thu, Jan, 3, 2008
Are you struggling with helping your child deal with the loss of a four-legged member of your family? If so, Melisa Wells, a Farragut High School graduate who now resides in Illinois but still has strong ties to the Farragut community, has written a book entitled “Remembering Ruby: for families living beyond the loss of a pet,” that may be able to help.
Wells wrote the book after the death of her family pet, a beagle named Bijoux, who succumbed to cancer at the age of 13.
“I searched high and low for a children’s book that I could share with our sons, then 10 and 8 years old, during our ordeal. None of the books I found ‘spoke to me’ and I decided to tell our own story,” Wells said.
“Remembering Ruby” is the result of an entire family’s labor of love and a fitting memorial to the dog that became one of us,” she added.
Wells said she changed the name of the dog in the book to Ruby because Bijoux would have been too hard for some smaller children to pronounce. Since the word bijoux is French for “little jewels” she felt Ruby was a fitting substitution.
Wells, who holds a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Old Dominion University in Virginia, said, “I call this a family book because there are two parts to it.
“The first part, a children’s story, is told from my oldest son’s point of view. It is about the relationship he developed with the dog. Then the dog was diagnosed with an illness and it goes through how we were able to help her enjoy her life and how we coped with her illness.
“The second part is a short advice guide for parents and, because all children grieve in different ways, it offers ideas on how, as a family, [they] can help everyone get through it,” she said.
“I primarily [wrote the book] for my family, but, of course, the secondary goal would be to help others,” she added.
Wells said she did most of the research herself, but solicited input on the parents’ guide from her own veterinarian, Dena Heflin, who is a member of the Illinois State Veterinarian Association.
“People who have read it have been extremely positive. One of the things that makes this book so different is that I used family photographs. People have told me it makes the story more real and they relate to it better,” she said.
“Remembering Ruby” is the first book Wells, who is a freelance magazine writer, has written; but the publication process took only about one year.
“The actual writing did not take that long. It took less than a month because it had all happened to us. All I had to do was write it down and make sure it was appropriate for the age group that I was targeting, which is 4 to 10 year-olds and their parents.
“I had both of my sons read it and edit it for me. I remember two things I wrote that my oldest son said, ‘Mom I would never have said that,’ so I changed the wording,” she said.
“The process of working with the publisher took about eight months, so it took about a year from start to finish,” she added.
“Remembering Ruby” was published by Outskirts Press in Parker, Colo., in September 2007. The book can be ordered from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or directly from the author. For further information, contact Melisa Wells at rememberingruby@sbcglobal.net.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
High School Hometown Ink!
I got a very welcome surprise today in the form of a phonecall from a Farragut Press reporter. I graduated from Farragut High School (Go Admirals!) and decided to, in my press release blitz a couple of months ago, send press releases down to Tennessee, figuring I might be able to get some ink-by-association.
Turns out I was right! The friendly reporter interviewed me for about ten minutes (I hope I didn't say anything too dumb) and said it would hopefully appear in next week's issue.
I'm going to have to ask my parents to pick up a copy for me; I'll keep you posted!
Turns out I was right! The friendly reporter interviewed me for about ten minutes (I hope I didn't say anything too dumb) and said it would hopefully appear in next week's issue.
I'm going to have to ask my parents to pick up a copy for me; I'll keep you posted!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Finally, Another Appearance in the Press...
Yay...a friend told me on Friday evening that another of my press releases paid off; Remembering Ruby was in the Naperville Glancer. She was kind enough to bring me her copy this morning.
I didn't scan it for the blog because it's basically a recap of the newspaper article of a few weeks ago (they basically formatted my press release and printed it on 1/3 of a page in the magazine), but I am really excited that it's in there; besides it being more publicity which is always a good thing, I really, really like the magazine! So yay Ruby!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
More Internet Search Results...
Here are even more cool places where you can find my book:
Knowmore.com
Amazon in France
Amazon in Germany...Prima!
I think it's kind of amazing, the whole spider-webby path my book has taken around the internet sellers. While it's awesome to see that my book can be found in so many places because each place makes it available to more and more people, it boggles my mind at the same time.
