Originally posted May 15, 2007 at http://www.paraworlds.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=52
I have seen and heard Jerry D. Simmons speak at several other conventions. He has a lot of good things to say but much of it doesn't apply to me, since I have a small publisher at this time. He tends to feel that knowledge is power... however, I'd rather he spend more time telling us how we can actually apply that knowledge.
I got a lot of good out of this seminar. It was pretty pricey for a 1-day seminar (i.e. $100) and they sent me an email telling me that they weren't going to provide me a lunch because I registered later than everyone else. Bummer. The library doesn't allow you to bring food in, so I sat there while everyone ate their boxed lunches.
The #1 good piece of advice I got was that I can make arrangements with bookstores like Changing Hands and Poisoned Pen for me to buy my own books from them at cost so I can sell them on my own. My publisher gives me a steep discount, but they do charge for shipping. I'm hoping that it would be the same price for me to just go through the independent book stores. Another good thing this would do is allow me to actually get credit for selling my own book. If I bought the books directly from my publisher, the sales wouldn't be recorded in the universal database that many bookstores share.
Here's some info about the speakers.
MONA GAMBETTA, Public Relations Director for the bestselling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki and the architect for Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki's #1 bestselling book; Why We Want You to be Rich.
CINDY DACH is Marketing & Events Director at Publisher Weekly's 2007 Bookseller of the Year, Changing Hands in Tempe, Arizona. She is the creator of the national author tours including First Fiction, which partners independent bookstores, publishers, and bands together to create unique author events. Cindy is also involved with the Roosevelt Row Arts District and the development of arts as an integral part of the revitalization of downtown Phoenix.
NANCY McCURRY is a freelance editor and founder of ALL ABOUT BOOKS, a Phoenix-based editing bureau. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing from the prestigious Goddard College and though she specializes in nonfiction and personal narrative, she is fully versed in fiction and nontraditional learning and teaching strategies. Nancy has multiple publishing credits as well as national awards in short story, short-short story, personal narrative and essay.
JERRY D. SIMMONS is the former Vice-President, Director of Field Sales for the Time Warner Book Group in New York, and has more than 25-years publsihing experience. The author of What Writers Need to Know About Publishing, Jerry is a nationally recognized speaker and the founder of this website, www.WritersReaders.com as well as the recently launched www.NothingBinding.com, an innovative new way for Independent Writers to market themselves and their books.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Leprecon 33
Originally posted May 15, 2007 at http://www.paraworlds.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=51
I only went to the Friday session of Leprecon 33. http://www.leprecon.org/lep33/
It wasn't my favorite convention, since it was more focused on art and music. I think I recognized just about every single person there from previous conventions. Wow! It was a very small convention.
As I attended the panels and got some glimpses of what was in the art show, I was reminded how different my tastes are than most of my colleagues. I have no interest in erotica.
I only went to the Friday session of Leprecon 33. http://www.leprecon.org/lep33/
It wasn't my favorite convention, since it was more focused on art and music. I think I recognized just about every single person there from previous conventions. Wow! It was a very small convention.
As I attended the panels and got some glimpses of what was in the art show, I was reminded how different my tastes are than most of my colleagues. I have no interest in erotica.
Arizona Book Festival
Originally posted April 14, 2007 at http://www.paraworlds.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=47
I just got back from the Arizona Book Festival http://www.azbookfestival.org/
I heard about this convention from Amy Black, the Corporate Sales Coordinator for the Borders bookstore in Chandler, a year ago at the Nebula convention. I almost didn’t come but I’m very glad I did. I was able to see Amy again (a very sweet lady) and I was also able to meet Maureen Piano, another author from Windstorm Creative. It was a big surprise for both of us. This is exciting because now I have a fellow author that I can associate and promote my books with at future conventions. Also we can share the costs of a booth in the future. Perhaps Windstorm will pay the costs. So far, my convention excursions have been fairly lonesome. Still, I have learned a lot of valuable information, but I have evolved to the point that the new information I do learn is diminishing, since I’ve heard most of it before.
