2 More Awards for Paraworld Zero!

Wow, I was checking my spam email folders today and discovered that Paraworld Zero just got 1st place in the E-Book and Audiobook categories of the DIY Book Festival. That brings the total to 9 contests my YA fantasy novel has placed in! Some of the big contests are coming up, so I'm really crossing my fingers. Baker & Taylor (a popular distributor) has my 10-CD audiobook in stock right now, so that's a good sign. Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com just lowered their prices as well for my audiobook, so I followed suit on my website. Go to http://ParaWorlds.com/audio/ to listen to the first chapter. It's also on audible.com and iTunes.

My Smoky, Stinky Christmas

Originally posted HERE

Since this was going to be a light Christmas for us, I was shocked at how many presents my wife had miraculously come up with for our 5 boys. Turns out that she had bought a bunch of things 10 years ago when we first got married but never gave them to our kids. So even though we didn’t spend much this year, our boys still got a nice stash of toys. I gave them 14 DVDs crammed with cartoons. That’ll keep em busy for a while.

Two interesting things happened on Christmas: 1. Some secret Santa dropped off a sack of toys at our door, after we had already opened our presents. This wasn’t just a meager gift . . . this was a full blown Christmas in a sack. We decided to keep most of the toys for future birthdays. Looks like Santa dropped his sack when he was flying over our house! 2. One of my twins decided to microwave a little bean bag, and it pretty much set fire to our microwave and smoked out our entire house. I spent the night opening windows, fanning smoke, and moving around our ozone filters to get rid of the smell. It’s still pretty strong. My wife was very upset because all she wanted to do was sleep. I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep on Christmas Eve, but I wasn’t tired so I stayed up until 4:30 AM. Too much Christmas spirit lingering around, I guess! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I hope you all have a happy New Year.

Paraworld Zero Places in 2 More Contests!

This week, Paraworld Zero placed in two contests: 1st place in the London Book Festival (E-Book category) and Honorable Mention in the New England Book Festival (Audio Book category).

That brings the total to 7 book/audiobook contests Paraworld Zero has placed in. Not bad. I'm hoping it'll place in a few more contests next year.

Go to http://ParaWorlds.com/audio/ to listen to the first chapter.

I Need Your Help

I Need Your Help: Must . . . Get . . . Reviews!

Paraworld Zero is finally on iTunes and Audible (the largest audiobook website in the world). Yahoo!

Use the special links above to get it for the best price. With those links, the downloadable audiobook is even cheaper than the paperback edition. Crazy! You can also get the physical audiobook from your local bookstore (ask them to order it for you), directly from me (Click Here), or from Amazon.

My audiobook is already getting good reviews, but I need your support. If you've ever read or listened to Paraworld Zero, please do me a favor and give it a short review and nice rating on AudibleKids.com (it doesn't cost anything). Thanks for your support!

Places to Post Book Reviews: There are a ton of places online to post your book reviews, but Amazon and Barnes & Noble are the biggest ones around. Go to http://ParaWorlds.com/reviews/ for a list of sites to post your book reviews.

Also, I just sent my December newsletter: http://www.paraworlds.com/newsletter/2008-12.php

My Interview on NarniaFans.com

Originally posted HERE

I was interviewed by Paul Martin, the owner of NarniaFans.com, the other day. You can read the full interview at http://www.narniafans.com/archives/1671

Paul said he might be able to help me with my video trailer. Remember a LONG time ago I said I was going to revamp the trailer and use my additional footage? Life just got in the way. I've actually had a couple people offer to help with my website, but I've been too busy to even take them up on their offers.

I have some more videos that I'll post on YouTube in the next little while. Basically videos of the panels I was on at various conventions going back to 2007. Whew! Check the video section of my website in a couple of weeks from now.

Lastly, Book 2 is coming along nicely. I hope to have it finished by the end of this month.

Florida visit and going to Utah next week... again

[I wrote this over the weekend]

I'm in an Orlando hotel right now, so my Internet isn't so great. Tomorrow will be the last day of the Tri County Comic Book Convention / Jani Con. The hotel is massive and absolutely beautiful. It's the largest Marriott in the country. I've never been in such a huge hotel before. Surprisingly enough, the rooms aren't that expensive, compared to the hotels I've stayed at with all the other book events. I'm guessing that's because we're so close to Disney World, Universal Studios, etc. BUT where they get you is by the amenities. I'm looking at the breakfast menu and it's $5 for a simple orange, plus 20% service charge, $3 trip charge and tax and tip. When you're all done, you've spent like $10 for a 20 cent orange. Shouldn't oranges be cheaper in Florida? You'd think. Anyway, that's just an example (their cheapest breakfast meal will run you over $20). Needless to say, I haven't been eating at the hotel! The convention promoter was kind enough to take me out to dinner tonight.

Last night I had dinner with Lori Alan (Sponge Bob, Fantastic 4, Family Guy, etc.) and Gregg Berger (Garfield, GI Joe, Transformers, etc.). What wonderful people. Since I just did my audiobook, it was fun picking their brains. I don't plan on going into voice acting, but I'm sure I would do well with it, since doing character voices comes very natural to me, especially anime-type voices. (My biggest complaint with my audiobook was that I had more voices I could have done but no suitable characters to fit those voices–and that's after doing like 70 male voices!).

I'm surprised at how fast I was able to create friendships with the other celebrities. While I was waiting for the shuttle to take me to the hotel, I struck up a conversation with a woman and soon found out that she was Lori Alan, one of the fellow celebs for the convention. What a coincidence.

Oh, before I hit the hay, I need to mention that I'm visiting Utah next week. I might do a school visit.

P.S.

At the airport home, I met some triplet 13-year-old girls (and 2 of their younger siblings), who ended up buying my book and talking to me for an hour or two. Then on the airplane home, I ended up talking to the TV producer of PBS and a radio show in Arizona, so he's going to book me for the shows. What an eventful trip!

Too tired to write anything sensible

You know you're tired when you spend 30 seconds trying to remember the name of the main character you just wrote about. AHHH! Where's my brain gone!

Looks like I'm going to Utah again at the end of this month. Hopefully, I'll get at least one school visit in before I leave. But before that, I'm heading on to Florida for the Tri County Comic Con. Should be fun. I hope to sell a lot of books.

