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Monday's This, that and the other thing
February 25, 2008

Like about a billion other people last night, I wasted almost 4 hours watching the Academy Awards on tv.  I have to admit that I haven't seen  any of the movies nominated.  I just don't do depressing, sad movies (although I did hear good things about Juno).  The highlight for me were the 3 songs nominated from Enchanted (ok, beside seeing Johnny Depp) and none of them won.  Neither did Johnny with Daniel Day-Lewis taking the best actor award (and what was with the giant hoop earrings he was wearing?)

But on to This, that and the other Thing Monday.  This is your chance to send me news, kudos, and other info relating to the crazy business of publishing.  Just send me an email and I'll put in what I can.

From Leeanne Davis, reader:  Celebrate Romance started with a group of online readers who wanted to get together and talk about the genre they loved so much.  Jo Beverley was one of the authors who supported it in the early days.    2008 is the 11th year of CR.  It's a small conference which combines readers and writers in an informal atmosphere that allows them to talk freely about the romance genre, where it's headed, what they like and don't like about the books being published today.  Thanks to CR, I have formed lasting friendships with people across the country.

This year we have 24 authors coming.  Each year we get a mix of authors; from established to new.  The authors love the conference since it allows them to interact with readers in a way that no other conference does.  Sabrina Jeffries and Stephanie Bond are our keynote authors this year. (This sounds like my kind of conference Leanne, thanks for the heads up)

Jeff Merkel at Northern Illinois University

From Earl Merkel, author:  It's been a hectic few days here, largely because my son Jeff is a senior at NIU. I thought I'd share this bit of parental pride (article from Rockford Register Star):

Jeff Merkel stepped out of a classroom building at Northern Illinois University a little after 3 p.m. Thursday into a stampede of people running away from nearby Cole Hall and yelling, “Shooter!”

“I was immediately engulfed by a crowd of students,” he said Friday morning. “I ducked back into the building and went into the last classroom and told them to lock the door and turn off the light. I said, ‘I apologize if it’s not true, but they’re saying there’s a shooter out there.’”

Then, the 29-year-old former Navy corpsman and veteran of conflicts in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan went back outside and headed in the direction from which the other students were fleeing. As he ran, he used his cell phone to call his wife of five years, Mariel.

“I told her, ‘I’m running the wrong way,’ but I had to,” he said. “I know how to do things. I’ve seen this kind of violence.”

As a military medic, Merkel said, he tended to hundreds of wounded troops. Some of them died, including several people in his battalion. “I stopped counting at 14,” he said.

He recruited a couple of people to help him carry three injured students to a central area where the wounded were being treated. He picked up a first aid bag that belonged to a police officer, pulled out gauze and started trying to staunch the bleeding on three of the wounded.

This week's Newsweek, which will probably hit newsstands tomorrow (February 19), tells a bit more about a remarkable young man who continues to astonish me and his mother.

What a week-- and I hope, on so many levels, that there's never another...(Earl, we're all with you on this.  Congratulations on raising such an amazing son.)


From Sheila Clover English, Circle of Seven CEO:  As you probably have heard, Amazon.com has decided to allow authors to upload thier book video to their Amazon.com/Connect account.  COS put out a video telling people about that. It is on myMySpace blog right now.

I also have put together a couple of handouts for people who are more visual. I have a handout on how to upload the video on Amazon/Connect and one that tells how to make an Amazon/Connect profile.

Please feel free to share it. I really want anyone who needs help with this to have it.  (Thanks Sheila, I'm sure this is very useful info for a lot of authors)

 
Finishing off the second month of this year to a healthier you.  Hope you all still have the enthusiasm of that first week of January, here's my health tip of the week.  My 10 minute rule:  If I really want to eat something not normally on my plan, I tell myself to wait 10 minutes and then if I still want it, I can eat it.  99% of the time, I forget about it after 10 minutes (I have a very short attention span).  Remember, I'll be giving away Subway gift cards once a month and all you have to do is post a comment.

Bottom Line:  I admit that I would have liked Enchanted to win best picture.  What's wrong with wanting a movie that makes me feel good be the best?  And now I have that song, "That's How You Know" running through my head.
          

Posted by Barbara Vey on February 25, 2008 | Comments (10)