Carrie Oakley sent us the following article that I found interesting. My degree is in metaphysics and I use the knowledge I gained from my education to help my clients who write in the spiritual/science (mind-body-spirit) genre. Please leave a comment below and share with us how your education or major is used (or NOT) in your work as an author or writer.
You may have been told that it doesn’t really matter what you major in, because you may not ever get a job that pertains to your major. Case in point: These famous authors didn’t major in writing, or literature, or even journalism. Instead, they enriched their minds taking other, equally challenging classes, and used their experiences to become successful writers. In fact, several of them have won the Pulitzer Prize, considered one of the world’s greatest honors in literature.
1. After growing up in several different Quaker communities as a child, Anne Tyler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Accidental Tourist and Breathing Lessons, graduated from Duke at the young age of 19 and completed graduate work in Russian Studies at Columbia.
2. Larry Niven, author of “hard,” or extremely technical, science fiction novels set in the “Known Space” universe, is famed for his creation of the “Ringworld” concept. This is the idea of a band approximately the diameter of Earth’s orbit rotating around a star, and has been used in several other science fiction works, including the video game Halo. He has been a prolific writer since the 1960s but didn’t study writing in college. He was a mathematics major at Washburn University in Kansas and also did graduate work in math at UCLA.
3. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. majored in chemistry and engineering before being sent to fight in World War II. His experience as a POW in a German camp gave him the inspiration for Slaughterhouse-Five, his most famous work. His books and short stories included elements of science fiction and satire.
4. Elizabeth Peters got a degree that you might not expect from a writer; in fact, she earned a Ph. D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. This makes perfect sense, though, if you’re familiar with her eighteen Amelia Peabody books, novels that track an early 20th century archaeologist as she solves the mysteries of ancient Egypt. She was named Grand Master at the first Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grand Master at the Edgar Awards in 1998.
5. Barbara Kingsolver, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of The Poisonwood Bible, earned degrees in biology from DePauw University and the University of Arizona.
6.Michael Crichton, bestselling author of thrillers such as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, and Rising Sun, studied anthropology, and later, medicine at Harvard Medical School. However, he never actually practiced medicine, but spent most of his time teaching and writing until his 2008 death.
7. Ursula K. LeGuin graduated as a Phi Beta Kappan from Radcliffe College, where she studied anthropology. Interestingly, her father was a leading anthropologist of the time, and social themes inform most of her works about the world of Earthsea. She has become recently notorious for her resignation from the Authors’ Guild over their settlement with Google Books.
8. J.K. Rowling studied French at the University of Exeter, giving in to her parents’ wishes despite wanting to major in English. She was on a train in Scotland when the inspiration for the Harry Potter series came to her. Her study of a foreign language may have helped her concoct many of the magic spells that Harry learns in his own studies at Hogwarts.
9. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the author of The Gulag Archipelago, studied mathematics and physics at the University of Rostov before becoming a writer. His main work exposed the horror of the Soviet forced labor camps that he experienced from 1947 to 1953.
10. Norman Mailer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of such famous works as The Naked and the Dead, An American Dream, and The Executioner’s Song, majored in aeronautical engineering at Harvard before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.
11. Robin Cook, writer of medical thrillers such as Outbreak, Vital Signs, and Foreign Body, got a medical degree from the Columbia University School of Medicine. He has continued to practice medicine through the years, and has remained a prolific author into his seventies.
12. John Grisham majored in accounting at Mississippi State University after deciding his future did not lie in professional baseball. The author of legal thrillers such as The Firm and The Chamber then graduated from The University of Mississippi Law School.
13. Danielle Steel studied literature and fashion design at the Parsons School of Design and New York University before beginning her writing career. Her romance novels have been filmed multiple times, and during the 1980s and 1990s she became the epitome of the “successful, glamorous romance novelist” that many writers wished to emulate.
14. Noted author of dozens of Western-themed novels, Zane Grey, majored in dentistry, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1898. He practiced for several years before devoting himself to full-time writing. Six of his books were produced as films.
15. Jean M. Auel, the celebrated author of the Earth’s Children series that began with Clan of the Cave Bear and has sold over 45 million copies worldwide, got a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Portland. While a student, she worked as a circuit board designer, a credit manager, and a technical writer.
Minister, metaphysical author, light language activation facilitator, and shaman-ka, who helps people shift into their highest and most loving selves.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Six-figure Speakers Summit
Truly successful entrepreneurship is an art form—a fine craft 20 speakers brought together for an exciting event for which they have spent years perfecting. Join Amethyst Wyldfyre and a select group of her friends, colleagues & mentors for the Six-figure Speakers Summit September 15th thru 23rd.
Each of these phenomenal speakers has special expertise and special techniques for creating the thoughts, habits, and actions that allow YOU to have the conversations, to speak the words and to communicate the messages that will help you to not only serve the people you are here to serve but will also help you to get all the money and other successes you want in the process.
Click to learn more.
Each of these phenomenal speakers has special expertise and special techniques for creating the thoughts, habits, and actions that allow YOU to have the conversations, to speak the words and to communicate the messages that will help you to not only serve the people you are here to serve but will also help you to get all the money and other successes you want in the process.
Click to learn more.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Lessons with Author Mary Martin
The Drawing Lesson ~ The First in a Trilogy of Remembrance
The podcast series for August ends with The Drawing Lesson, and an interview with returning guest, Canadian author Mary Martin.
Martin will share the inspiration behind her latest series A Trilogy of Remembrance, which focuses on the art world, art politics and creative madness as well as malicious intrigue.
Discover the secrets of a fabulous author as she discusses how she changed her writing style from The Osgoode Trilogy, three novels of legal suspense, to create her latest literary art offering. Martin’s Drawing Lesson is already receiving highly regarded critical acclaim in Canada and is sure to please American readers.
Martin will share the inspiration behind her latest series A Trilogy of Remembrance, which focuses on the art world, art politics and creative madness as well as malicious intrigue.
Discover the secrets of a fabulous author as she discusses how she changed her writing style from The Osgoode Trilogy, three novels of legal suspense, to create her latest literary art offering. Martin’s Drawing Lesson is already receiving highly regarded critical acclaim in Canada and is sure to please American readers.