On a totally weirdo note: I just got my 30,000th visitor today on my website: www.ParaWorlds.com (YAHOO!).

Here's a part from my latest newsletter: "Well, a few days later, the new mickey ruptured, just like the first one! This time, my wife caught it soon enough and was able to put it back in herself to keep the hole from closing until we could get yet another button that wasn't ruptured. Anyway, it was a nightmare, but he's all right now."

November Newsletter: http://www.paraworlds.com/newsletter/2008-11.php

Oh, the World Fantasy Convention was just wonderful. My panel was great. I talked about mystery in young adult fantasy. Here are a couple of photos of me with some famous authors. You can see more photos in my photo albums.

David Morrell (creator of Rambo) and Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson, Carrie Vaughn, & George R. R. Martin (NYT bestseller) 

Our First Black President!

I promise that this will be my last political blog... until next election. I don’t know what’s gotten in to me lately. I’m so not political, but I guess I’ve got these thoughts running through my mind and I’ll share them with anyone who wants to listen.

No matter which man won the presidency, America was still going to have a first: either the first black president or the first female vice-president. Just goes to show how far our country has come. I will definitely support Obama, and I hope everyone else does too.

In the end, I would rather have had Mitt Romney as president--someone who actually has a track record of getting a state out of serious debt. We needed a businessman who understands large organizations and does what he says he’ll do. Upon entering office in 2003, Romney faced a $3 billion deficit, but by the end of 2004, not only had he gotten rid of the deficit, but Massachusetts ended the year with a $700 million surplus and a $500 million surplus the next year! Actions speak louder than words in my book. Neither Obama nor McCain can even remotely say the same thing regarding the states they represent. For those of you who didn’t know this, Illinois (the state Obama represents) had the largest deficit in U.S. (3 billion dollars) a little while ago. It’s too bad that Obama didn’t help his own state out. Perhaps with his idea of “change,” he’ll change the way he did things in Illinois and help our country out of the financial crisis it’s in. He didn’t do it for the state he represented, but I’m sure he’ll do it for our country, right? Miracles can happen.

I’m not saying McCain would have been any better in this regard. Arizona is in a deficit as well, and it really irritates me. Senators don’t have the same type of power and issues as Governors, so it's not exactly apples to apples, BUT you can’t ignore the simple fact that Mitt Romney knows how to deal with financial issues, which is what our country needs so badly right now. It’s too bad that religious bigotry got in the way. I just read all the jokes the TV personalities said about Romney and polygamy (he’s a Mormon). The funny thing is that from the Republican candidates, he was the only one who hadn’t had more than one wife (i.e. been divorced and remarried). I find that very ironic.

As a side note, my wife said something interesting to me today, and I think only a mother would even come up with this thought. She said, in a way, that she’s glad McCain didn’t win, because perhaps Governor Palin can now be a better mother to her 2-year old Down Syndrome child. We have a 2-year old with a very similar condition as Down Syndrome, so I think it affects my wife to see a mother put her career before her little child. Of course, many people praise Governor Palin for doing this. As for me, I’ll just remain quiet on the issue. Everyone has their right to do as they please. Perhaps that’s why our country is in the condition it’s in right now. I’m just glad that my wife has chosen to stay home with our five boys. I know they are better for it. Being raised by a loving mother is always a better alternative than being raised by the TV and by minimum wage daycare workers who could probably care less about your child's moral and social upbringing.

One last thought. This is a free country. Regardless of the issues, we have the right to believe and vote for what we want. It saddens me to hear that people on both sides of the issues regarding the "gay marriage" propositions defaced each other's signs. Someone was "kind" enough to remove the sign in my front yard a few days ago. Probably the same people who spray painted "NO" over the "YES" on the large signs I've seen around the city. Regadless of this, Prop 102 in Arizona passed and it looks like Prop 8 is going to pass in California (a little too soon to tell, but I'm not going to stay up any later to find out). If anyone calls me a gay-hater, they're just being ignorant of the issues and ignorant of who I am. I would give my life for gays and non-gays alike.

Paraworld Zero Gets Its Fifth Award (Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards)

Paraworld Zero just got a silver medal (2nd place) from the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards in the Audio Book category. The 2008 contest had a total of 1,085 entries in 30 categories. That brings the total to 5 book/audiobook contests Parworld Zero has placed in.

http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1250

Jared's G-tube Goes Bye Bye

Originally posted HERE

This has been a crazy week. On Sunday morning, Jared, our almost-two-year-old “special needs” child pulled out his G-tube from his stomach, so my wife had to go to the emergency room for 8 hours. Evidently, the plastic bubble thing on the “mickey” (I call it his second belly button) that stays inside his body, ruptured, which allowed the tube to come out. The doctors couldn’t put the tube back in, but they were able to put a small catheter in. Then yesterday, the doctors put a larger catheter in because they still couldn’t get the G-tube in. My wife and I just tried to put the G-tube in ourselves (don’t worry, it’s legal!), but the hole in his stomach is still too small.

What happens is that the human body heals itself so quickly that if you don’t catch it fast enough, the hole will seal up without the G-tube in place. If we had caught it quicker (like within 30 minutes) we could have put the G-tube in without any issues. Problem was that he pulled the tube out in the middle of the night while he was sleeping.

Fortunately, Jared only needs the G-tube for supplemental feeding at night. The doctors want him to keep it because he’ll need another heart surgery in the next year or two.

As a side note, Jared started talking this month. He can say over a dozen words now. It’s cute to see him do the sign language and then say the word at the same time. He doesn’t realize that if he can say the word, he doesn't have to do the sign language any more. Most importantly, of course, is that he smiles and says “dada” every time I walk into the room.

Another side note: I've gotten past the 100-page mark of my book, which is around 1/3 of what the book will be. I've slowed down a bit in my writing because of Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Sony, Kitabe, SpokenNetwork, and Audible. I love all those companies, but I've had to spend time working with them to get my audiobook and E-Book distributed. So much work! I'm very pleased with what I've written so far. It's like a large puzzle. Lots more mystery, romance, and suspense. What excites me is that I'm adding things that will be the base of future books.

CLICK HERE to see the new Amazon page for the audiobook.