This convention was for families, unlike the previous ones I’ve gone to... and it was free! I will definitely go to it again next year. A couple people asked me to send a review copy to them. Now that my work is starting to become stable, I hope to devote most of my time writing and promoting my new book.
I just got back from the Arizona Book Festival http://www.azbookfestival.org/
I heard about this convention from Amy Black, the Corporate Sales Coordinator for the Borders bookstore in Chandler, a year ago at the Nebula convention. I almost didn’t come but I’m very glad I did. I was able to see Amy again (a very sweet lady) and I was also able to meet Maureen Piano, another author from Windstorm Creative. It was a big surprise for both of us. This is exciting because now I have a fellow author that I can associate and promote my books with at future conventions. Also we can share the costs of a booth in the future. Perhaps Windstorm will pay the costs. So far, my convention excursions have been fairly lonesome. Still, I have learned a lot of valuable information, but I have evolved to the point that the new information I do learn is diminishing, since I’ve heard most of it before.
This convention was for families, unlike the previous ones I’ve gone to... and it was free! I will definitely go to it again next year. A couple people asked me to send a review copy to them. Now that my work is starting to become stable, I hope to devote most of my time writing and promoting my new book.
Jared has Noonan's Syndrome . . . officially
My baby boy, Jared, has Noonan's Syndrome. It's official. The test results finally came back and they discovered a mutation in the SOS1 gene, which has been known to be related to Noonan's Syndrome. The doctors were going to diagnose him with Noonan's Syndrome, regardless of the test results, but now we have test results to prove it as well. This might be helpful along the line with help from the Government for children with disabilities.
So we're happy the test came back positive.
He is doing well, except for the feedings. We have to feed him a lot from a tube in his nose and because he's becoming more active (he's 6 months old) he's starting to pull the tube out more and more. This morning it took us about 10 tries to put the tube back in and it was so sad because it hurts him every time. What happens is that he cries and coughs so hard that the tube comes out his mouth as we are putting it in.
He's a sweetheart. He's finally starting to smile and coo and play a little with toys. He'll need surgery on both eyes and a few more surgeries on his body by the end of the year. We're getting a band for his head to form his head properly (the insurance actually approved that, which is great because it was going to cost us $3000).
So we're happy the test came back positive.
He is doing well, except for the feedings. We have to feed him a lot from a tube in his nose and because he's becoming more active (he's 6 months old) he's starting to pull the tube out more and more. This morning it took us about 10 tries to put the tube back in and it was so sad because it hurts him every time. What happens is that he cries and coughs so hard that the tube comes out his mouth as we are putting it in.
He's a sweetheart. He's finally starting to smile and coo and play a little with toys. He'll need surgery on both eyes and a few more surgeries on his body by the end of the year. We're getting a band for his head to form his head properly (the insurance actually approved that, which is great because it was going to cost us $3000).
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The "Job" Story
Wow! My life has been a roller coaster since I got laid off work in September 2006. Here's an email I sent to my friends and family the day after Jared was born, Nov 2006.
-----------------------------------------------------
Alicia had her baby!
8 lbs 1 ounce. 19 inches. His name is Jared William Peterson. He was born yesterday (Wed) at about 6:40 PM--4 weeks to the day of Alicia being in the hospital on bed rest. She was 34 weeks along.
This was supposed to be a release from the stresses we've been going through, but it looks like we now have a whole new bundle of issues to deal with. First off, Alicia separated her pelvis during the birth. Last time she broke her tailbone, but this pelvis injury seems to be a much worse issue than the tailbone. She's basically incapacitated and can't leave the hospital (Arrowhead hospital) until she can walk. She is in a lot of pain.
