Wine Country in Southwest France

The Wannabe Journal for February 2012 In my meeting reminder early last week I mentioned the NPR program where Frank De Ford talked about the success the the Knicks basketball star: Jeremy Lin, and how his story reminds me of the success of the many self published authors that are having individual success as well. There are many similarities between the two situations; one is an overlooked, undrafted basketball player achieved unparallelled success in this shorten NBA season. A player who is without an agent, large salary and all of benefits of team sponsorship. In the other instance we have a self-published author like Amanda Hocking who received a mufti-million dollar contract from a large publisher only after she attain huge monthly revenues from her e-books at $ 2.99 a copy on Kindle. Prior to the contract she was earning over 300K per month from ebook sales but the model left little time for writing. So she did the unthinkable...she changed. This past few days I have received a couple of phone calls from former students who took the self publishing class last Spring(2011)LLI program that was offered at UD. Today I received this message: " Hello! I thought you might like to know that I am at the book proof stage of publishing my book through CreateSpace—very exciting." I know of at least four other people who have taken that knowledge and have created their own books and achieved their own success. As Mr. Lin has realized success is in the mind of the individual. That is why when you begin the process of publishing a book no matter whether you take the traditional approach or self publish you need to define your audience. In that way you will never be disappointed. The success of the Wannabe's as an inspirational group and success of the Don Hart and the other authors who collaborated on the Christmas Anthology in December is the result of the LLI programs that are offered at UD each year. A large measure of the success of the "undrafted" writers is due to the inspiration of our "Literary Mother Hen" All of the Wannabe's know who I am talking about. If not then you need a copy of the Christmas Anthology. ***************************************************************************************** We had a great meeting last Friday with a small group of talented writers and welcomed two new members to our ever growing collection of artists. Here is what we discussed: 1. Don H. Informed the group that one our regular members Bob O'Connor(Hutch) is home recovering from shoulder surgery. Get well soon...keep writing those letters. Don also passed on Don's suggestion for a title for the planned anthology that the group has in the works for the fall of 2012. Bob suggested " Past to Present". Don Barrett came up the idea that it should be similar to the title of Marshall Cook's book: Growing old isn't for sissies. Someone suggested "Thriving in the Present". I even suggested the "The Bucket List" We will discuss the list in more detail at next months meeting. 2. Ginger: has just finished reading Highest Duty by Chesley B. Sullenberger. This is the story of the pilot of the US Airlines flight who landed his plane in the Hudson River. She indicated that it should have been renamed "No Free Lunch" She said the airline industry has become so cost conscious that even the pilot has to bring their own lunch on each flight. While the microwave is heating the steak for the passenger's in first class the pilot is nibbling on his tuna salad sandwich. She also recommended the book; Charles Bracelen Flood – Author of “1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History" Did you know the words from the famous speech that Winston Churchill gave to a group of students? "Never Give Up" No not only was that the title of the speech but it was the entire speech as well. I know a few political figures who could take a lesson from history. 3. Linda: has been inspired lately by a class which: Focus on the Present. She read a short haiku that she created over a cup of coffee that morning while watching the traffic from restaurant at the corner of Rahn and Far Hills. She is looking for suggestions for the writing class for the LLI program in the Fall of 2012 Cindy: A new member who has writing experience and is looking for some help in crafting a unique story of the great fire that consumed the prison in Columbus, Ohio is the 1930's. She has written the story through the eyes of a orphan child who fell on hard times and was one of the inmates who perished in the fire. Other than solving the parking problems that she an Wanda experienced first hand she makes a great addition to our group. By the way she is also a consultant on genealogy. Wanda: is also a new member to the group. She has been working a Children's Book. She shared a number of her illustrations which were accompanied by a short poem. Since the group has had number of good experiences with self publishing using Blurb and Creatspace we suggested that they investigate those web sites for additional information. Blurb's web site link: http://www.blurb.com/?ce=google_brand_blurb&gclid=CMbmpfvHsK4CFbAEQAodD1U4Qg Createspace web site link: https://www.createspace.com/ Don P: Continues to push the envelope. He provide Don Hart with a personal copy of a book that he put together of the "Best Pun's" He has a title for the book I did not record it for this Journal. He also discussed the cost of producing some of his books on genealogy at Kinko's. I know it has a new name and I believe it is "UPS" In any case the cost of making a 1, 000 copies in about $ 40. He is currently working on producing a book of about 175 pages that contains 19 stories.. Don Q. Is writing a new story which he hopes with eventually becomes a book. The title of the story is: My night in the Burn Unit. I have kept a journal of my brides journey during the last three months that seemed like an emotional roller coaster with the magical moment when asked by a nurse in surgery to describe her doctor she blurred out: "The surgical dude with blond hair" . Or the time when she was preparing to be taken for