Moonbeam Childrens Book Awards Semi-Finalist

Originally posted HERE
We'll today has been a good day. My boy got Student of the Month at his school and my audio book, Paraworld Zero, became a semi-finalist for the Moonbeam Childrens Book Awards. The contest had a total of 1,085 entries in 30 categories. I'll find out on Oct 24 if Paraworld Zero won. Listen to the first chapter HERE.

Moonbeam Childrens Book Awards -- October 2008
Semi-Finalist in the Audio Book Category
http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1250

Paraworld Zero on the Sony Reader (eBook)

I mentioned ages ago that Sony picked up the non-exclusive E-Book rights for Paraworld Zero. It's been a long time, but Paraworld Zero is finally available for the Sony Reader! The E-Book includes the same 30 pieces of chapter art that the physical book contains. Looks like Sony has it for $10.79 right now. Check it out at http://ebookstore.sony.com/.

The Sony Reader is much like the Amazon Kindle, in which you can read the E-Book on a large clear screen. The battery life lasts a really long time, since it only uses the battery when you flip to the next page. Sony has over 50,000 books on their site for the Sony Reader, so I'm glad that mine is one of them. I hope you'll take a look at it.

As a side note, SpokenNetwork.com now has the Paraworld Zero audiobook on their site. Check it out!

Also, my October newsletter is out. Go here to read it:
http://www.paraworlds.com/newsletter/2008-10.php

Writing Book Two

Originally posted HERE

Nothing big here. I'm just writing the second book in the Parallel Worlds series. My goal is to make it shorter than the first book, since the first book was 100,000 words long.

I'm getting about 7 pages done a day, but I think I can increase that number. I'm very pleased with the storyline and with what I've written so far. I have about 30 pages of single-spaced notes, so I definitely know what direction I want to take the book. It's going to be a murder mystery of sorts. A lot of people did a double take at the end of my first book. I hope to have even greater surprises in book 2. The clues are all there. You just won't realize it until the end.

I just sent out almost 800 CDs to the World Fantasy Convention. Whew! What a project. And expensive. I hope it helps bring more attention to my series. I sent back the contract to Audible.com and SpokenNetwork.com. My audiobook should show up on those sites soon. Sony, on the other hand, is a never-ending battle. There's an error with the E-Book that they're trying to fix. I hope to see Paraworld Zero on the Sony Reader soon.

World Fantasy Convention Interview

Originally posted HERE

The World Fantasy Convention put up an interview of me on their website, along with part of my audiobook. You can listen to it here (the interview starts at 2 minutes and 49 seconds into the podcast): http://media.libsyn.com/media/worldfantasy2008/WF08_33.mp3

I'm excited to go to the World Fantasy Convention next month in Calgary. I've never been to Canada before, so I'm not sure what my experience will be like, but I have my passport now and I'm ready to go.

I'm devoting the next couple months to my second book in the Parallel Worlds series. I really need to finish that thing! I'm proud of the outline I've written. It's going to be a murder mystery with lots of twists and turns. I'm hoping that it's unlike anything you've ever read before. Writing a murder mystery in a fantasy world allows me to do some fun and unexpected things.

The Paraworld Zero Audiobook

Press Release on September 10, 2008
The Paraworld Zero Audiobook with 100 Character Voices

Parallel Worlds is proud to present the audiobook for Matthew Peterson’s bestselling young adult novel, Paraworld Zero. With over one hundred unique character voices from the author and his wife, this audiobook is geared to please young and old alike.

The audiobook comes in a 10-CD set (about 12.5 hours long) as well as an MP3-CD and MP3-DVD. The premium DVD version includes the PDF E-Book and about 4 hours of video/audio extras such as bloopers, interviews and photo slide shows. Listen to a sample at www.paraworlds.com.

Several audiobook websites including Audible.com (the leader in downloadable audiobooks), iTunes.com, and SpokenNetwork.com plan on selling the Paraworld Zero audiobook in the upcoming month. Kitabe.com just made the book available for download on their site this week.

Paraworld Zero is about a twelve-year-old earthling, Simon Kent, who stumbles upon a secret that thrusts him into a bizarre adventure filled with magic, technology and deadly out-of-this-world creatures. He discovers a true friend, confronts his inner demons and becomes the savior to a peculiar race of people, when all he truly wants is to find his way back home.

Parallel to Simon's adventures is a mystery involving a catlike spy and a magical swordsman who both struggle to maintain peace among the paraworlds. But evil lurks in unexpected places, and few people can be trusted. Their paths ultimately lead them to Simon: the one boy who might be able to prevent the biggest assassination attempt in the known paraverse. "Harry Potter meets Star Wars" – WormsScifi.com

Paraworld Zero Audiobook Formats:
MP3-CD: ISBN 978-0-9819227-1-3 for $29.95
MP3-DVD: ISBN 978-0-9819227-2-0 for $39.95
10-Disc Aduio CD: ISBN 978-0-9819227-3-7 for $49.95


About the Author:
Matthew Peterson is an award-winning short story writer, second degree black belt in karate, Eagle scout, computer programmer, and former missionary. He lives in Arizona with his wife, five boys and their giant African tortoise. Matthew’s debut young adult novel, Paraworld Zero (ISBN 978-1-59092-491-4), hit the BarnesAndNoble.com bestseller list, was honored by four book contests, and garnered many favorable reviews. Reviewers are comparing it to Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Artemis Fowl. Go to www.ParaWorlds.com to learn more.

http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail&ID=23094

2008 World Science Fiction Convention (Denvention 3)

Originally posted HERE

I often get so busy that my blogs become a huge info dump of my month. This time, I’ll just blog about my week. I got back from the 2008 World Science Fiction Convention (Denvention 3) safe and sound. The WorldCon was much smaller than the last one I went to in LA, 2006, but it was still fun. The ConSuite was extremely large. Lots of food and people. I met agents, authors, publishers, etc. I got some great pictures with Robert Silverberg, Lois McMaster Bujold, Connie Willis, Gay and Joe Haldeman, Carol Berg and others. Click on the Author's links to view the picture. To see more WorldCon pictures go to the “Photos / Videos” of my website (www.paraworlds.com) or to my MySpace page. I’ll probably post some of them here in the future.

On Friday, I spoke on a panel called “Publicity: Who's Job is it Anyway?” The panelists were Joy Ward, Roy Gray, Astrid Anderson Bear, Matthew Peterson, Ben Bova (who didn’t show up) and Pierce Watters. I’m including a video of the panel below. Enjoy!