I'm putting up another piece of my Lessons Learned From the Life of a Princess Dog (in a seperate post) before I go on my mini-vacation. We're leaving early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and will return late Sunday night. We are taking a laptop and I will do my best to post, but we'll see what happens. Arizona, here we come!
Knowmore.com
Amazon in France
Amazon in Germany...Prima!
I think it's kind of amazing, the whole spider-webby path my book has taken around the internet sellers. While it's awesome to see that my book can be found in so many places because each place makes it available to more and more people, it boggles my mind at the same time.
I'm putting up another piece of my Lessons Learned From the Life of a Princess Dog (in a seperate post) before I go on my mini-vacation. We're leaving early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and will return late Sunday night. We are taking a laptop and I will do my best to post, but we'll see what happens. Arizona, here we come!
Friday, November 9, 2007
La...Ti Da...Ti Da!
Every few days I do a few internet searches to see if anyone new is talking about the book, and also to see if any publications have printed information or a review, basically because I'm an impatient person (but working on it). I have found lots and lots of internet sellers that now offer the book, most of which have names I don't recognize, but...
I found something WAY cool just now. The book is available at TARGET.COM!!
I created something that you can get at Target! Woo Wooooooo! Can I get a What-what??
Long Live Happy*!
*The book was not in this commercial. Don't worry; you didn't blink and miss it or anything. I just added the ad (ha!) for ambiance.
I found something WAY cool just now. The book is available at TARGET.COM!!
I created something that you can get at Target! Woo Wooooooo! Can I get a What-what??
Long Live Happy*!
*The book was not in this commercial. Don't worry; you didn't blink and miss it or anything. I just added the ad (ha!) for ambiance.
Friday, November 2, 2007
West Suburban Ink!
What a great day it's been, bookwise!
First, a client at the salon--after drying her nails at the drying table (of course! she wouldn't dry them at the polishing table, would she?) where my book is conveniently on display--approached me at the desk and congratulated me on my book. I said, "Thanks!" She asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any with you so I could buy one, would you?"
And I said, "Lady, are you kidding?" and then I opened up my trenchcoat where I had sewn about six copies into the lining as if they were watches.
Just kidding. Just trying to add a little bit of spice to that story.
The truth is less exciting: I just ran out to my car to grab a book. She asked me to sign it for her sister, which I did, and she said, "I'm going to give it to my sister because she's a grief counselor."
YAY! YIPPEE! WOO HOO!
There I go with those mixed emotions again. Should I really have been mentally cheering about a grief counselor? It's such a serious (and might I add VERY IMPORTANT) job. I guess what I was really cheering about was the potential for more people to hear about my book. As she was walking out I grabbed some of my business cards and asked her to ask her sis to pass them on.
THEN the really, really thrilling part of the day arrived. Another client came over to me about an hour later on her way out, and said "I saw the little blurb about your book in West Suburban Living magazine, congratulations!!"
I screamed "WHAT? Shut up! Are you kidding me???"
She said, "They didn't tell you it was going to be in there?"
I had sent them a book for review (along with my press release) for their "Local Authors" page but didn't think of checking the new issue because I didn't anticipate such a quick inclusion.
I asked her if the blurb included the cover graphic, and she said she didn't remember seeing it. I was really hoping so, because I believe that Julie's awesomely designed cover is what would draw people to the blurb first.
Needless to say, I was quite anxious to leave work and go get a copy of the magazine, so as soon as I was able, I hopped into the car and rushed over to Borders. I frantically glanced around the magazine racks and finally saw it, grabbed it, and madly flipped the pages.
And there it was.
On page 42.
With the cover graphic.
A joyful moment!
This magazine gets distributed to almost 27,000 households each month!
I called Julie right away and we shrieked together on the phone.
I love today.
First, a client at the salon--after drying her nails at the drying table (of course! she wouldn't dry them at the polishing table, would she?) where my book is conveniently on display--approached me at the desk and congratulated me on my book. I said, "Thanks!" She asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any with you so I could buy one, would you?"