her 9th visit to the Operating Room, she was asked if she wanted anything from the cafeteria for a late lunch she responded with: " A Milk Shake...yes a milk shake with vodka". Yes she was under sedation both times. I do not like to self promote but since I am teaching this class with the esteemed Dr. Linda Fischback I will not feel too much shame this time. We will be teaching a class in the upcoming LLI program which starts on March 19th for five weeks. The title of the class is: Life in 2050. It should be fun. There are still seats available in the class. *************************************************************************************** Speaking of classes: Here is a class which is being taught by one of our own. Rosie Huart Connecting Art & Spirit: Awakening the Soul An Art Retreat with Rosie Huart Maria Stein Spiritual Center 2365 St. Johns Rd. Maria Stein, OH 45860 take 75 N to St. Rt. 119 go west through Minster. Follow Rte. 119 into Maria Stein and turn north on St. Johns Rd. Go approximately .5 mile and Spiritual Center is on the west side of the road. May 4-6, 2012 Friday-Sunday $215 Includes private room & bath, meals, instruction and some art supplies This art retreat is designed to implement creative ways of encountering the soul's inner journey through art. Painting, creative writing and collage will be explored as ways of creating expression. Music, meditation and sharing will be components utilized to enhance this reflective process. It will be a time to nourish one's body, mind and spirit through art, prayer and intention. The retreat begins Friday evening with arrival time at 4 PM. Dinner is at 5:30 pm and ends Sunday noon after lunch. You do not need to be an artist to participate. A supply list will be provided after registration. Please send a $100 deposit to guarantee your spot by March 30, 2012. Balance due at retreat Rosie Huart 4876 Harlou Dr. Dayton, Ohio 45432 ************************************************************************************* Each year, Writer’s Digest honors self-published authors with the Annual Self-Published Book Awards.We’re proud to be in our 20th year of spotlighting today’s self-published works. This could be your year. Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the only competition exclusively for self-published books. Win $3,000 cash and a trip to Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC! Gain national exposure for your work! Catch the attention of prospective editors and publishers! DON’T WAIT—ENTER TODAY! DEADLINE: April 20, 2012 THE PRIZES: ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be awarded $3,000 cash and a trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. The editors of Writer’sDigest will endorse and submit 10 copies of the Grand Prize-Winning book to major review houses. Brian Jud & Book Marketing Works, LLC will provide a one-year membership in Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), guaranteed acceptance in a special-sales catalog giving you national representation through 1800 salespeople selling to non-bookstore markets, guaranteed acceptance by Atlas Books, a top distributor to wholesalers, chains, independents, and online retailers, A copy of Show Me About Book Publishing and consultation with Book Shepherd Judith Briles—valued at $500, and a guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review. 9 FIRST-PLACE WINNERS will receive $1000 cash and promotion in Writer’s Digest. In addition, Brian Jud & Book Marketing Works, LLC will provide a one-year membership in Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN), a guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review, a one-year membership to Book Central Station where you can find lists of suppliers rated by previous clients, and ebook Beyond the Bookstore by Brian Jud (with CD). Plus, all Grand Prize and First Place winners will receive promotion on the Writer’s Digest Web site at writersdigest.com, a copy of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 4th Edition by Tom and Marilyn Ross, $100 worth of Writer’s Digest Books and a Notable Award Certificate. HONORABLE MENTION WINNERS will receive promotion at www.writersdigest.com, $50 worth of Writer’s Digest Books and a Notable Award Certificate. All other entrants will receive a brief judge’s commentary and a listing with a link on the Writer’s Digest Web site, provided an accurate URL is provided. THE CATEGORIES: Mainstream/Literary Fiction Genre Fiction Nonfiction Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age) Life Stories (Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories, Memoirs) Children’s/Picture books Middle-Grade/Young Adult books Reference Books (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books) Poetry Jane Friedman: Recent Article (http://janefriedman.com/blog-archive/) This post last week reminded me of the discussion we had at last months meeting when Jude was talking about Blogging about her memoir. Please Don’t Blog Your Book: 4 Reasons Why.Jane's Blog post of Feb 8th. I would strongly recommend her website and blog posts. She is highly recognized in the industry and as a matter of fact she is one of the featured speakers at the Mad Anthony Writers Workshop *************************************************************************** Welcome Mad Anthony Writers! When: April 13-15, 2012 Where: Historic Hamilton, Ohio “The City of Sculpture”, 10 minutes west of OH I-75 on SR 129 between Cincinnati and Dayton Featuring: Editors, Publishers, & Agents Keynote Speaker: Christina Katz, The Writers Workout Coach and Platform Development Expert Why: The 2012 Mad Anthony Writer's Conference is your opportunity to learn from the experts, network with a community of writers, have your manuscripts reviewed, & to give your dreams of being a published writer a chance to come true. Mad Anthony Writers' Conference proudly supports the Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton, Ohio. ******************************************************************************* Our next meeting is March 16th(Come'n celebrate St. Patrick's Day early)