Visit Mary E. Martin online.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Book Review for Frog by Jeffrey Barbieri
Book Title: Frog
Author: Jeffrey D. Barbieri
ISBN: 978-1-4327-5717-5
Publisher: OutskirtsPress.com
Genre and Target Market: fiction; family relationships; coming-of-age
Publication Date: 2010
Book Length in Pages: 256
Reviewed by: Sarah Moore
How often do you read a book that provides you with the accompaniment of a physical ache as you turn every page? I am not talking about a painful reaction due to poor writing or awkward plot development—I have experienced that sensation plenty of times during my tenure in the writing and publishing world. Instead, I am referring to a story or a character so compelling that you cannot help but have an emotional pull to the pages before you. I felt that strong connection to Frog, the new release by Jeffrey Barbieri. The second in a series featuring Benjamin and his complicated family, Frog is a novel that continues with the storytelling and poetic insights that made Barbieri’s first offering, Let’s Find You, so intriguing. But now, Frog extends the desperate expression of a young man looking for love, comfort, and a sense of belonging to an even more gripping intensity.
Frog brings us back into the world of Benjamin, the youngest of four brothers who all seem to express their feelings towards one another with taunts, insults, and the occasional beating. The boys live with their seemingly apathetic mother, who moves her family with great frequency in order to keep a distance from her former husband, and a stepfather who is only ever referenced in passing and who has no apparent influence on the family dynamics other than to amplify the obvious disconnect that always has existed. Benjamin has recently moved to yet another new neighborhood. He misses the girl, Elizabeth, who is the muse for so much of his poetry and who embodies his ideals concerning love and romance. He is self-conscious about his appearance and his lack of ability to engage in conversation, envying his brothers with their seeming ease around every person they meet. Anyone who has experienced those feelings of not belonging (and you’re lying if you say you haven’t), will relate to Benjamin and perhaps revisit some uncomfortable moments of their own.
For me, one of the episodes in the book that most clearly defined the combination of emotional pain and endless hope for something better that Benjamin expresses throughout his storytelling and poetry occurs during a quiet moment with his mom. Benjamin has just been stung by numerous bees and his mom rushes him to the bathroom to clean his wounds and apply a paste to the marks left by the insects. He shares that this medical emergency was the only time he could remember his mom ever showing interest in him or displaying the slightest amount of tenderness. You could tell that, despite the certain pain he was experiencing, Benjamin did not want that moment to end. It was quite a powerful interaction between parent and child upon which I was able to eavesdrop as a reader. I wanted to reach into the pages of the book, hold those two characters in that room, and give them both the opportunity to share all of the feelings that had been forced to repress for so many years.
For those already familiar with Barbieri’s work through Let’s Find You, you can expect to find the same short story format and the continued inclusion of Benjamin’s poetry on more pages than not when you read Frog. And, like before, I believe it is the raw honesty exhibited in each poem that makes the readers stop and really digest an intense episode that has just been described. What Frog also offers, though, is even more of those rare and simple moments when true human bonds are established. While I encourage everyone to read the book to discover Benjamin’s emotional fate, I will share that he does find new sources of strength and rediscovers others that he thought were gone forever. Frog is a wonderful story of survival, love, and that need we all have for human connection.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
800 Children's Book Reviews Just A Touch Away On The iPhone
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Have you ever gone shopping for a gift book for a child or teen and wondered if the book was appropriate? Getting a hold of an independent review can be tough, because newspaper print editions with book reviews are becoming scarcer, and several of the remaining book reviews don't review many children's or young adult books.
Now, help is available instantly, thanks to a highly useful iPhone book review application called Kids Book Review, developed by Heidi Komlofske and Ross Rojek of 1776 Productions (www.kidsbookapp.com) of Sacramento, CA.
“In a time when print newspaper book review sections are on the decline, 1776 Productions is challenging the trend,” says Komlofske. “Kids Book Review offers 800 new book reviews at launch, from the San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Reviews. We plan to upload about 100 new reviews every month to the app.”
The service includes children’s reviews for ages 1-8, tweens reviews for ages 9-12, and teen reviews for young adults age 13 and older. For a one-time expenditure, users will have instant access to hundreds of book reviews—a resource that will increase in number every week.
“No matter where you are shopping for books, if you see a book you are intrigued with,” says Rojek, “all you have to do is power up your iPhone and tap into Kids Book Review for solid book information on the spot. Additionally, if you read a review you like, you can easily put in your favorites folder to find quickly when you are ready to buy it or check it out from the library.”
Launched in September 2008, 1776 Productions aims to become a vehicle for readers to find new books and authors and to help create, support, and encourage local writers, publishers, and readers by bring new books of all types to readers in an easy-to-read and easy-to-find format.
Kids Book Review costs $1.99 and is simple to use and easy to download from the iPhone App Store. It also integrates with the user’s Twitter or Facebook accounts for quick posting of books they enjoy and want to share with their friends.
About Kids Book Review
Developed by Heidi Komlofske and Ross Rojek of 1776 Productions of Sacramento, California, Kids Book Review makes hundreds of book reviews instantly available for books of all genres for ages 1-8, 9-12, and 13 and older. 1776 Productions is the publisher of the Sacramento Book Review and San Francisco Book Review -- free monthly printed circulation publications reviewing a more than 400 books each month in over 40 categories and genres. This iPhone app is easy to use and can be downloaded for only $1.99 from the iPhone App Store.
Media Contact: For an interview with Heidi Komlofske or Ross Rojek or to obtain free reviewers codes for Kids Book Review, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications iPhone App Promotion at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090 or by cell: 248-705-2214 or http://www.WestWindCos.com
Now, help is available instantly, thanks to a highly useful iPhone book review application called Kids Book Review, developed by Heidi Komlofske and Ross Rojek of 1776 Productions (www.kidsbookapp.com) of Sacramento, CA.
“In a time when print newspaper book review sections are on the decline, 1776 Productions is challenging the trend,” says Komlofske. “Kids Book Review offers 800 new book reviews at launch, from the San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Reviews. We plan to upload about 100 new reviews every month to the app.”
The service includes children’s reviews for ages 1-8, tweens reviews for ages 9-12, and teen reviews for young adults age 13 and older. For a one-time expenditure, users will have instant access to hundreds of book reviews—a resource that will increase in number every week.
“No matter where you are shopping for books, if you see a book you are intrigued with,” says Rojek, “all you have to do is power up your iPhone and tap into Kids Book Review for solid book information on the spot. Additionally, if you read a review you like, you can easily put in your favorites folder to find quickly when you are ready to buy it or check it out from the library.”