And I said, "Lady, are you kidding?" and then I opened up my trenchcoat where I had sewn about six copies into the lining as if they were watches.
Just kidding. Just trying to add a little bit of spice to that story.
The truth is less exciting: I just ran out to my car to grab a book. She asked me to sign it for her sister, which I did, and she said, "I'm going to give it to my sister because she's a grief counselor."
YAY! YIPPEE! WOO HOO!
There I go with those mixed emotions again. Should I really have been mentally cheering about a grief counselor? It's such a serious (and might I add VERY IMPORTANT) job. I guess what I was really cheering about was the potential for more people to hear about my book. As she was walking out I grabbed some of my business cards and asked her to ask her sis to pass them on.
THEN the really, really thrilling part of the day arrived. Another client came over to me about an hour later on her way out, and said "I saw the little blurb about your book in West Suburban Living magazine, congratulations!!"
I screamed "WHAT? Shut up! Are you kidding me???"
She said, "They didn't tell you it was going to be in there?"
I had sent them a book for review (along with my press release) for their "Local Authors" page but didn't think of checking the new issue because I didn't anticipate such a quick inclusion.
I asked her if the blurb included the cover graphic, and she said she didn't remember seeing it. I was really hoping so, because I believe that Julie's awesomely designed cover is what would draw people to the blurb first.
Needless to say, I was quite anxious to leave work and go get a copy of the magazine, so as soon as I was able, I hopped into the car and rushed over to Borders. I frantically glanced around the magazine racks and finally saw it, grabbed it, and madly flipped the pages.
And there it was.
On page 42.
With the cover graphic.
A joyful moment!
This magazine gets distributed to almost 27,000 households each month!
I called Julie right away and we shrieked together on the phone.
I love today.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Just a Few Kibbles and Bits This Morning
Some updates on book progress today, but not much is happenning:
1. To answer my most-asked question of late: No, I have not heard from Ellen or Ross. I may never hear from Ellen or Ross, or it may just take forever. For a girl who likes closure and may never get it in many book situations, this is a "great" experience for me. Keep on keeping your fingers crossed!
2. I have completed the process of sending out all of my review copies, and now I'm waiting for some of those to come in. Another situation where I could possibly wait forever...but I have faith that a few will come through with a review. Don't worry, I'll post them here!
3. I finally finished making those pet boutique phone calls. I did have the few who want another call in a couple of weeks, but that's great: at least they'll expect to hear from me!
4. I received my second book shipment this week! That was exciting, because I am almost finished selling the large first shipment. I plan to take the new books to an event we're having at the salon in mid-November for my mini-book signing!
5. You have today and tomorrow to go to Manic Mommy's blog and post a comment about your dog's name if you want to be in the running to win a free copy of Remembering Ruby! Her blog is hopping, so get over there and read and enter!
6. Holla! to Kevin at the Wag N' Wash. I stopped in to hang some flyers and business cards in his store and he was very, very nice. He has a great store, too!
7. I feel like I'm trying to get the word out about the book through one or two people at a time (well, I am, right?). I thought yesterday about trying to find some event where I could set up a table with my books, like a craft show but not a craft show. Any general ideas of what I should look for? And do you think it would be worth it? Instead of marketing to one or two at a time, I could reach--what--75 to 100 at a time that day? Advice, please??
8. My next steps include mailing out more information to the second round of rescues, and I have yet to market to veterinary offices, which I really need to do soon. I hope to start that this weekend!
1. To answer my most-asked question of late: No, I have not heard from Ellen or Ross. I may never hear from Ellen or Ross, or it may just take forever. For a girl who likes closure and may never get it in many book situations, this is a "great" experience for me. Keep on keeping your fingers crossed!
2. I have completed the process of sending out all of my review copies, and now I'm waiting for some of those to come in. Another situation where I could possibly wait forever...but I have faith that a few will come through with a review. Don't worry, I'll post them here!
3. I finally finished making those pet boutique phone calls. I did have the few who want another call in a couple of weeks, but that's great: at least they'll expect to hear from me!