WorldCon, Here I Come!

I'm just about to leave for the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver, Colorado, but I thought I'd post a blog about the press release and newsletters I just sent. If you're not on my newsletter group... you best hop on board! Here's the newsletter:

http://www.paraworlds.com/newsletter/2008-08.php

Here's the press release. Basically, I'm speaking at the WorldCon in room 506 on Friday at 4 PM about publicity with Ben Bova and some others. It should be fun!

http://www.paraworlds.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=377#377

I'm sort of bummed because I wasn't able to find a roommate for the WorldCon this year. That means I'll be paying full price for my hotel. Oh, well. I've been invited to a couple of parties already, so I'm excited.

Fever, Camping, Squeaky the Frog, Comic Con, Newspaper

Originally posted HERE

Life is still busy, but I thought I'd post what's been going on lately. I just got over a week long fever. I rarely get sick, so it was frustrating. I also just got back from a 5-day camping trip with my family. I played a joke on my boys this morning. Yesterday they caught a bunch of tadpoles. After they went to bed I found a frog (I named him "Squeaky" because his croak was more of a cute little squeak). Well, I hid all of my boy's tadpoles, and in the morning I told them that the tadpoles ate each other (which they do) and only one survived. I then showed them Squeaky. You should have seen their eyes!

On another note, I got invited to be the guest author at a comic book convention (Tri-county Comic Con) in Florida. They'll fly me down and pay for my stay there. It should be fun. I had to miss the last comic convention I got invited to because of my North Carolina book tour. I've never actually been to a comic book convention, so I'm excited.

Last but not least, here's a great article in the Daily Herald (a large newspaper in Utah) about one of my school visits I did in American Fork.
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/274370/

Honorable Mention at the Hollywood Book Festival!

Originally posted HERE

I had a fever for nearly a week (got up to 104 degrees), and it just ended today (I hope). Yeah, I probably should have gone to the doctor, but I had other things I had to do instead (like take my family to Sedona for a vacation). I've never been sick for so long before, so I'm glad it's over.

I just discovered that my fantasy book, Paraworld Zero, got another honorable mention this week (that's four now!). This latest one came from the Hollywood Book Festival in the "Teenage" category. Have you heard the phrase "Always a bridesmaid, but never a bride?" I feel like my book is "Always an honorable mention, but never a winner..." It's nice to be honored, but it would be nicer to... well, you know... win!

I'm going to enter my audiobook into a couple of contests next month. I really think it has a chance at winning. I won't find out until next year, of course. That's the problem with writing contests: they take forever! I entered these book contests over 6 months ago. Out of the 6 contests I entered, I received honorable mentions in 4 of them, didn't place at all in 1 of them, and am still waiting on the results on the last one. Not bad, really. I shouldn't be complaining.

http://www.hollywoodbookfestival.com/winners.htm

Dropped my publisher, Sony Reader, Audiobook, NY

Originally posted HERE

Wow! A lot of things happened in June.

1. I cancelled my contract with Windstorm Creative. Yep. It's true. Things just weren't working out with distribution (lots of orders were not getting fulfilled), I didn't get paid, and I didn't get my complementary books. It was time for me to leave and find a new publisher that could handle large book orders. Several publishers said they'd get back with me in July or August, including publishers in India, Estonia, and Canada. Several agents are looking at my book as well. No contracts have been signed yet. I'm a little frustrated with the whole deal, but I'm crossing my fingers that a big publisher will pick me up. My book was a bestseller and placed in several contests, after all.

2. I signed a contract with Sony for the eBook rights. Paraworld Zero will be on Sony's website and their Sony Reader soon. I just sent them the files today. Two other eBook companies have approached me.

3. I finished the audiobook of Paraworld Zero! It has about 100 character voices in it and is very professional. For the next two weeks, I'm selling the MP3-CD's for only $5 and the DVD-MP3 for $8. I'm shipping them for $1.50. Believe me, I'll never do this again, so buy them while they're hot. The price is going up to $30 next month. To participate, go to http://ParaWorlds.com/sample/ (ignore the coupons and prices on that page) and use the following codes when you check out: newsletter08cd for the $5 CD and newsletter08dvd for the $8 DVD.

4. Since Paraworld Zero got an honorable mention at the New York Book Festival, I decided to fly over to New York and sign books at the festival. It was fun, frustrating (my flight was delayed), but exciting. I'd never been to New York before. I couldn't believe how green it was.

Paraworld Zero gets another Honorable Mention, Sony eBook Reader, Audiobook

I feel like the "Honorable Mention King!" Paraworld Zero just got its third honorable mention in the past 30 days. This time from the New York Book Festival. I'll actually be at the festival on Saturday. I'll be signing books and I might be speaking. If anyone is going to be there, stop by my booth and say hi!

Also, Sony sent me a contract last week for my book to go on their Sony eBook Reader and website. I assume that will be available soon.

And.... The audiobook will be finished this week!!! Pre-order the audiobook right now to get it half off. http://www.paraworlds.com/sample/

Status on Jared's Surgery

Originally posted HERE

My baby, Jared, had four procedures done at the hospital yesterday. When they tried to take the breathing tube out, he wouldn't breath, so they had to keep him there all day. He was going to stay overnight, but he finally decided to breathe on his own.

He's home now but is in a lot of pain. They did surgery on his "manly area" (ouch) and worked on his ears and throat. Since he was already under, they decided to put tubes in his ears at the last minute. He's a little trooper. Last time he had these types of procedures, he was in pain for two months (He recovered faster from his heart surgery than the other surgeries). Anyway, I'm glad to have him home.

I should also mention that this month Jared has finally started to eat a little (he's 19 months old). He can now sit up from a laying-down position (with a lot of effort), although he doesn't roll over yet. And when we hold him up, he tries to walk... if he's motivated enough. It's very cute. He's in hypergrowth! I hope his surgery doesn't put an end to all of that. A year ago he was drinking from a bottle (finally) but after the last surgery on his "manly area," he never drank again from a bottle and refused to eat until just recently. He has a feeding tube in his stomach, for those of you who don't know.

We've also discovered that he'll need heart surgery again in the next year or two. That means they'll crack open his ribs again. Arrg. It sounds like he'll need several more heart surgeries until his heart stops growing. He's not out of the woods yet.