Launched in September 2008, 1776 Productions aims to become a vehicle for readers to find new books and authors and to help create, support, and encourage local writers, publishers, and readers by bring new books of all types to readers in an easy-to-read and easy-to-find format.
Kids Book Review costs $1.99 and is simple to use and easy to download from the iPhone App Store. It also integrates with the user’s Twitter or Facebook accounts for quick posting of books they enjoy and want to share with their friends.
About Kids Book Review
Developed by Heidi Komlofske and Ross Rojek of 1776 Productions of Sacramento, California, Kids Book Review makes hundreds of book reviews instantly available for books of all genres for ages 1-8, 9-12, and 13 and older. 1776 Productions is the publisher of the Sacramento Book Review and San Francisco Book Review -- free monthly printed circulation publications reviewing a more than 400 books each month in over 40 categories and genres. This iPhone app is easy to use and can be downloaded for only $1.99 from the iPhone App Store.
Media Contact: For an interview with Heidi Komlofske or Ross Rojek or to obtain free reviewers codes for Kids Book Review, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications iPhone App Promotion at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090 or by cell: 248-705-2214 or http://www.WestWindCos.com
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
And the Award Goes To.....
Recently Claudia Del Balso was very kind to award me with The Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you, Claudia! (To visit her blog, click here http://www.claudiadelbalso.blogspot.com/) I am passing the award to 15 bloggers. You may be one of them.
There are four rules that come with this award:
1 - thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them when creating the award post
2 - share seven things about yourself
3 - pass the award on to 15 recently discovered blogs
4 - contact the bloggers to let them know about the award
Seven facts about myself:
1) I am the Owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services.
2) My spiritual name is LavendarRose and I have a podcast that allows people to share profound paranormal insight.
3) I enjoy networking with people.
4) I offer a weekly podcast about the craft and business of writing.
5) I like to sew & decorate.
6) I have 10 grandkids and one on the way.
7) I am the Author of The Sid Series.
I've chosen 15 of my favorite bloggers for this award based on the quality and message of their blogs (it was really difficult for me to choose as I like a slew of blogs out there). For those I have listed, please don't feel obligated to follow up on the rules of the award. By the way, the nominees are in no particular order.
1) Christa hosts book reviews and blog tours on Fictionary. www.cballan.wordpress.com
2) Barbara and Frankie Techel’s blog for disabled pets: http://www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com/
3) Nancy Allen's blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/
4) Marta does book reviews, hosts blog tours and giveaways on her blog at http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/
5) Mindy P. Lawrence will review books she feels are worthy of five-stars. http://www.freewebs.com/mplcreative
6) Autumn Heartsong's blog is about spiritual/personal development: http://heartsongshymnal.blogspot.com
7) Vonnie Faroqui's blog is for writers and authors: http://inkslingerswhimsey.blogspot.com
8) Ginger Simpson http://mizging.blogspot.com
9) L. Diane Wolfe's blog offers several opportunities for authors & writers to feature their work: http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
10) Chelle Cordero's blog has tons of great book reviews for authors: http://chellecordero.blogspot.com
11) Dallas Woodburn's Writing Life http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com
12) Hal Manogue's Short Sleeves Insights is for poetry lovers http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/
13) The Shift Guru http://shiftguru.wordpress.com Barbara Joye
14) Julie Achterhoff http://earthwalkr.wordpress.com
15) Sola Oluwande http://www.solamusings.blogspot.com/
Please click on each of their names in order to visit their blogs.
There are four rules that come with this award:
1 - thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them when creating the award post
2 - share seven things about yourself
3 - pass the award on to 15 recently discovered blogs
4 - contact the bloggers to let them know about the award
Seven facts about myself:
1) I am the Owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services.
2) My spiritual name is LavendarRose and I have a podcast that allows people to share profound paranormal insight.
3) I enjoy networking with people.
4) I offer a weekly podcast about the craft and business of writing.
5) I like to sew & decorate.
6) I have 10 grandkids and one on the way.
7) I am the Author of The Sid Series.
I've chosen 15 of my favorite bloggers for this award based on the quality and message of their blogs (it was really difficult for me to choose as I like a slew of blogs out there). For those I have listed, please don't feel obligated to follow up on the rules of the award. By the way, the nominees are in no particular order.
1) Christa hosts book reviews and blog tours on Fictionary. www.cballan.wordpress.com
2) Barbara and Frankie Techel’s blog for disabled pets: http://www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com/
3) Nancy Allen's blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/
4) Marta does book reviews, hosts blog tours and giveaways on her blog at http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/
5) Mindy P. Lawrence will review books she feels are worthy of five-stars. http://www.freewebs.com/mplcreative
6) Autumn Heartsong's blog is about spiritual/personal development: http://heartsongshymnal.blogspot.com
7) Vonnie Faroqui's blog is for writers and authors: http://inkslingerswhimsey.blogspot.com
8) Ginger Simpson http://mizging.blogspot.com
9) L. Diane Wolfe's blog offers several opportunities for authors & writers to feature their work: http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
10) Chelle Cordero's blog has tons of great book reviews for authors: http://chellecordero.blogspot.com
11) Dallas Woodburn's Writing Life http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com
12) Hal Manogue's Short Sleeves Insights is for poetry lovers http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/
13) The Shift Guru http://shiftguru.wordpress.com Barbara Joye
14) Julie Achterhoff http://earthwalkr.wordpress.com
15) Sola Oluwande http://www.solamusings.blogspot.com/
Please click on each of their names in order to visit their blogs.
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Drawing Lesson: A Review by Vonnie Faroqui
Please join Vonnie Faroqui on August 27, 2010, for an interview with Canadian author Mary E. Martin about her latest work the Remembrance Trilogy and book one, The Drawing Lesson.
Book Title: The Drawing Lesson
Author: Mary E. Martin (left)
ISBN: 1450229360
Publisher: iUniverse
Reviewer: Vonnie Faroqui for WITS
The Drawing Lesson, by author Mary E. Martin stands among the best of literary fiction. She brings wisdom, grace, and beauty to the page as skillfully as the best painter to the canvas.
Alexander Wainwright has won Britain’s celebrated Turner Prize with a landscape painting of The Hay Wagon. He should be thrilled but the taunting criticism of contemporary and rival artist Rinaldo has thrown him into a soul searching spiral of self doubt.