4. I received my second book shipment this week! That was exciting, because I am almost finished selling the large first shipment. I plan to take the new books to an event we're having at the salon in mid-November for my mini-book signing!
5. You have today and tomorrow to go to Manic Mommy's blog and post a comment about your dog's name if you want to be in the running to win a free copy of Remembering Ruby! Her blog is hopping, so get over there and read and enter!
6. Holla! to Kevin at the Wag N' Wash. I stopped in to hang some flyers and business cards in his store and he was very, very nice. He has a great store, too!
7. I feel like I'm trying to get the word out about the book through one or two people at a time (well, I am, right?). I thought yesterday about trying to find some event where I could set up a table with my books, like a craft show but not a craft show. Any general ideas of what I should look for? And do you think it would be worth it? Instead of marketing to one or two at a time, I could reach--what--75 to 100 at a time that day? Advice, please??
8. My next steps include mailing out more information to the second round of rescues, and I have yet to market to veterinary offices, which I really need to do soon. I hope to start that this weekend!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!
Many thanks to the Beagles of Arizona Rescue Club (BARC: isn't that cool???) in Surprise, Arizona for putting my information on their "links" page.
If you'll look over there to the right, you'll see a listing of Beagle Rescues that I have been had a conversation or two with, regarding the book. Please check them out if you live in their area (or know someone who does), and rescue a beagle!
If you'll look over there to the right, you'll see a listing of Beagle Rescues that I have been had a conversation or two with, regarding the book. Please check them out if you live in their area (or know someone who does), and rescue a beagle!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Discombobulated Is My Middle Name...
And that will be obvious as you read this poorly assembled post. So much to do, so little time. I have several things to post about today, and I don't know where to begin.
Reviews: The book now has two reviews on Amazon! Very thrilling. All good reviews will obviously help me a bit with the marketing because the book will gain some credibility. Have you purchased the book? If you did, and if you liked it (what's not to like? LOL), please please please take a couple of minutes and review it for me on Amazon. Just a couple of simple sentences about what you like about the book will do, and I would really appreciate it!
Post Office Update: I just visited my new friend M at the post office today. I was sending out more review copies, and she called my number, so I went to her window. I asked her if her supervisor told her that I called, and she said yes, and thanks. She then proceeded to tell me how upset she had been when she looked into those blasted guidelines after I left and discovered her mistake; she didn't want the guy at the other branch to have a bad reputation when she was wrong all along. She said she called me ON HER DAY OFF, but that I had to know the real story behind these guidelines. She was very cute about it, but actually a little hard on herself, in my opinion. I'd much rather have that, though, instead of someone who could care less. I told her it was all good in the 'hood, and that now we ALL know the guidelines.
NaBloPoMo: I was so irritated yesterday because I tried to type up an initial post, and it was going really great until I tried to attach a link. Then: POOF! It was gone. WAH. So now I have to start it all over again...but at that point, I had to walk away from the computer! By the way, I created two blog groups on NaBloPoMo: All About Pets and Beagle Bloggers. I also joined the Chicago Bloggers group. Anyone out there want to join me?
Progress made today: I sent out (as I mentioned above) 4 more review copies. Julie has thrown a bunch of great ideas my way for marketing, and one of them that I love is the website petsugar.com. I've read popsugar.com, but there are lots of others (if you go to petsugar, scroll down to the bottom and you'll find the listing of all their other "Sugar" sites). Julie told me that petsugar is a relatively new "branch", so I sent them a copy of the book. I also sent a copy to a magazine called Modern Dog. I saw it in the bookstore yesterday and it looks like a great magazine. It comes from our friends to the north--no, not Wisconsin--Canada! What I loved was, when I called the toll free number to ask who I should address my book to, the woman who answered the phone was VERY friendly. I am on a roll with great customer service!