New School/Library site for Paraworld Zero

I've done a bunch of school and library visits this year, so I put them into a video. My school/library site is http://paraworlds.com/visits

Matthew's School / Library Presentations

Paraworld Zero is a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

Originally posted HERE

Paraworld Zero is a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

http://www.indiebookawards.com/2008_winners_and_finalists.php
Look in the Science Fiction category

"Letting Go" published by Haruah

Originally posted HERE

"Letting Go" was just published by Haruah. I'm not sure when the print edition will come out, but here's the online version:

http://www.haruah.com/item.php?sub_id=3240

This story is not a speculative story. Well, it's a literary story with just a tiny tiny touch of "Disney's Amazing Stories" feel at the end.

BookExpo America 2008: Day 3

Originally posted HERE

I just got back from the BookExpo. Wow! Can I just say WOW! I had more movie producers and TV producers talk to me, as well as a talent agency (Gwyn Foxx) who may be interested in selling my book to the movie industry--which is good, since the other talent agency I met at the LA Times Festival of Books never showed up. I got a solid offer from a Canadian independent publisher (robotpress.net) as well as some solid interest from large publishers, including an affiliate of Disney (ModernPublishing.com). The head acquisitions director for Sony (eBooks) talked to me for nearly 30 minutes and is very excited about my book. She even offered to connect me with Richard Curtis (literary agent). When I got home, an email from another literary agent, Katie Menick from Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, awaited me. She asked for a copy of my book. The agent I met on day 2 was Jenoyne Adams with Bliss Literary Agency International. After doing some research, I’ve discovered that there are pluses and minuses with both of the agencies. I’m debating whether I should shop around for some more agents, while the excitement is still strong. Oh, I got invited to present at several school/library events and to speak on several radio stations. Not a bad way to end the BookExpo.

Now the key to all of this is follow-up. Will any of these people actually call me like they said they will? Most of them gave me their business cards, so at least I can follow up myself if they don't contact me. I’ve proven that my book is marketable (it hit the BarnesAndNoble.com bestseller list and is now placing in contests). And I have a strong offer on the table and some interest from some bigger fish. The offer from Robot Binaries & Press would probably entail a 15,000 print run with about $15,000 set aside for promotions, and a great distributor with a national sales force. The owner of the company asked me what I was looking for in an advance, but I didn't give him a figure, because I wanted to leave that to an agent.

I'm concerned about going with another independent press, however, especially because their first book hasn't even come out yet (it will come out in September, and it's called "I, robot" -- Foreword Magazine actually said it was better than the original book and movie) and because they might have shipping issues by being located in Canada. They don’t have a track record, but I know the president, Howard Smith, has spent maybe $60,000 on the first book, and after talking to him for a while I could see that he really means business and knows what he’s talking about. Heck, he spent $5,000+ for a booth at the BookExpo to promote a book that’s not even coming out for four more months! Every question I asked was answered with a positive answer such as distribution, promotion, etc.

I do have real concerns regarding the pricing of the book, however. The headquarters of Borders or B&N (I can’t remember which) sent me a letter once telling me they didn’t want to stock my book, Paraworld Zero, because it couldn’t compete price-wise with the other books. Many stores stocked it anyway because of the demand. But they told me in their letter that $14.95 is too much for a trade paperback. I somewhat agree. If you go into Borders and B&N, you’ll see some hardbacks for that price, but no paperbacks that high. Robot Binaries is selling “I, robot” for $17.95. I’ve had complaints from bookstores regarding the price of $16.95 that Paraworld Zero is currently at. I can only imagine how hard it’s going to be for a B&N or Borders to sell a $17.95 trade paperback book when all the other books are going for $5 less than that.

All those uncertainties are troubling. What if the first and second book he has lined up don’t do well? What if he can’t pay me a decent advance? The mistake I made with my current publisher is that I opted for a higher royalty instead of an advance, with the intentions of making even more money in the long run. What happened was that my publisher wasn’t vested enough in the project because they didn’t have as much to lose. I now see the value in a good advance. High advance = High interest in making the book successful (so they can get their money back). Regardless of all this, I’m betting an agent would push the Disney-affiliated company first. But I certainly like Howard's zeal. He seems to be doing a lot of the right things.

So, to wrap things up, the BEA was a WONDERFUL event! I can't say it was wonderful for most of the other authors there. Many were very discouraged. I seemed to strike gold, though. I had a wonderful pitch: "Harry Potter meets Star Wars!" I gave away about 400 books. My booth was very nice to look at as well (I had an 8x8 foot backdrop of the characters from my book). I had a laptop which showed my video trailer, and I think that's what got all of the movie peoples' attention. What's funny is that quite a few people told me that they had already seen the video trailer or that they had already bought my book. Several MySpace friends came to see me in person for the first time, including John Kremer (book marketing guru).

I was so fired up that I drove home right after the BEA (6 hour drive) and then stayed up another 6 hours working until my boys woke up. Then I realized I better get a couple hours of sleep. Oh boy, am I tired!

BookExpo America 2008: Day 2

Originally posted HERE

Today I was invited to be interviewed by 3 radio stations. Several audiobook and ebook publishers showed interest in Paraworld Zero (some of them said they'd call me). About 4 movie producers showed some interest in my book (they each took a book, so that's something).

Several U.S. publishers showed great interest in my book. One publisher is owned by Disney and is thinking about doing YA books. Another promising independent publisher sought me out because they had seen my book everywhere (I guess they've been tracking its progress). I was impressed with the print runs and marketing dollars they are willing to spend. The president was very excited to meet me and left his booth to talk to me. Nice guy. Oh, the owner of Edge/Dragon Moon Press (largest sf/f publisher in Canada) stopped by. We've met several times. I really like him and his company. Too bad his publishing company doesn't do young adult novels.

A couple other publishers were extremely interested in my book, but they were too small for me to look at them seriously. I've plugged in so much money (well over $100,000) and time into promoting my book, that I won't sign with another publisher unless they give me a large advance to prove to me that they will back up my promotions and book. Ingram has placed 4 orders in the past 4 months and my current publisher hasn't fulfilled any of them.... grumble... grumble. In fact, a library invited me to speak a couple of weeks ago and they told me that they had ordered books 4 months ago and still hadn't received them. Grumble... grumble... But don't get me started on that.