His beautiful landscapes, once so full of light and presence, begin to fill with creeping, shadowy figures. These troll-like creatures deny understanding and confuse Alex's artistic vision. His muse seems to have left him. A journey to rediscover his passion unfolds as Alex attempts to understand the creatures in his paintings.
The journey carries Alex into contact with a range of interesting characters who all struggle with personal inner demons. Alex touches each of their lives with his spirit and allows each in return to touch his own. The action of the story rises as the consequences of past choices return to entangle Alex in self doubt and recrimination, with the story reaching a climax as Rinaldo sets plans in motion to destroy Alex in a scene of public humiliation.
In the end Alex Wainwright transcends himself and his body of work by illuminating the human form with his divine vision, transfiguring on canvas both his inner and outer demons into beings of luminous spirit.
The Drawing Lesson is a deeply insightful book about life, choices, forgiveness, madness, self doubt, and creative inspiration. Martin has an understanding of humanity, its inner turmoil, needs, and the creative urge that is both honest and compassionate. This is a compelling and moving story to be savored on the palate like fine wine.
Purchase a copy of The Drawing Lesson
Book Title: The Drawing Lesson
Author: Mary E. Martin (left)
ISBN: 1450229360
Publisher: iUniverse
Reviewer: Vonnie Faroqui for WITS
The Drawing Lesson, by author Mary E. Martin stands among the best of literary fiction. She brings wisdom, grace, and beauty to the page as skillfully as the best painter to the canvas.
Alexander Wainwright has won Britain’s celebrated Turner Prize with a landscape painting of The Hay Wagon. He should be thrilled but the taunting criticism of contemporary and rival artist Rinaldo has thrown him into a soul searching spiral of self doubt.
His beautiful landscapes, once so full of light and presence, begin to fill with creeping, shadowy figures. These troll-like creatures deny understanding and confuse Alex's artistic vision. His muse seems to have left him. A journey to rediscover his passion unfolds as Alex attempts to understand the creatures in his paintings.
The journey carries Alex into contact with a range of interesting characters who all struggle with personal inner demons. Alex touches each of their lives with his spirit and allows each in return to touch his own. The action of the story rises as the consequences of past choices return to entangle Alex in self doubt and recrimination, with the story reaching a climax as Rinaldo sets plans in motion to destroy Alex in a scene of public humiliation.
In the end Alex Wainwright transcends himself and his body of work by illuminating the human form with his divine vision, transfiguring on canvas both his inner and outer demons into beings of luminous spirit.
The Drawing Lesson is a deeply insightful book about life, choices, forgiveness, madness, self doubt, and creative inspiration. Martin has an understanding of humanity, its inner turmoil, needs, and the creative urge that is both honest and compassionate. This is a compelling and moving story to be savored on the palate like fine wine.
Purchase a copy of The Drawing Lesson
Friday, August 20, 2010
Andrea Michaels
Reflections of a Successful Wallflower
Today WITS Podcast host Vonnie Faroqui will interview the queen of the special events industry, event producer and business woman Andrea Michaels, about her foray into writing, Reflections of a Successful Wallflower, a memoir of her experiences. Michaels is an award winning and highly regarded leader in the special events industry, a true pioneer, and will be sharing the memories of a life time as she reflects on the many lessons learned along the path to success and her decision to write about them. The Podcast interview contains entirely new questions that Andrea Michaels did not answer in the written interview shared Monday. This interview includes Andrea telling of her birth in a World War II concentration camp.
Copies of of Andrea Michaels’ book Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business, Lessons in Life, are available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble books. To learn more about her business visit ExtraordinaryEvents.net.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Calling for Submissions for September 2010 Ezine
It's time for me to start putting together the next fantastic and information-filled e-zine for September 2010. That means I need you to send me your articles, contest announcements, and brags to be included in the next issue by August 24th. We have more than enough book reviews, but if I have room for them, I'll include them.
Read our guidelines for submittal here. Remember, the better your piece is written, the better attention and credibility it receives--and the less editing I have to do. Please submit your pieces to katie at writersinthesky dot com.
Read our guidelines for submittal here. Remember, the better your piece is written, the better attention and credibility it receives--and the less editing I have to do. Please submit your pieces to katie at writersinthesky dot com.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Reflections
An Interview with Andrea Michaels, Special Events Industry Pioneer Superstar!
It has been a privilege to interview Andrea Michaels, international event producer, the president and founder of Extraordinary Events, winner of 35 Special Event Gala Awards, and the first inductee into the Special Event Industry Hall of Fame. She is a truly incredible woman who has been acknowledged as one of, if not the most, recognizable and dominating influences in the special events industry. Her work has helped shape the modern world by influencing culture and the way the United States is viewed around the world by other nations and peoples. Special event planning and production have brought her international recognition and industry acclaim. Michaels has brought glamour and excitement to the masses and yet, outside of the industry she helped to create, few of us realize how this amazing woman has touched our lives or the impact her work has had on us. She is everything that you hope she will be and more. Easily recognized by her fire and zest for living, she is as exciting as the events she orchestrates. Andrea Michaels has recently celebrated the release of her memoirs, which contain lessons in business and in life drawn from her experiences and from 35 years in the special events industry. It is in relation to her latest adventure, that I am able to bring this interview to the
public.
Andrea, your book is titled Reflections of a Successful Wallflower. When looking back over the years and your career in the special events industry, how closely does business as you have encountered it resemble life?
Michaels: To me life and business are exactly the same; the same challenges, presented in different ways. You lose a life partner if you divorce. You lose a business partner if you have a business divorce. Your kids grow up and move away from home. Your employees grow up and move away from your business home. Your spouse cheats on you. Your employee steals a client. It’s the same thing, different setting.
Faroqui: How would you describe the events industry today as compared with the industry when you first began your career?
Michaels: There are absolutely no similarities. When I entered the business in 1973, there was no industry, and today it is one of the world’s leading industries. I was one of the pioneers who along with a few others invented the special events industry. So let’s go back to 1973. Overhead slides. A speaker at a meeting with a microphone and maybe, maybe a spotlight. At a gala dinner (at a hotel) a table with linen draped ½ inch off of the top of the table with a carnation centerpiece. No lighting. No special chairs. No special linen. Maybe a quartet playing or maybe only a pianist for background music. Think about that and compare it to how we
perceive events today.