I have begun making follow-up phone calls to the pet boutiques who received my letters. I don't enjoy the phone calls, I must say. I would much rather get in my car and visit everybody but, besides it being very unprofessional to pop in without making a phone call first, the vast area I would have to cover would make it a huge waste of time, energy, and gasoline. So making phone calls it is! I had a couple of positive exchanges during today's calls; a couple of store owners want to see the book. One shop doesn't stock books but the owner said he has a "community board" that I am welcome to post on, so that's a good thing. Moving right along!
Beagle Rescues: I am starting to hear from the Beagle Rescues that I sent information to; they seem really excited about the book and I am hoping that they will be a major part of my marketing. More to come on that as it happens!
Bijoux's name: It occurred to me that after I started posting my essays about Bijoux/the real Ruby, I totally skipped over the introduction that I wrote! Well, I won't post the whole thing out of order now but I will post about how Bijoux got her name, because that information is important in the path leading to Ruby. Stay tuned for that.
Identify yourself, please: I am starting to get "hits" from all over the world, which is really exciting for me. Please feel free to leave a comment and introduce yourself. You don't have to have a google account to put a comment up; you can post under "anonymous" if you want. I'd love to hear from you!
To my friends in the Land Down Under: I asked M at the post office to weigh a book package and tell me how much it would be to get it to you, and the postage is $5. So if any of you all the way down there would like to order one directly from me, e-mail me using the link over to the right and we'll get that set up.
I think that's it for now. Isn't that enough? My goodness! I'm exhausted just typing about it! Have a great evening...more tomorrow!
Reviews: The book now has two reviews on Amazon! Very thrilling. All good reviews will obviously help me a bit with the marketing because the book will gain some credibility. Have you purchased the book? If you did, and if you liked it (what's not to like? LOL), please please please take a couple of minutes and review it for me on Amazon. Just a couple of simple sentences about what you like about the book will do, and I would really appreciate it!
Post Office Update: I just visited my new friend M at the post office today. I was sending out more review copies, and she called my number, so I went to her window. I asked her if her supervisor told her that I called, and she said yes, and thanks. She then proceeded to tell me how upset she had been when she looked into those blasted guidelines after I left and discovered her mistake; she didn't want the guy at the other branch to have a bad reputation when she was wrong all along. She said she called me ON HER DAY OFF, but that I had to know the real story behind these guidelines. She was very cute about it, but actually a little hard on herself, in my opinion. I'd much rather have that, though, instead of someone who could care less. I told her it was all good in the 'hood, and that now we ALL know the guidelines.
NaBloPoMo: I was so irritated yesterday because I tried to type up an initial post, and it was going really great until I tried to attach a link. Then: POOF! It was gone. WAH. So now I have to start it all over again...but at that point, I had to walk away from the computer! By the way, I created two blog groups on NaBloPoMo: All About Pets and Beagle Bloggers. I also joined the Chicago Bloggers group. Anyone out there want to join me?
Progress made today: I sent out (as I mentioned above) 4 more review copies. Julie has thrown a bunch of great ideas my way for marketing, and one of them that I love is the website petsugar.com. I've read popsugar.com, but there are lots of others (if you go to petsugar, scroll down to the bottom and you'll find the listing of all their other "Sugar" sites). Julie told me that petsugar is a relatively new "branch", so I sent them a copy of the book. I also sent a copy to a magazine called Modern Dog. I saw it in the bookstore yesterday and it looks like a great magazine. It comes from our friends to the north--no, not Wisconsin--Canada! What I loved was, when I called the toll free number to ask who I should address my book to, the woman who answered the phone was VERY friendly. I am on a roll with great customer service!
I have begun making follow-up phone calls to the pet boutiques who received my letters. I don't enjoy the phone calls, I must say. I would much rather get in my car and visit everybody but, besides it being very unprofessional to pop in without making a phone call first, the vast area I would have to cover would make it a huge waste of time, energy, and gasoline. So making phone calls it is! I had a couple of positive exchanges during today's calls; a couple of store owners want to see the book. One shop doesn't stock books but the owner said he has a "community board" that I am welcome to post on, so that's a good thing. Moving right along!
Beagle Rescues: I am starting to hear from the Beagle Rescues that I sent information to; they seem really excited about the book and I am hoping that they will be a major part of my marketing. More to come on that as it happens!