And now for the bad news . . . Jared was flown to another hospital (St Joseph's, which is about an hour away from us) because he has a heart condition (pulmonary valve is too narrow) and other issues. The doctors are running a bunch of tests but it could be Noonan's Syndrome. He seems to fit the profile (i.e. Pulmonary Valve Stenosis, undescended testicles, perhaps a pound or two of excess fluid in his tissues, extra skin around his neck, lower ears, etc.). The best news is that he's going to live and that the main issues are reversible through surgery. The one thing that worries me is that there's a 25% chance that he could be mentally retarded. If he is, then it probably won't be too severe. Many people with this condition live normal lives -- some don't even know they have it. IQs have been reported to be as high as 130. But if the Lord wants to give us a special spirit, then that is fine with us.
Last month I felt like Job from the bible . . . before all of the problems he went through. Today I feel like Job the day he went through the first onslaught of problems. I find out that my boy might have Noonan's Syndrome, will need multiple surgeries, will probably raise our future private insurance to be more than our house payment, and will be in a far-away hospital for "many many weeks." I find out that Alicia separated her pelvis and won't be coming home as expected (she's been in the hospital for over 4 weeks now)--and when she does come home, probably won't be able to drive to the hospital by herself to see her new son. I spent half the day at the doctor's office to find out why my 2-year-old won't stop throwing up (it's been a month now). I got a scare tonight that he might have poisoned himself with Alicia's iron supplements (I'll be up all night checking him to make sure he's still alive. Poison control has been calling me every few hours). Dean just had a night terror. Oh, and my twins stayed home today from school because of throw-up sickness. Our house hasn't burnt down yet, but there are still 2 more hours in the day. Whew! What a day!
But through all of this, we are still positive and happy. We feel peaceful that everything is in the Lord's hands. He has really guided us and prepared us for this event. My new business is booming (I got laid off 2 months ago, which has allowed me to stay home with the kids). We're going to have a baptism this Saturday (I'm the ward mission leader). I just found out that my books will be published earlier than expected. Good things are happening. Family and church members have been a huge blessing.
-----------------------------------------------------
Jared had heart surgery 6 days after being born. We almost lost him after the surgery. He went without oxygen for a while, so I’m scared for him. He’s a sweetheart. After 5 months, he’s finally starting to smile (a little) and react to toys.
By the way, here's a website about Jared's condition, Noonan's Syndrome: http://www.specialchild.com/archives/dz-033.html
Alicia was crippled for a month and required someone to drive her to the hospital to see her baby every day (2 hours of driving!). She used a wheelchair for a while and then a walker.
A week or so after sending this email, my business tanked. I worked extremely hard to get it back up (which I did), but in Feb of 2007 I basically lost all of the money I had worked so hard to earn... literally in one fell swoop. My biggest affiliate accused me of something I didn’t do and said they wouldn’t pay me one red cent. I was flabbergasted. In one short email, my business was over.... or so it seemed.
Don't worry, the Lord has blessed us immensely and I'm now back in a similar business with less stress, more stability and more time on my hands. What's interesting about this is that at the beginning of November I was praying and felt an impression that if I didn't do a certain thing in my business, that it would fail by the end of the month. This was a surprise, since the business was going so well (I was making more money than I had ever made in my life).
One by one, my colleagues' businesses started dropping off like flies. Mine was the last to go. Sadly, my hands were tied. My wife was in the hospital, I had 4 small boys to take care of, and I had pressing issues with some other crises in the business that arose suddenly. I could see it happening before my eyes. I was warned in a prayer. I knew my business was going to go under unless I did something specific, but there was nothing I could do, other than drop all of my family and church responsibilities and focus on the thing the Lord told me I’d have to do to prevent my business from tanking. I wonder if it was a test, to see what I’d do. As a side note, my new "similar" business is doing better than expected and is adhering to that spiritual guidance I received in November. It’s almost like my previous venture was meant to be the catalyst to get my current business going.
Anyway, I won’t bore you with business. I just wanted to mention it because it really makes the “Job” story complete. Job had medical problems and lost all that he had, but later on he gained it all back with some to spare. I now feel like Job AFTER the trials.