Faroqui: Your son, Jon Michaels, Executive VP of operations for Extraordinary Events, talks about the sacrifices you've made for the industry. What kind of sacrifices did you have to make, and, more importantly, why did you feel it was important to make them?
Michaels: I gave up a lot of family time. I put my career first, not in terms of love, but in terms of time. I had to. I needed to support both of us as a single parent. I had to travel and so I dragged my son around with me; which at the time was a rather unacceptable notion. Even when I was home . . . I was mentally “out”. Communication was not so easy. No computers. No internet. So you had to go to the office to work, to type, later to fax, and later still to use the one office computer. I felt it was important to provide us with a good life, and I needed to satisfy what was deep within me, a desire for adventure and to seek opportunity. I’ve always been a sucker for both. Did I sacrifice the “Brady Bunch” mentality? Yes I did.
Faroqui: What does being the first inductee into the special events industry hall of fame mean to you? Of the many awards you've received, which has the most personal meaning for you?
Michaels: It meant a lot to me to receive that award and be amongst the first group of inductees; people like Jack Morton, Jim Steeg, and my dearest friend, John Daly. I think the award I won for a philanthropic event meant the most to me. I convinced a corporate client to completely rebuild a school using their products and their executives. When it was acknowledged, I remember saying to the audience “. . . just know that as event planners we are not just party people; we can change the world!” I really meant that . . . because I had done it, and I wanted to lead others into doing it, too.
Faroqui: The special events industry's logistical details are absolutely mind-boggling and become more so with inevitable unforeseen changes. Newcomers to this line of work are bound to get intimidated. What words of encouragement do you have for them?
Michaels: Learn your craft. Planning your third cousin’s wedding isn’t enough. Intern yourself to the best. Learn, learn, and learn. Then get great legal and accounting advice and do it right. Get the right insurance. Tell the truth. Associate yourself with the best, the most honest. And tell the truth again and always. It is a fabulous industry. You won’t die rich but you might die inspired.
Faroqui: Andrea, what inspired you to write a book telling your story?
Michaels: I did it for me. I wanted to be a part of history. One of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced is to hold that book in my hands and know that I wrote it, that I lived it, and that I was honest about sharing what I hoped would be useful to others.
Faroqui: What do you hope sharing your experiences in this way will accomplish?
Michaels: Maybe some people would learn that challenges can be overcome, hurdles can be jumped over. There are always obstacles. To inspire others to be solution driven, and not problem driven. And to show them that women have the power to be all they want to be. Plus we all make mistakes and there’s no shame in that.
Faroqui: What have you learned about yourself from the writing experience and what advice do you have to offer other writers that you wish you had been given when you started writing?
Michaels: A friend of mine wants to write a book and cannot get started. She cannot think of a title or a first chapter. I told her forget that bullshit. Write the end last, or the middle chapter. The title will come after she starts writing. Stop thinking of it as a traditional start-at-page-one lesson. In the words of Nike, “Just do it.” What I personally learned is that at some point you have to say “enough” and stop. I would be editing from my grave otherwise. At some point you have to just say “done” and let it be.
Faroqui: Thank you, Andrea, for your time and for sharing your experiences with us.
Copies of of Andrea Michaels’ book Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business, Lessons in Life, are available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble books. To learn more about her business visit ExtraordinaryEvents.net.
Please join us Friday August 20th for Andrea's podcast interview where she will be answering more questions and sharing her writing and editing experiences as well as advice for other writers.
It has been a privilege to interview Andrea Michaels, international event producer, the president and founder of Extraordinary Events, winner of 35 Special Event Gala Awards, and the first inductee into the Special Event Industry Hall of Fame. She is a truly incredible woman who has been acknowledged as one of, if not the most, recognizable and dominating influences in the special events industry. Her work has helped shape the modern world by influencing culture and the way the United States is viewed around the world by other nations and peoples. Special event planning and production have brought her international recognition and industry acclaim. Michaels has brought glamour and excitement to the masses and yet, outside of the industry she helped to create, few of us realize how this amazing woman has touched our lives or the impact her work has had on us. She is everything that you hope she will be and more. Easily recognized by her fire and zest for living, she is as exciting as the events she orchestrates. Andrea Michaels has recently celebrated the release of her memoirs, which contain lessons in business and in life drawn from her experiences and from 35 years in the special events industry. It is in relation to her latest adventure, that I am able to bring this interview to the
public.
Andrea, your book is titled Reflections of a Successful Wallflower. When looking back over the years and your career in the special events industry, how closely does business as you have encountered it resemble life?
Michaels: To me life and business are exactly the same; the same challenges, presented in different ways. You lose a life partner if you divorce. You lose a business partner if you have a business divorce. Your kids grow up and move away from home. Your employees grow up and move away from your business home. Your spouse cheats on you. Your employee steals a client. It’s the same thing, different setting.
Faroqui: How would you describe the events industry today as compared with the industry when you first began your career?
Michaels: There are absolutely no similarities. When I entered the business in 1973, there was no industry, and today it is one of the world’s leading industries. I was one of the pioneers who along with a few others invented the special events industry. So let’s go back to 1973. Overhead slides. A speaker at a meeting with a microphone and maybe, maybe a spotlight. At a gala dinner (at a hotel) a table with linen draped ½ inch off of the top of the table with a carnation centerpiece. No lighting. No special chairs. No special linen. Maybe a quartet playing or maybe only a pianist for background music. Think about that and compare it to how we
perceive events today.
Faroqui: Your son, Jon Michaels, Executive VP of operations for Extraordinary Events, talks about the sacrifices you've made for the industry. What kind of sacrifices did you have to make, and, more importantly, why did you feel it was important to make them?
Michaels: I gave up a lot of family time. I put my career first, not in terms of love, but in terms of time. I had to. I needed to support both of us as a single parent. I had to travel and so I dragged my son around with me; which at the time was a rather unacceptable notion. Even when I was home . . . I was mentally “out”. Communication was not so easy. No computers. No internet. So you had to go to the office to work, to type, later to fax, and later still to use the one office computer. I felt it was important to provide us with a good life, and I needed to satisfy what was deep within me, a desire for adventure and to seek opportunity. I’ve always been a sucker for both. Did I sacrifice the “Brady Bunch” mentality? Yes I did.
Faroqui: What does being the first inductee into the special events industry hall of fame mean to you? Of the many awards you've received, which has the most personal meaning for you?