Bijoux's name: It occurred to me that after I started posting my essays about Bijoux/the real Ruby, I totally skipped over the introduction that I wrote! Well, I won't post the whole thing out of order now but I will post about how Bijoux got her name, because that information is important in the path leading to Ruby. Stay tuned for that.
Identify yourself, please: I am starting to get "hits" from all over the world, which is really exciting for me. Please feel free to leave a comment and introduce yourself. You don't have to have a google account to put a comment up; you can post under "anonymous" if you want. I'd love to hear from you!
To my friends in the Land Down Under: I asked M at the post office to weigh a book package and tell me how much it would be to get it to you, and the postage is $5. So if any of you all the way down there would like to order one directly from me, e-mail me using the link over to the right and we'll get that set up.
I think that's it for now. Isn't that enough? My goodness! I'm exhausted just typing about it! Have a great evening...more tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
My Ship(ment) Has Finally Come In!
Last night at about 8:00 p.m. the doorbell rang. It was the second time it rang within 30 minutes, and very weird because NOBODY ever comes to our house after dark unless we're expecting them. The first visitor was someone from the Boy Scout Troop, but that's another story.
Anyway, at 8:00 p.m. when the bell rang, the dog went crazy barking as usual, and Jim and I looked at each other as if to say, "Whaaa?"
I went to see who it was and, through the window, saw the UPS truck pulling away. Hurray! What can Brown do for me? It can bring me books!
Now the pressure's on. Thank goodness I don't work tomorrow and Friday; I'm going to have to get all of my review copies in the mail!
It's an exciting day!
Anyway, at 8:00 p.m. when the bell rang, the dog went crazy barking as usual, and Jim and I looked at each other as if to say, "Whaaa?"
I went to see who it was and, through the window, saw the UPS truck pulling away. Hurray! What can Brown do for me? It can bring me books!
Now the pressure's on. Thank goodness I don't work tomorrow and Friday; I'm going to have to get all of my review copies in the mail!
It's an exciting day!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Torn Between Two Emotions, Feelin' Like a Fool...
I just went to check the book's Amazon listing as I do from time to time, to see how it's ranked.
Wait.
Back up. (Beep Beep Beep Beep)
I have some information that will be helpful for you to know before I go on.
I e-mailed Amazon a couple of days ago to request that they place the book under the subheading "Books > Children's Books > Issues > Pet Death" rather than just under "Books > Children's Books > Ages 4-8" or whatever it was under before. This is obviously the right category for it. This won't be news to you unless you are a new visitor to my blog--WELCOME, by the way, if you are!--and haven't read anything else on this page before digging right in to today's entry...
Besides being the right category, having any book in a more specific "home" should help the marketing effort tremendously. After all, if I'm going to Amazon to look for a book about, let's say the comedic stylings of Ben Stiller, I'm going to look in the entertainment section rather than just non-fiction.
But I digress.
Anyway, I was overjoyed, upon checking the listing just now, to see that Amazon went with my wishes--don't you LOVE when that happens?--and that my book is number 8 in that category. Woo hoo!
Ah yes, back to the title of this post. Everytime I get excited about good news regarding the book, my inner voice pulls me back just a little bit. This IS a book partly about death after all (and yes, the living beyond it). As total strangers start to buy the book, nine times out of ten it will be because an animal has died. Yikes. That's sort of heavy, don't you think?
This has been such an emotional journey to begin with; I'm really going to have to get through this inner struggle (Julie is probably reading this, laughing right now because I have conversations with myself all the time) and keep remembering the reason I wrote this book in the first place: to help other families who are going through the same pain that my family went through.
Ahh. I feel better already. Thanks, Me!
Wait.
Back up. (Beep Beep Beep Beep)
I have some information that will be helpful for you to know before I go on.
I e-mailed Amazon a couple of days ago to request that they place the book under the subheading "Books > Children's Books > Issues > Pet Death" rather than just under "Books > Children's Books > Ages 4-8" or whatever it was under before. This is obviously the right category for it. This won't be news to you unless you are a new visitor to my blog--WELCOME, by the way, if you are!--and haven't read anything else on this page before digging right in to today's entry...