One more thing . . . Many people asked me how I could still be cheerful after all of my trials. Two people told me they’d be throwing dishes and yelling. Several people told me with tears in their eyes that they respected me for the way I handled everything. I truly felt peace throughout this whole ordeal. I learned something from all of this that I will treasure my whole life. When your happiness is securely founded on the Lord, it doesn’t matter what happens to you. No one can take away that inner peace... that inner happiness that the gospel brings... not Satan ... not even God himself. There is only one person that has the power to remove the happiness and peace that I feel from the gospel and that person is me. I alone have the power to move myself away from God (by disobeying his commandments) and thus lose that peace and happiness that he freely offers. That is the lesson I have learned, and it gives me strength to endure to the end.
-----------------------------------------------------
Alicia had her baby!
8 lbs 1 ounce. 19 inches. His name is Jared William Peterson. He was born yesterday (Wed) at about 6:40 PM--4 weeks to the day of Alicia being in the hospital on bed rest. She was 34 weeks along.
This was supposed to be a release from the stresses we've been going through, but it looks like we now have a whole new bundle of issues to deal with. First off, Alicia separated her pelvis during the birth. Last time she broke her tailbone, but this pelvis injury seems to be a much worse issue than the tailbone. She's basically incapacitated and can't leave the hospital (Arrowhead hospital) until she can walk. She is in a lot of pain.
And now for the bad news . . . Jared was flown to another hospital (St Joseph's, which is about an hour away from us) because he has a heart condition (pulmonary valve is too narrow) and other issues. The doctors are running a bunch of tests but it could be Noonan's Syndrome. He seems to fit the profile (i.e. Pulmonary Valve Stenosis, undescended testicles, perhaps a pound or two of excess fluid in his tissues, extra skin around his neck, lower ears, etc.). The best news is that he's going to live and that the main issues are reversible through surgery. The one thing that worries me is that there's a 25% chance that he could be mentally retarded. If he is, then it probably won't be too severe. Many people with this condition live normal lives -- some don't even know they have it. IQs have been reported to be as high as 130. But if the Lord wants to give us a special spirit, then that is fine with us.
Last month I felt like Job from the bible . . . before all of the problems he went through. Today I feel like Job the day he went through the first onslaught of problems. I find out that my boy might have Noonan's Syndrome, will need multiple surgeries, will probably raise our future private insurance to be more than our house payment, and will be in a far-away hospital for "many many weeks." I find out that Alicia separated her pelvis and won't be coming home as expected (she's been in the hospital for over 4 weeks now)--and when she does come home, probably won't be able to drive to the hospital by herself to see her new son. I spent half the day at the doctor's office to find out why my 2-year-old won't stop throwing up (it's been a month now). I got a scare tonight that he might have poisoned himself with Alicia's iron supplements (I'll be up all night checking him to make sure he's still alive. Poison control has been calling me every few hours). Dean just had a night terror. Oh, and my twins stayed home today from school because of throw-up sickness. Our house hasn't burnt down yet, but there are still 2 more hours in the day. Whew! What a day!
But through all of this, we are still positive and happy. We feel peaceful that everything is in the Lord's hands. He has really guided us and prepared us for this event. My new business is booming (I got laid off 2 months ago, which has allowed me to stay home with the kids). We're going to have a baptism this Saturday (I'm the ward mission leader). I just found out that my books will be published earlier than expected. Good things are happening. Family and church members have been a huge blessing.
-----------------------------------------------------
Jared had heart surgery 6 days after being born. We almost lost him after the surgery. He went without oxygen for a while, so I’m scared for him. He’s a sweetheart. After 5 months, he’s finally starting to smile (a little) and react to toys.
By the way, here's a website about Jared's condition, Noonan's Syndrome: http://www.specialchild.com/archives/dz-033.html
Alicia was crippled for a month and required someone to drive her to the hospital to see her baby every day (2 hours of driving!). She used a wheelchair for a while and then a walker.
A week or so after sending this email, my business tanked. I worked extremely hard to get it back up (which I did), but in Feb of 2007 I basically lost all of the money I had worked so hard to earn... literally in one fell swoop. My biggest affiliate accused me of something I didn’t do and said they wouldn’t pay me one red cent. I was flabbergasted. In one short email, my business was over.... or so it seemed.