Michaels: It meant a lot to me to receive that award and be amongst the first group of inductees; people like Jack Morton, Jim Steeg, and my dearest friend, John Daly. I think the award I won for a philanthropic event meant the most to me. I convinced a corporate client to completely rebuild a school using their products and their executives. When it was acknowledged, I remember saying to the audience “. . . just know that as event planners we are not just party people; we can change the world!” I really meant that . . . because I had done it, and I wanted to lead others into doing it, too.
Faroqui: The special events industry's logistical details are absolutely mind-boggling and become more so with inevitable unforeseen changes. Newcomers to this line of work are bound to get intimidated. What words of encouragement do you have for them?
Michaels: Learn your craft. Planning your third cousin’s wedding isn’t enough. Intern yourself to the best. Learn, learn, and learn. Then get great legal and accounting advice and do it right. Get the right insurance. Tell the truth. Associate yourself with the best, the most honest. And tell the truth again and always. It is a fabulous industry. You won’t die rich but you might die inspired.
Faroqui: Andrea, what inspired you to write a book telling your story?
Michaels: I did it for me. I wanted to be a part of history. One of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced is to hold that book in my hands and know that I wrote it, that I lived it, and that I was honest about sharing what I hoped would be useful to others.
Faroqui: What do you hope sharing your experiences in this way will accomplish?
Michaels: Maybe some people would learn that challenges can be overcome, hurdles can be jumped over. There are always obstacles. To inspire others to be solution driven, and not problem driven. And to show them that women have the power to be all they want to be. Plus we all make mistakes and there’s no shame in that.
Faroqui: What have you learned about yourself from the writing experience and what advice do you have to offer other writers that you wish you had been given when you started writing?
Michaels: A friend of mine wants to write a book and cannot get started. She cannot think of a title or a first chapter. I told her forget that bullshit. Write the end last, or the middle chapter. The title will come after she starts writing. Stop thinking of it as a traditional start-at-page-one lesson. In the words of Nike, “Just do it.” What I personally learned is that at some point you have to say “enough” and stop. I would be editing from my grave otherwise. At some point you have to just say “done” and let it be.
Faroqui: Thank you, Andrea, for your time and for sharing your experiences with us.
Copies of of Andrea Michaels’ book Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business, Lessons in Life, are available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble books. To learn more about her business visit ExtraordinaryEvents.net.
Please join us Friday August 20th for Andrea's podcast interview where she will be answering more questions and sharing her writing and editing experiences as well as advice for other writers.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Author Dawn Menge Visits WITS Podcast to Discuss New Queen Vernita Book
Please tune in to our podcast today as WITS team member Sarah Moore welcomes children's author Dawn Menge to the podcast to discuss the third release in her Queen Vernita series, Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer.
In this new book, Queen Vernita continues her tradition of welcoming a friend to her home every month and then learning a new fact or experiencing a new adventure on every day of the week. Her guests are young and old, male and female, and of various races and physical abilities. This time around, they are joined by Sir HeathyBean and Cora the Teacher to learn some exciting details about the universe that surrounds us. And as always, readers will enjoy gorgeous illustrations on every page.
During the interview, Dawn will be discussing what it was like to work with her brother, Heath Rhodes, as co-author on this project, why she chose to focus on astronomy for this third installment, and the messages she hopes readers will take away about learning and friendship.
Click here to listen... to the entire interview!
Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer can be purchased at Amazon.com.
Title of Document: Book Review
Book Title: Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer
Author: Dawn Menge
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3120-5
Publisher: OutskirtsPress.com
Genre and Target Market: children; fiction
Publication Date: 2010
Book Review by: Sarah Moore
Just earlier today, I sat riveted to a documentary on The History Channel that charted the presumed future of the sun. I watched a demonstration of how the gases that comprise this large star will eventually expand, consuming the Earth and other planets along the way, and then how all of the matter of the universe will explode under the force of a “dark energy” that has yet to be fully understood. I was fascinated by every moment of the program, and found myself imagining a class of children learning this exact same information. Would they find these details as amazing as I do? How can we help to encourage a desire to learn more about the expanse that surrounds us, as there is still so much more to know? In her newest addition to the Queen Vernita series, Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, author Dawn Menge offers us one great tool that I believe will get children excited about space and astronomy.
For readers who are not already familiar with Queen Vernita, she is a character created by Menge to teach children about the months of the year and the days of the week through repetition, beautiful illustrations, and visitors whose personalities are pulled from the author’s own life. Each month, Queen Vernita welcomes a new friend to spend time with her and the readers learn what the two do or learn every day of the week. In Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, the Queen invites Sir Heathybean and Cora the Teacher to stay at her home for an entire year and teach her and her friends about some of the heavenly bodies that surround us. Each of the nine planets, the sun, the moon, and asteroids and comets receives focus in the book.
What I love about Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, and all of the books in the Queen Vernita series, is that Dawn Menge displays a contagious excitement for learning in each of her characters. They love spending time with Queen Vernita as they explore Venus or the sun or a comet, and each page ends detailing ways in which the learning will be extended when that month’s visitor returns home. This desire to discover is particularly important given the diversity of people who come to visit Queen Vernita. Males, females, the young, the old, and those who were born with physical or mental challenges—all are welcome and treated with respect and high expectations. I also enjoy the fact that the details included in this book go beyond the basic facts you would be expected to know on a fourth or fifth grade exam. For example, young readers will learn that Mars is called the Red Planet due to the iron oxide present on its surface and that the temperature in the center of Jupiter might be as high as 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit!
I had the opportunity to read Dawn Menge’s first Queen Vernita book, Queen Vernita’s Visitors, more than two years ago and became a fan immediately. All of her books are now regular parts of the bedtime reading routine in my house, per request of my preschool daughter. While my young girl enjoys the calendar repetition and the illustrations now, these books will only continue to grow with her as she understands more the higher-level details provided on each page. With the newly-released third book in the series, Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, Menge continues to offer the quality writing and attention to detail that her previous books provided and adds wonderful facts about a subject in which we really need to get more young people excited. This book is one that I recommend for every home collection and school library!
In this new book, Queen Vernita continues her tradition of welcoming a friend to her home every month and then learning a new fact or experiencing a new adventure on every day of the week. Her guests are young and old, male and female, and of various races and physical abilities. This time around, they are joined by Sir HeathyBean and Cora the Teacher to learn some exciting details about the universe that surrounds us. And as always, readers will enjoy gorgeous illustrations on every page.