Besides being the right category, having any book in a more specific "home" should help the marketing effort tremendously. After all, if I'm going to Amazon to look for a book about, let's say the comedic stylings of Ben Stiller, I'm going to look in the entertainment section rather than just non-fiction.
But I digress.
Anyway, I was overjoyed, upon checking the listing just now, to see that Amazon went with my wishes--don't you LOVE when that happens?--and that my book is number 8 in that category. Woo hoo!
Ah yes, back to the title of this post. Everytime I get excited about good news regarding the book, my inner voice pulls me back just a little bit. This IS a book partly about death after all (and yes, the living beyond it). As total strangers start to buy the book, nine times out of ten it will be because an animal has died. Yikes. That's sort of heavy, don't you think?
This has been such an emotional journey to begin with; I'm really going to have to get through this inner struggle (Julie is probably reading this, laughing right now because I have conversations with myself all the time) and keep remembering the reason I wrote this book in the first place: to help other families who are going through the same pain that my family went through.
Ahh. I feel better already. Thanks, Me!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Updates
I just checked Barnes and Noble online, and the book is once again available there. (Yay!) Of course, if you're not a member at B&N, isn't is just easier to click on that button down there to the right? You don't even have to leave this page.
Also, I hesitantly announce that my author copies from the publisher ARE indeed on their way in the next 48 hours. I received an e-mail from them this morning, thanking me for my patience. It was really no problem. If I am nothing else, I am an extremely patient person.
I am.
Really.
Okay, okay, you got me. I'm not.
But I've waited this long; I can certainly wait a few more days!
Also, I hesitantly announce that my author copies from the publisher ARE indeed on their way in the next 48 hours. I received an e-mail from them this morning, thanking me for my patience. It was really no problem. If I am nothing else, I am an extremely patient person.
I am.
Really.
Okay, okay, you got me. I'm not.
But I've waited this long; I can certainly wait a few more days!
Card-carrying Author
My business cards arrived yesterday. (By the way, we use Vistaprint for many things: I highly recommend them!) Julie designed those, as well. They are awesome; they are set up vertically and they look just like the book cover.
The exciting part is that after my name comes the title of "Author". Still feels weird!
I went crazy last night, handing them out at the parent meeting for our Boy Scout Troop. I will probably go crazy at the health club today too, as I have a class to teach; so if you're at Healthtrack, look out for flying business cards!
The exciting part is that after my name comes the title of "Author". Still feels weird!
I went crazy last night, handing them out at the parent meeting for our Boy Scout Troop. I will probably go crazy at the health club today too, as I have a class to teach; so if you're at Healthtrack, look out for flying business cards!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Back to Elementary School...
I just paid a visit to my sons' former elementary school, to donate a copy of the book to the LMC (Library Media Center: because 21st century school libraries contain so much more than books!). I absolutely LOVE this school. My boys attended this school from Kindergarten through 5th grade. I volunteered as the room mom every year except for one, and dabbled in other committees also. The entire diverse community of teachers, staff, students, and parents was/is so very tightly knit and it's such a welcome place. Besides the high standards of education held here, the teachers and staff offer so much more; they definitely impacted our family as I'm sure they did many others.
Mrs. J had both of my kids in 2nd grade--different years, of course. She is just one of the dynamic, energetic, caring teachers on staff. She tries to maintain a reputation that she is the "meanest" teacher at the school, but only succeeds in fooling the kids until they attend her class on the first day, because she is so fun!!
Mr. G had my older son for 3rd grade and, later, my younger one for math. He actually invited his entire 3rd grade class to his wedding that year!
Mrs. W had my younger son for 4th grade. She is a no-nonsense woman: doesn't take any "business" from anyone. At the time, she was PERFECT for him. One of the things I loved about her is that if my son had a problem he wanted to talk about, she was more than willing to meet with him (and sometimes, me too!) before school. She gave him so much respect and always made sure he knew she was listening to him, and they worked together on solutions.