On to happier things such as the last 5 minutes of the day. I mentioned to the person in the booth next to me that I hadn't seen a single agent all day, and then lo and behold an agent appeared at my booth. I read her name tag wrong and made a silly impression (she had to explain to me that she sold books to publishers), but I recovered quickly and she seemed interested in my book. She even told me that I am "a publisher's dream." I just did some research on her and she looks like the type of agent I'd like to have. I'm crossing my fingers double-time on that one. I have too much interest in my book with foreign and U.S. publishers for me to not have an agent. I will definitely pursue an agent when I get back home.

I was flattered today to hear that more people had already bought my book and enjoyed it. It's very satisfying when people mention that they've seen my ads, video trailer, or read my book. Over a dozen people specifically visited me today because they had been keeping track of my book and website. Several MySpace friends introduced themselves to me (how strange is that?!). I felt like I knew one of them so well, I even gave her a hug (she's from my home town). A whole bunch of teachers and librarians said they'd like me to visit their schools, and several people invited me to speak at book events. I have a ton of business cards to sort through.

I think I'll note lastly how impressed I've been with the people. Sometimes when I go to the science fiction or fantasy conventions I tend to see a few people who are a little strange, unkempt, and socially challenged, but at the BEA, I've seen mostly professional people. For example, I met a friend who modeled for her father's book. She and her aunt were so sweet. It brightened my day every time they came to say hi. These little social interactions made standing ALL DAY LONG more bearable. Just one more day to go...

BookExpo America: Day 1

Originally posted HERE

BookExpo America: Day 1. I'm at booth 5741 in the Authors Row. The person right next to me is the voice talent for most of the characters of South Park (hard to believe that such fowl language is coming out of such a pretty girl).

It's been a very interesting day. A publisher from India said that he'd like to publish my book and will call me when he gets back to India (in about 3 weeks). There's no telling if this will actually happen or not, but he did give me his card and told me to call him if he hasn't called me by June 23rd. That's encouraging. What's funny is that he wasn't even going to stop at my booth until I got his attention. He started out very wary and didn't even want to take an audio CD. Then he relented and took a CD. Then he took my business card. As our conversation progressed, he asked me to mail him my book because he didn't want to lug it back to India, but by the end of the conversation, he asked for a copy right then and said he'd like to publish it in perhaps a 5 to 10,000 print run. How funny that 10 minutes before this, he wasn't even going to talk to me. It pays to open your mouth. Again, no contracts have been signed yet. He hasn't even read it yet! But I'm crossing my fingers. I still have publishers and agents in Croatia, Serbia, and Korea looking at my book, so I have a lot of fingers to cross.

Today, movie producers, agents, and publishers all came to my booth and spoke with me. It's a lot of fun, but I'm all alone (the person who was going to go with me bailed), so I can't visit any of the other booths! I might abandon my booth for a few minutes to visit TOR or Scholastic. I'm hoping that some more publishers and agents will speak to me. None of the U.S. ones I spoke with publish my type of book. Rights buyers tend to be very unapproachable as they walk by, but they're very easy to spot because they have orange tags and they are the only people in the convention center not carrying around a load of books.

I gave away about 150 books today, so hopefully, something good will come of that. It was nice to get the occasional comment, "Oh, I just bought your book last week," or "Oh, I've seen your video trailer on youtube." I was surprised at how many people recognized my back drop or remembered me from the L.A. Times Festival of Books. A handful of people have really been keeping track of my book and life. It was nice to meet them in person. I'm hopeful for tomorrow.

Paraworld Zero gets an honorable mention at the Beach Book Festival

Originally posted HERE

My new novel, Paraworld Zero, received an honorable mention at the Beach Book Festival in Atlantic City! I didn't win a prize, but it's still nice to be listed.

Look at the Science Fiction category.
http://www.beachbookfestival.com/

BookExpo America

[Press Release May 7, 2008]

BookExpo America Attracts Bestselling Author, Matthew Peterson

Matthew Peterson, author of the bestselling young adult fantasy novel, Paraworld Zero, has announced that he will be attending the 2008 BookExpo America in Los Angeles. Mr. Peterson, under the banner of Parallel Worlds LLC, will be in the Authors Row, booth #5741, between May 30th and June 1st.

The BookExpo America is held every year in the United States at alternating locations. This year it will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where over 35,000 people are expected to attend. The BookExpo is a place where everyone who’s anyone in the U.S. book industry, including publishers, agents, authors, booksellers, librarians, film, audio, and foreign rights representatives, can come and network with each other.

At the conference, Mr. Peterson will be giving away free copies of his award-winning novel, Paraworld Zero, as well as complimentary audiobook CDs and DVDs. Paraworld Zero was just published in January by Windstorm Creative. It soon hit the top-50 BarnesAndNoble.com bestseller list and garnered numerous reviews. Paraworld Zero received the Flamingnet TOP CHOICE Award and was recently given an honorable mention at the Beach Book Festival in Atlantic City. Reviewers are calling it a “Harry Potter meets Star Wars!”

In addition to selling the hardback and mass-market rights to his Parallel Worlds series, Mr. Peterson will also be available to everyone interested in foreign and subsidiary rights. Agents from Serbia and Korea have already shown great interest, as well as an agent in the U.S. film industry.


About the Author:
Matthew Peterson is an award-winning short story writer, second degree black belt in karate, Eagle scout, computer programmer, and former missionary. He lives in Arizona with his wife, five boys and their giant African tortoise. Matthew’s debut young adult novel, Paraworld Zero (ISBN # 978-1-59092-491-4), hit the BarnesAndNoble.com bestseller list and garnered many favorable reviews. Reviewers are comparing it to Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Artemis Fowl. Go to www.ParaWorlds.com to learn more.

An Author’s Opinion of the Harry Potter Lexicon

Originally posted HERE

An author's writing is often their baby, and with any baby, you want to protect it. Most authors today would welcome fans creating lexicons, websites, and fanfiction of their work. That's because most authors have very small audiences and would love any free promotion they could get. However, popular authors, like J.K. Rowling, have more at stake when a fan pushes the envelope.

For those of you out of the loop, Steve Vander Ark, a 50 year-old former librarian from Michigan, created an online Harry Potter lexicon, which everyone could view freely. That didn't seem to stir the pot too much until he agreed with RDR Books to print the lexicon and sell it to the public. J.K. Rowling got wind of this and is taking the issue to court in New York. She feels that Vander Ark's lexicon has little value to Harry Potter fans and that it infringes on copyright laws. RDR Books claims that they are protected under the fair use laws.