During the interview, Dawn will be discussing what it was like to work with her brother, Heath Rhodes, as co-author on this project, why she chose to focus on astronomy for this third installment, and the messages she hopes readers will take away about learning and friendship.
Click here to listen... to the entire interview!
Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer can be purchased at Amazon.com.
Title of Document: Book Review
Book Title: Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer
Author: Dawn Menge
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3120-5
Publisher: OutskirtsPress.com
Genre and Target Market: children; fiction
Publication Date: 2010
Book Review by: Sarah Moore
Just earlier today, I sat riveted to a documentary on The History Channel that charted the presumed future of the sun. I watched a demonstration of how the gases that comprise this large star will eventually expand, consuming the Earth and other planets along the way, and then how all of the matter of the universe will explode under the force of a “dark energy” that has yet to be fully understood. I was fascinated by every moment of the program, and found myself imagining a class of children learning this exact same information. Would they find these details as amazing as I do? How can we help to encourage a desire to learn more about the expanse that surrounds us, as there is still so much more to know? In her newest addition to the Queen Vernita series, Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, author Dawn Menge offers us one great tool that I believe will get children excited about space and astronomy.
For readers who are not already familiar with Queen Vernita, she is a character created by Menge to teach children about the months of the year and the days of the week through repetition, beautiful illustrations, and visitors whose personalities are pulled from the author’s own life. Each month, Queen Vernita welcomes a new friend to spend time with her and the readers learn what the two do or learn every day of the week. In Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, the Queen invites Sir Heathybean and Cora the Teacher to stay at her home for an entire year and teach her and her friends about some of the heavenly bodies that surround us. Each of the nine planets, the sun, the moon, and asteroids and comets receives focus in the book.
What I love about Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, and all of the books in the Queen Vernita series, is that Dawn Menge displays a contagious excitement for learning in each of her characters. They love spending time with Queen Vernita as they explore Venus or the sun or a comet, and each page ends detailing ways in which the learning will be extended when that month’s visitor returns home. This desire to discover is particularly important given the diversity of people who come to visit Queen Vernita. Males, females, the young, the old, and those who were born with physical or mental challenges—all are welcome and treated with respect and high expectations. I also enjoy the fact that the details included in this book go beyond the basic facts you would be expected to know on a fourth or fifth grade exam. For example, young readers will learn that Mars is called the Red Planet due to the iron oxide present on its surface and that the temperature in the center of Jupiter might be as high as 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit!
I had the opportunity to read Dawn Menge’s first Queen Vernita book, Queen Vernita’s Visitors, more than two years ago and became a fan immediately. All of her books are now regular parts of the bedtime reading routine in my house, per request of my preschool daughter. While my young girl enjoys the calendar repetition and the illustrations now, these books will only continue to grow with her as she understands more the higher-level details provided on each page. With the newly-released third book in the series, Queen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer, Menge continues to offer the quality writing and attention to detail that her previous books provided and adds wonderful facts about a subject in which we really need to get more young people excited. This book is one that I recommend for every home collection and school library!
Friday, August 06, 2010
Spirian Series Author Interview: Rowena Portch
Author Brings New Dimension to 'Blind Seer' Heroine.
One wrong step will tip the balance between redemption and destruction.
Join Writers in the Sky Podcast host Vonnie Faroqui with for an exciting author interview with Spirian Series author Rowena Portch.
When author Rowena Portch lost her vision to retinitis pigmentosa, she retired from her successful career as an editor at Microsoft, and with husband Gregg opened a wellness clinic on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. Portch had already been writing professionally for over 30 years, across different genres and for various publications, using a conventional publisher. Portch chose to self publish her most recent work and released The Protected, the first volume in her Spirian Series, on May 11, 2010, with book two, The Union to follow in October this year.
The two will discuss Portch's plans for the series as well as her choice to self publish the series, marketing, social networking ideas, and strategies for using virtual blog tours to promote the series.
Learn more about Rowena Portch and the Spirian Series from her website at http://rowenaportch.com/ or by following her on http://twitter.com/RowenaPortch and at http://bit.ly/Facebook-RowenaPortch. The author will meet and sign books for the public with events to be announced through BookTour.com.
Author Rowena Portch and husband Greg.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Writers in the Sky Podcast Schedule August 2010!
Join us for an exciting month of author interviews as a new show is posted each Friday. Learn about the latest books being published and how. Hear what authors are doing to market their books on Writers in the Sky Podcast.
August 6
Author Rowena Portch introduces The Protected, the first novel in her Spirian Series. Portch successfully gifts the reader with a heroine and a story that will capture as well as excite the imagination and joins WITS podcast host Vonnie Faroqui to talk about her plans for the series. When author Rowena Portch lost her vision to retinitis pigmentosa, she retired from her successful career as an editor at Microsoft to focus on her healing and writing work. Portch had already been writing professionally for over 30 years, across different genres and for various publications. She will be bringing years of experience and insight into the publishing world to WITS Podcast listeners.
August 13
Author Dawn Menge returns for a third visit to the Writers in the Sky Podcast to discuss the newest book in her series for children featuring the character of Queen Vernita. In this installment, Queen Vernita Visits Sir Heathybean the Astronomer, readers will learn many wonderful details about the planets and other celestial bodies; and, as always when spending time with Queen Vernita, the repetition of months and days of the week is continued as a learning tool. During the interview with WITS team member Sarah Moore, Dawn Menge will be discussing how she is working to expand the interest in Queen Vernita with the release of each new book, the new characters readers can expect to meet in Queen Vernita Visits Sir Heathybean the Astronomer, and perhaps invite a special guest from the pages of the book to join part of the conversation.
August 20
Vonnie Faroqui will interview event planner and business woman Andrea Michaels about her foray into writing, Reflections of a Successful Wallflower, a memoir of her experiences. Michaels is an award-winning and highly-regarded leader in the special events industry, a true pioneer, and will be sharing the memories of a lifetime as she reflects on the many lessons learned along the path to success and her decision to write about them. .