Mr. R had my younger son for 5th grade. He lives practically in the school's backyard. He taught my son a lot about negotiating the delicate relationship issues between 5th grade boys and girls. (He did a lot of refereeing that year!)
Mrs. M had my older son for 5th grade. In addition to having a great year, he had the chance to audition for the Nicole Kidman movie "Birth", because Mrs. M received info on the casting call and thought he should try out for it. (Needless to say we're glad he didn't get that particular movie...but auditioning was an experience that not too many kids get, and definitely unforgettable. He no longer reads scripts.LOL)
On my way in, I stopped to see the school receptionist, who has been there for a really long time. She once told me that she remembers my 15 year old coming in to see her at the office on a regular basis as a kindergartner, not because he had a stomach ache or some other problem, but just because he wanted to visit the office. (Awww...cute!) She told me that I can make some flyers to hand out to the teachers and support staff. Yay!
I then spoke with the LMC Director, whom I had not met previously. She thanked me for the book and is allowing me to create a poster to, err, post in the LMC so the kids walking through will know it's there. We chatted for a few minutes and then I walked through the halls to the front door, checking out the student art that hung in the hallways along the way. It seemed like only yesterday that we were a new family at this school, and now that's all in the rear view mirror. Time flies.
I'm sure you can see why I decided to put this school on top of my priority list when it came to marketing this book. Yes, the student age group is right. Yes, the LMC Director is very friendly. What it really boils down to for me though, is that I feel supported here; I feel comfortable here. And even though it's been 2 years since my younger son left, they welcomed me back today with open arms and were genuinely happy for my accomplishment. It doesn't get much better than that!
Mrs. J had both of my kids in 2nd grade--different years, of course. She is just one of the dynamic, energetic, caring teachers on staff. She tries to maintain a reputation that she is the "meanest" teacher at the school, but only succeeds in fooling the kids until they attend her class on the first day, because she is so fun!!
Mr. G had my older son for 3rd grade and, later, my younger one for math. He actually invited his entire 3rd grade class to his wedding that year!
Mrs. W had my younger son for 4th grade. She is a no-nonsense woman: doesn't take any "business" from anyone. At the time, she was PERFECT for him. One of the things I loved about her is that if my son had a problem he wanted to talk about, she was more than willing to meet with him (and sometimes, me too!) before school. She gave him so much respect and always made sure he knew she was listening to him, and they worked together on solutions.
Mr. R had my younger son for 5th grade. He lives practically in the school's backyard. He taught my son a lot about negotiating the delicate relationship issues between 5th grade boys and girls. (He did a lot of refereeing that year!)
Mrs. M had my older son for 5th grade. In addition to having a great year, he had the chance to audition for the Nicole Kidman movie "Birth", because Mrs. M received info on the casting call and thought he should try out for it. (Needless to say we're glad he didn't get that particular movie...but auditioning was an experience that not too many kids get, and definitely unforgettable. He no longer reads scripts.LOL)
On my way in, I stopped to see the school receptionist, who has been there for a really long time. She once told me that she remembers my 15 year old coming in to see her at the office on a regular basis as a kindergartner, not because he had a stomach ache or some other problem, but just because he wanted to visit the office. (Awww...cute!) She told me that I can make some flyers to hand out to the teachers and support staff. Yay!
I then spoke with the LMC Director, whom I had not met previously. She thanked me for the book and is allowing me to create a poster to, err, post in the LMC so the kids walking through will know it's there. We chatted for a few minutes and then I walked through the halls to the front door, checking out the student art that hung in the hallways along the way. It seemed like only yesterday that we were a new family at this school, and now that's all in the rear view mirror. Time flies.
I'm sure you can see why I decided to put this school on top of my priority list when it came to marketing this book. Yes, the student age group is right. Yes, the LMC Director is very friendly. What it really boils down to for me though, is that I feel supported here; I feel comfortable here. And even though it's been 2 years since my younger son left, they welcomed me back today with open arms and were genuinely happy for my accomplishment. It doesn't get much better than that!
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