As a new author, I initially felt that J.K. Rowling was making too much of a fuss about this. RDR Books was only going to do a first print run of 1500. That would hardly make a dent in Rowling's fanbase or in her pocketbook. Heck, I gave away more than 1500 copies of my new fantasy novel, Paraworld Zero, for free! And if the lexicon truly was substandard, wouldn't that just boost sales for the official Harry Potter encyclopedia that Rowling plans to write? So the issue must run deeper than money. The issue at hand is the plagiarism and mishandling of Rowling's "baby."

Rowling's complaint that the lexicon is poorly written does not warrant a lawsuit in my mind, but her argument that the lexicon is mostly filled with quotes from her books and has little original content does raise a red flag. The American fair use laws do allow for quotations of copyrighted material without permission, but Vander Ark might have overstepped his bounds. The courts will decide on that. In the final analysis, the lexicon will not hurt book sales of Harry Potter. It will not demean Harry Potter nor will it take away any significant amount of money from Rowling. In fact, the lawsuit and media coverage will probably increase the sales of Rowling's official encyclopedia when it comes out. So, again, that leaves the sentimental and legal issues of having someone else play with your work.

How would I feel if someone wrote a lexicon about my Parallel Worlds series? At this point in the game, I'd feel flattered. Ask me this question again in fifteen years when my "baby" has matured into a teenager, and I might give you a different answer. Authors, as well as parents, can be very protective of their children.

About the Author:
Matthew Peterson is an award-winning short story writer, second degree black belt in karate, Eagle scout, computer programmer, and former missionary. He lives in Arizona with his wife, five boys and their giant African tortoise. Matthew's debut young adult novel, Paraworld Zero (ISBN # 978-1-59092-491-4), hit the BarnesAndNoble.com bestseller list and garnered many favorable reviews. Reviewers say it's a "Harry Potter meets Star Wars."

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

Originally posted HERE

Okay, I’ve been “tagged” twice now, so I thought I’d better do it. I have to list 10 things you don’t know about me.

1. My favorite color is marble blue – my wife tells me that a marble pattern doesn’t count as a color, but I’m sticking to it.

2. My favorite city is Panguitch, Utah. I laugh every time I visit Utah and see the sign for that tiny city in the middle of nowhere. It’s also the city where that looney guy from Contact is from – you know, the religious zealot who blows up the huge alien machine that cost billions of tax dollars to create. My next favorite city is Orem, UT (the Orem/Provo area was once nominated the most livable city in America... but then I moved away... and... you know... They had to take the “most livable city in America” sign down).

3. Three authors motivated me to become an author: J.R.R. Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander and Douglas Hill. Tolkien died a long time ago, but Alexander and Hill both died last year, but not before sending me personal letters. Also, Douglas Hill loved my book and gave it a blurb.

4. I got engaged to be married after 2 dates and 10 days. We’ve been married for over 10 years now and have 5 boys. We’re still happy.

5. I am an utter perfectionist and somewhat @%$!, but my office is a total mess.

6. I performed in 4 musicals, although I can hardly sing. I must have had a lot of charisma and energy for the directors to keep inviting me back!

7. I did the artwork for my book, Paraworld Zero. It was the first time I had ever done computer art and the second time I had done any art at all since 8th grade.

8. I was perhaps one of the best video game players out there when I was a pre-teenager. I would go to the video arcade with one quarter and would play games like Super Mario Brothers or Black Tiger for an hour without skipping levels or dying once.

9. I really wanted twins. I told my wife many times that she would have twins. The morning she had her first ultrasound, I told her she was eating for three. We discovered during the ultrasound that she was pregnant with twins.

10. I’m a huge scifi/fantasy addict. However, I’m too busy to watch the shows, so I’ve tape recorded every episode of Stargate-SG1, Stargate Atlantis, Farscape, Early Edition, Lois and Clark, and Battlestar Galactica... but I’ve watched very few of them. I’ve never seen an episode of Stargate Atlantis or Battlestar Galactica, but I have them all recorded.

Bonus: I had a premonition when my last boy was born. A few minutes before he was born, I felt this feeling of dread cover my body that something was wrong. When my boy was born, the doctors instantly saw that something was wrong. He was flown to another hospital where he had open heart surgery. My wife had also become crippled during labor.

500 Eager Young Readers

Originally posted HERE

I just did my first presentation at a school yesterday: 500 kids in 5th to 8th grades. The PowerPoint presentation was a hit, and so were the hundreds of free audiobooks and bookmarks I brought (I practically got stampeded at the end). All in all, I thought it went pretty well, considering it was my first presentation, I was sick, and my computer refused to print the presentation, which forced me to do it all from memory. I literally finished creating the files seconds before leaving for the school (I just had to add my Yoda impression to the PowerPoint presentation!). I had a lot of fun, and now I know what to expect for my next school presentation (which will happen in a couple of weeks from now). As a side note, Paraworld Zero got a bunch of reviews this month, so I’ll share my favorite parts here:

"action packed" - VOYA

"Peterson writes an excellent cliffhanger that made me excited about the next episode." - BookLoons.com

"For a first time novelist Peterson shows a good grasp of what makes a book exciting, injecting his novel with a cracking pace, endearing characters - and the story's breakneck climax is well worth the wait." - Sci-fi Online

"Readers will delight in this first book in Matthew Peterson’s Parallel Worlds series..." – MyShelf.com

"This sci-fi/fantasy adventure pulls the reader in from the first sentence and keeps the pages turning. Filled with humor, cool new gadgets and spells, and an extremely original premise, this is one book you do not want to miss out on... Two thumbs up." - Book Chic

"Paraworld Zero held me in my seat from the first page. An exciting fast-paced adventure, chock full of magic and humor... While this book contains elements of Harry Potter and Star Wars it is still uniquely in a league of its own." - Word Weavers

"Amazing! Harry Potter step back, Simon Kent is a magic welder with a secret history.... fun adventures, cool characters, and laughable moments... Definitely a good read..." - Yellow30Scifi.com

Book Signings, Tours and TV/Radio Interviews

Paraworld Zero hit the top-50 BarnesAndNoble.com bestseller list for a couple of days! Not bad for a first-time author. The past couple weeks have been very busy for me. My publicist booked 18 radio interviews back-to-back (over 5 million people heard me on the radio). NBC in Phoenix did a little blurb about Paraworld Zero (view the segment here). I was the guest blogger on a bunch of websites like FreshFiction.com. I did my first solo book signing at Borders. Well over 100 people showed up, and we sold 70 books. The employees said they weren't prepared for such a large crowd and had never seen this happen before. Finally, I went to North Carolina to be the guest author at some book events at Cameron Village Library and Pomegranate Books. About 30 people showed up at each event. I was also interviewed on a Raleigh TV show called "The Artist's Craft." It will air on prime time in a few weeks, but you can watch it now online here.