August 27
The podcast series for August ends on the 27th with The Drawing Lesson and an interview with returning guest author Mary Martin. Ms. Martin will share the inspiration behind her latest series A Trilogy of Remembrance, which focuses on the art world, art politics, and creative madness as well as malicious intrigue. Discover the secrets of a fabulous author as she discusses how she changed her writing style from The Osgoode Trilogy, three novels of legal suspense, to create her latest literary art offering. Martin’s Drawing Lesson is already receiving highly-regarded critical acclaim in Canada and is sure to please American readers.
Listening to Writers in the Sky Podcast on a computer is easy. Just click this link: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com and go to my blog. On the right sidebar there is a list of archived shows. Click on the interview you would like to hear and it will open a post that has a link to open the audio file. For information about being a guest on Writers in the Sky Podcast, see http://writersinthesky.com/writing-podcast.html.
August 6
Author Rowena Portch introduces The Protected, the first novel in her Spirian Series. Portch successfully gifts the reader with a heroine and a story that will capture as well as excite the imagination and joins WITS podcast host Vonnie Faroqui to talk about her plans for the series. When author Rowena Portch lost her vision to retinitis pigmentosa, she retired from her successful career as an editor at Microsoft to focus on her healing and writing work. Portch had already been writing professionally for over 30 years, across different genres and for various publications. She will be bringing years of experience and insight into the publishing world to WITS Podcast listeners.
August 13
Author Dawn Menge returns for a third visit to the Writers in the Sky Podcast to discuss the newest book in her series for children featuring the character of Queen Vernita. In this installment, Queen Vernita Visits Sir Heathybean the Astronomer, readers will learn many wonderful details about the planets and other celestial bodies; and, as always when spending time with Queen Vernita, the repetition of months and days of the week is continued as a learning tool. During the interview with WITS team member Sarah Moore, Dawn Menge will be discussing how she is working to expand the interest in Queen Vernita with the release of each new book, the new characters readers can expect to meet in Queen Vernita Visits Sir Heathybean the Astronomer, and perhaps invite a special guest from the pages of the book to join part of the conversation.
August 20
Vonnie Faroqui will interview event planner and business woman Andrea Michaels about her foray into writing, Reflections of a Successful Wallflower, a memoir of her experiences. Michaels is an award-winning and highly-regarded leader in the special events industry, a true pioneer, and will be sharing the memories of a lifetime as she reflects on the many lessons learned along the path to success and her decision to write about them. .
August 27
The podcast series for August ends on the 27th with The Drawing Lesson and an interview with returning guest author Mary Martin. Ms. Martin will share the inspiration behind her latest series A Trilogy of Remembrance, which focuses on the art world, art politics, and creative madness as well as malicious intrigue. Discover the secrets of a fabulous author as she discusses how she changed her writing style from The Osgoode Trilogy, three novels of legal suspense, to create her latest literary art offering. Martin’s Drawing Lesson is already receiving highly-regarded critical acclaim in Canada and is sure to please American readers.
Listening to Writers in the Sky Podcast on a computer is easy. Just click this link: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com and go to my blog. On the right sidebar there is a list of archived shows. Click on the interview you would like to hear and it will open a post that has a link to open the audio file. For information about being a guest on Writers in the Sky Podcast, see http://writersinthesky.com/writing-podcast.html.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Frugal and Focused Tweeting
Book title: Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers: Tweaking Your Tweets and Other Tips for Integrating Your Social Media
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
ISBN: 1451546149
Publisher: CreateSpace (April 1, 2010)
Reviewed by Yvonne Perry, owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services
Twitts• pir• a• tion • n. What Frugal and Focused Tweeting Gives You
I always get inspiration and ideas when I read something Carolyn Howard-Johnson has written about book marketing. However, when I got hold of her latest book, Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers: Tweaking Your Tweets and Other Tips for Integrating Your Social Media, I wasn’t too sure I would learn something I didn’t already know. After all, there’s only so much you can say aboutTwitter —like most social networking sites, it takes up valuable time and distracts people from getting other things done.
But, I was pleasantly surprised and realized I was in for an interesting read when I opened the section before the first chapter and found, “Twitter was designed to be a simple communication device. I propose to keep it as simple as possible, or at least as simple as you want it to be.” I’m all about simplifying my life, so I kept reading.
She promised to reveal how to useTwitter as a business tool by tailoring your Tweets to your goals. I’ve been doing that.
“. . . easy schmeazy, free way to garner a few online sales” she says.
“Hmmmm . . .,” Says I. “I’ll keep reading.”
Did you say wallpaper? Excuse me while I open the Internet and see what I can do to improve myTwitter backdrop. Distracted? Oh, yes. But you should see my new wallpaper @writersinthesky! Or you can snag one from MyTweetSpace.com as Carolyn suggests in chapter three.
Moving right along. Next, the author says we should appreciate our customers and let them know we are thinking of them. By, George, she’s right and it’s #FollowFriday. I’ll be right back . . .
Sorry it took so long, I had to update my lists, follow some new people, and try out SocialOomph.com. But, hold on; I’m going back in to create hastags!
As you can see, this book has a lot to offer business owners. It contains a lot of useful information that can help you useTwitter more effectively and make better use of your time—frugally!
Purchase Frugal and Focused Tweeting on Amazon.com
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
ISBN: 1451546149
Publisher: CreateSpace (April 1, 2010)
Reviewed by Yvonne Perry, owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services
Twitts• pir• a• tion • n. What Frugal and Focused Tweeting Gives You
I always get inspiration and ideas when I read something Carolyn Howard-Johnson has written about book marketing. However, when I got hold of her latest book, Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers: Tweaking Your Tweets and Other Tips for Integrating Your Social Media, I wasn’t too sure I would learn something I didn’t already know. After all, there’s only so much you can say about
But, I was pleasantly surprised and realized I was in for an interesting read when I opened the section before the first chapter and found, “
She promised to reveal how to use
“. . . easy schmeazy, free way to garner a few online sales” she says.
“Hmmmm . . .,” Says I. “I’ll keep reading.”
Did you say wallpaper? Excuse me while I open the Internet and see what I can do to improve my
Moving right along. Next, the author says we should appreciate our customers and let them know we are thinking of them. By, George, she’s right and it’s #FollowFriday. I’ll be right back . . .
Sorry it took so long, I had to update my lists, follow some new people, and try out SocialOomph.com. But, hold on; I’m going back in to create hastags!
As you can see, this book has a lot to offer business owners. It contains a lot of useful information that can help you use
Purchase Frugal and Focused Tweeting on Amazon.com
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