Don't worry, the Lord has blessed us immensely and I'm now back in a similar business with less stress, more stability and more time on my hands. What's interesting about this is that at the beginning of November I was praying and felt an impression that if I didn't do a certain thing in my business, that it would fail by the end of the month. This was a surprise, since the business was going so well (I was making more money than I had ever made in my life).
One by one, my colleagues' businesses started dropping off like flies. Mine was the last to go. Sadly, my hands were tied. My wife was in the hospital, I had 4 small boys to take care of, and I had pressing issues with some other crises in the business that arose suddenly. I could see it happening before my eyes. I was warned in a prayer. I knew my business was going to go under unless I did something specific, but there was nothing I could do, other than drop all of my family and church responsibilities and focus on the thing the Lord told me I’d have to do to prevent my business from tanking. I wonder if it was a test, to see what I’d do. As a side note, my new "similar" business is doing better than expected and is adhering to that spiritual guidance I received in November. It’s almost like my previous venture was meant to be the catalyst to get my current business going.
Anyway, I won’t bore you with business. I just wanted to mention it because it really makes the “Job” story complete. Job had medical problems and lost all that he had, but later on he gained it all back with some to spare. I now feel like Job AFTER the trials.
One more thing . . . Many people asked me how I could still be cheerful after all of my trials. Two people told me they’d be throwing dishes and yelling. Several people told me with tears in their eyes that they respected me for the way I handled everything. I truly felt peace throughout this whole ordeal. I learned something from all of this that I will treasure my whole life. When your happiness is securely founded on the Lord, it doesn’t matter what happens to you. No one can take away that inner peace... that inner happiness that the gospel brings... not Satan ... not even God himself. There is only one person that has the power to remove the happiness and peace that I feel from the gospel and that person is me. I alone have the power to move myself away from God (by disobeying his commandments) and thus lose that peace and happiness that he freely offers. That is the lesson I have learned, and it gives me strength to endure to the end.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
My wife has been in the hospital for a month!
I have been so incredibly busy lately that I haven’t sent any updates on Alicia’s condition (I often work until 3:30 AM, but that should soon end when Alicia gets home). She’s been in the hospital on bed rest for almost a month now, and I’ve been home with our 4 boys, while trying to maintain my new business. Tomorrow they will test the baby’s lungs to see if they have developed yet. So if his lungs are developed Alicia might come home the next day, which means she’ll end up having the baby on Tuesday or Wednesday. Today she is 34 weeks along. Technically, they want her to wait 2 more weeks. A few days ago, they did an ultrasound and found that the baby is 8 lbs, which is heavier than any of our other babies. Alicia is HUGE! If she went full term, she'd end up with a 14 pounder!
So that’s the status of Alicia. I’ve been working at home this whole time and the ward has been very good to help us out. We’ve had lots of stresses lately but even more blessings.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
My Wife Went into Pre-Term Labor
Well, last Wednesday my wife's body decided to go into pre-term labor. She's dilated to a 3 and is stuck in the hospital at 30 weeks along. They gave her a steroid shot to help the baby's lungs grow. The contractions haven't really stopped so she's been given a Magnesium Sulfate drip and a Tributalene pump in her leg. She will most likely be on bed rest at the hospital until the baby comes.
She has gone into pre-term labor with all of our children, so this is no surprise. With our twins, she went on bed rest at the hospital and was dilated to a 3. Two weeks later, she had the twins (10 weeks early).
She just needs to last one more week and she'll be able to have the baby at the hospital closest to us. If not, then they will fly her to a different hospital. This will be our fifth boy.
What does this all mean to me? Well, it ends up being a blessing in disguise that I've now been working at home. I've been taking care of our four boys, doing all of the stuff my wife did, working like a dog with my new business, and am still trying to do my church calling. I really feel for single moms! I just realized that since my wife is on bed rest, she's not working, and so her income will stop. That puts more stress on me, because my income won't start coming until a month from now.
Our church has been providing meals and babysitting. Life is very good, despite this bump in the road. The Lord is blessing us.
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