The Wannabe's Journal for January 2012

Writing and sharing your stories with friends is like entering a secret garden. We welcome your visit.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope this new year brings good thoughts and inspirations, together with lots of writing energy. There are a number of very good writing seminars and competitions that will be held in the next few months and weeks. We had a good representation at our meeting this month. We had the opportunity to share the wealth of ideas and experiences that makes our little group unique and special.

What's New: Devoted to members discussing their latest pursuits and literary adventures.

Don P: Commented on the critiques that he has been receiving from his other writers group. Apparently the use of "that" has been appearing in his writing too often. At least that is the feedback he is receiving. I have a similar problem in my writing: staying in the correct POV for any story that I try to compose. That is why I have taken on this task for the group...gives me practice.

Don provided the group with a copy of a book which he recently purchased at a reasonable price at Barnes and Noble. The price is less than five dollars a copy. The Title is: "The Little Red Writing Book" by Brandon Royal.

He also recommended that we contribute a book to the Ohioanna Literary Collection in Columbus. They were founded in 1929 and have over 45.000 books of all genres. If you are a published, (sorry no self published books accepted) you may submit a copy of your book to the following address: Ohioana Library, 274 East First Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201.

Martha: Surprised us again.... She read a poem about Christmas. Here is a copy of the poem.

Chest Pain Christmas

Merry Christmas, my love!

No response

What is it?

A tightness in my chest!

Call 911?

Not now

Relax, breath deeply

It’s worse, Dial the number

Help arrives – 5 strong men

Questions, IV, monitor, medicine

A fast ride – no sirens, no lights

No traffic

ER – more questions, tests, vampires

Pill under the tongue – Relief!

You should stay

I will but not willingly

New hospital, luxurious room

Pleasant nurses

Christmas afternoon

Twelve visitors

Twenty four gift bags full

Joyous family, anxious laughter

“We love you, Grandpa”

Long night, uncomfortable bed, no pain.

Day two, no sign of dreaded heart damage

Angiogram scheduled

One more night

Tightness returns at sunrise.

Heart catheterization completed

Excellent outcome

No blockages – just spasms

New Medicine

No other treatment needed

Hugs and kisses all around

OK for now

Gratitude for many prayers

80^th Christmas

A special one

Almost 2012 - Amen

Jude: She is still writing her memoir but has recently focused her energies on creating a Blog entry for a major publication on a on-going basis. "Crafting a Blog entry in three sentences.... that is an art in itself." She is also investigating opportunities where she will be a guest blogger on other writers and artists blog sites. She believes this will increase her platform exposure when she finishes her memoir and is ready to self-publish her book.

She currently blogs on her own Blog site: Sensuously Sixty at Blogspot(http://sensuouslysixty.blogspot.com/. Her blog site is currently in competition for one of the top blog sites.

Jude also recommended a new book by her fellow writer: Robin's recently self published book of photographs: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2724962?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=bookstore-share

Don H. provided a group an update on the sales that the "Anthology on Christmas Memories" that was produced in early December. With only 8 days of marketing he was able to sell enough books to recoup half of the costs of producing the novel. The editing, formatting, cover design and limited marketing with TV appearance was very successful. Next year we will start the process of marketing and platform identity much sooner in the calendar year with posters, press releases and book signings.

All the authors appreciated the cooperation and support that the Special Education Department provided to our project. The whole project of creating this book was a great learning process for learning what is involved with self publishing. There have been a number of literary projects that were spawn as a result of "Self Publishing Class" which was taught in the spring of 2011. I know of four books that have been created by people who wanted to create either a memoir, children s book or a book of photos and prose.