My upcoming events include another TV interview in Arizona and some school events (I'm going to California next week as well). I'll be speaking to 500 kids at the first school, so that should be fun. It's a good thing I don't get nervous in front of crowds!

New Book Trailer for Paraworld Zero!

Originally posted HERE

I must first tell you that I created this video trailer myself. I am not a professional. The footage and editing is original, though. The music was created from scorefitter. The characters who modeled for the cover of Paraworld Zero were kind enough to "act" in this video trailer. Secondly, I should mention that I'll probably post an extended version in 2-3 months from now. My original vision was to have a mini-movie with voice overs, acting, etc., but I just don't have the time to create the background music and sound effects right now. The footage and most of the editing is finished. So I hope this 2-minute trailer will whet your appetite for Paraworld Zero and give you something to look forward to when I get the extended version finished.



By the way, over 5 million people will hear me on the radio this week. I did 18 radio interviews on Friday, which will be played on hundreds of radio stations across America. Whew! Oh, and one last thing... my niece wrote an essay that won her a $2,500 allowance to see the premier of The Spiderwick Chronicles in Hollywood. Good job, Amanda! I've read the books and I've met Holly Black, so I'm looking forward to the movie.

Old Newspaper Clippings of the Writing Contests I Won

Originally posted HERE

For the longest time I've been telling people that I won the first writing contest I had ever entered, which was the 2004 Writers Weekly contest (I won $300 for a story I wrote and edited in a matter of hours). Well... I've been going through some of my old things and found some newspaper clippings of me when I was in 8th grade. Looks like my comment of winning the first contest I had ever entered was a true statement, but the Writers Weekly contest wasn't the first contest I had entered.

I had totally forgotten this, but I had entered and won a few contests back in 1989/1990 when I was in 8th grade. That's when I started writing my first book "The Sorcerer's Wand" (which I never completed) and later "Parallel Worlds" (which ended up becoming "Paraworld Zero"). Here are the newspaper clippings. Click on each of them to see the whole article.

. .

Two More Websites Review Paraworld Zero

Paraworld Zero has received 8 reviews from websites so far and 4 author blurbs... and they've all been very favorable towards Paraworld Zero. Let's hope that lucky streak holds up. Here are the latest two reviews I just got.

"The characters are lively and the storyline is fast paced and exciting to read. It's got everything a kid would enjoy reading so you guys should definitely pick this book up..."
TheBookBinge.blogspot.com

"ParaWorld Zero is one of those rare young adult novels that all ages will enjoy ... funny, fast paced, and enough twist and turns to keep you reading all the way to the end. Don't miss this one!"
- SpecFicWorld.com
Note: this review came directly from the editor/publisher of SpecFicWorld.com, Doyle Eldon Wilmoth, Jr.

Haruah wants to publish "Letting Go"

Originally posted HERE

I just got an email from "Haruah: Breath of Heaven" saying that they'd like to publish my story "Letting Go" on their site (haruah.com) and print magazine. This is a somewhat sad story that my wife just loves. The story is about a Hong Kong Orchid tree and the lives of the couple who planted it. My wife and I have a Hong Kong Orchid tree in our front yard. I've only seen three others in all of Arizona. Maybe I just don't get out enough!

Speaking of getting stories published, "Yearning to Jump" should be published this month at www.Teen-Age-Magazine.com. That story is mostly autobiographical. If you want to see how crazy I was in high school, then don't miss "Yearning to Jump."

Update: Read "Yearning to Jump" Here

My Woe-is-Me Attitude Comes Out

Originally posted HERE

I am going through so many stressful things right now, I honestly have a fear that I’ll have a panic attack. I lost $27,000 last month on lucky number nine. Just kidding.... about the "lucky number nine" part (I've never gambled before), not the losing $27 G's. So this month didn't start out too great. My baby who had heart surgery will be on a separate insurance policy next month, which will end up costing more than my house payment. But enough about money issues (I'll be okay financially... especially if people keep buying Paraworld Zero.).

My biggest stress right now is the fact that bookstores are telling me that they're having a hard time ordering my book from the distributors (i.e. Ingram, Baker & Taylor, etc.) because their computer systems (i.e. Books in Print) is showing Paraworld Zero as "unavailable" or "not yet published." Aaaah! Paraworld Zero has been published! I repeat... IT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED! There's a mistake in the computer systems somewhere. So right now, the only option is for bookstores to back order, pre-order or order directly from Windstorm Creative. I know of at least 3 bookstores who have ordered about 75 copies each from my publisher, but that's only because they were willing to go the extra mile to carry my book. What about all the other stores? I'm getting an ulcer just writing this. Hopefully this will get fixed pronto.

My publicist emailed me today to say that she's already scheduled 17 radio interviews next week and some of them are national. A 48-ft billboard is going up on Jan 12th in Utah and tons of ads will commence after that. One of them will be in The New York Times (4 million readers). Thank heavens for online stores like Amazon.com and BN.com. At least people can order Paraworld Zero online. It was ranked #542 at bn.com and #9 in the "Magic and Wizards" category of Amazon.com the first day it came out. Not a bad start.

Boy, wouldn't it be nice if a large publisher came in right now and bought the hard back rights for my book? They could piggyback on all of the promotions that are going on for the Trade Paperback edition. Perhaps I’ll see if I could solicit that somehow. They’d have to act awfully fast. I hear foreign publishers are much more responsive than U.S. publishers. Oh, woe-is-me! Everything will turn out okay. I just need to have faith that it will all turn out okay. I'm clicking my heels right now and saying "there's no place like home... there's no place like home..."