Don attended the Chicago Book Fair recently and was interested in gathering information on other authors and anthologies. He proposed to the group the idea of publishing another anthology this year by the group. We are seeking input on a possible title(theme) for the book. Obviously if we have a title then we can create a poem or short story that relates to that particular topic. Some of the Titles that have been suggested: Granddhildren 101, Pets and Triumph's and Regrets. Please send me your suggestions for a title for our next collective anthology.

Don also told us the story about the little girl who was asked the name of her new dog. After repeated questions from the patient policeman she proclaimed: "Pincher-Biter" as the dogs new name.

Thomas: Still working on publishing a e book for the Kindle. The short story is about a relationship.

Shulamit: She is going to ask Matt Kish, the local artist who created a drawing for each pages of the novel: Moby Dick to attend a future meeting to discuss his project and what he is currently up to. http://www.pw.org/content/mobydick_in_pictures

She shared with us the feedback she had after teaching her class on photography in the fall. A good author or artists wants to generate a small storm of discomfort in the mind of the reader or viewer. Not everyone is going to agree with your style or message but that does not matter. Famous authors like "James Joyce" or "Ernest Hemmingway" did not care about what the critics thought. I have read many blogs from put down self-published books and their authors as second rate citizens in the literary. It kind of reminds me of my juvenile days when there was that group of students who thought they were cool and better than the rest. When it came to college the fraternities and sorieties took their place for self indulligence. It was like they had a secret on the rest of us. Today the literary word is having a tough time adjusting to the fact that ebooks are out selling the traditioal publishing book giants. Some Bloggers can get over themselves in that some authors do not need an agent and publisher to feel self-actualized and get as much satisfaction from selling 400 copies of their book.

The point here is "Confirm your audience and style".

Announcements:

1. Kindle Direct Publishing Newsletter was recently distributed with the announcement of a new format.

Kindle Format 8 (KF8), the new format for Kindle, which allows you to take advantage of highlighting, colored text, text wrapped around images, bulleted lists, tables, and more.

Read more about it at: http://us.mg205.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.partner=sbc&.rand=9md3u781lpr3d

2. Createspace: As a member with Pro Plan, we're emailing to let you know that Pro Plan is being discontinued as of January 18, 2012. We're now offering industry-leading royalties, low costs on copies of your books and improved distribution options to all our members, free of charge.

The 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award entry period is open. Enter today!

Each Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance. All Entries can be submitted through CreateSpace and must be received no later than February 5, 2012.

3. Mad Anthony's Writers Workshop


The Mad Anthony Writers Conference

presents

A Friday the 13th Day of Murder & Mayhem

April 13, 2012

Featuring

The Stories Bones Tell
Presenter: Dr. Elizabeth Murray, Forensic Anthropologist

Forensic Tales of the Dead
Presenter: Brenda Robertson Stewart, forensic artist specializing in facial reconstruction and mystery author.

The Art of Catching the Crook
Presenter: Gary Good, Bail Bond Agent

Police Women of Cincinnati
Presenter: Sergeant Tia (Pearson) Miller

Crime Scene/Death Scene Investigation

Presenter: Justin Weber - board registered Medicolegal Death Investigator and Latent Print developer at the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office and member of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.

Registration Now Open

at www.writelikemad.com

The conference is a great price performer with excellent speakers and a chance to network with some talented people.

5. Writers Digest: Each year, Writer's Digest honors self-published authors with the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. We're proud to be in our 20th year of spotlighting today's self-published works. This could be your year. Whether you're a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here's your chance to enter the only competition exclusively for self-published books.

2012 Writing Competitions

Self Published Awards
Deadline: April 20, 2012


Our Next Meeting will be February 17th at 9 AM at UD's River Campus

Anthology of Christmas Memories

This anthology is a whimsical collection of short stories, memoirs and poems written by 16 seniors, nearly all in their 70s, spanning holidays from 1930-2011. The authors are from southwestern Ohio and meet at the University of Dayton's Lifelong Learning Institute. Stories are about "what it's really like to play Santa," how a child perceives the mysteries of Christmas, and the tortuous adult worries and last minute pressures of holidays. Memories of the Great Depression, World War II and the entanglements of recent years are woven into these tales. You'll read about a Santa who robs a bank, a boy in a monastery, adults having faith restored and the timelessness of love. Some of the stories are meant to be read aloud to children. There's even a great recipe.

Anthology of Christmas Memories

Authored by members of the Wannabe's and University of Dayton Writers Group
Introduction by Nancy Pinard
Cover design & artwork by Tonya Foreman
Edited by Don Hart and Bob Mackenzie
Prepared for publication by Linda Hart

Book is available on Amazon for $ 10.99

https://www.createspace.com/3698022