Workshop Event: Now Get Published!

Discover the Secrets to Landing a Book Deal

Join New York publishing insider JOEL FOTINOS, Publisher Tarcher/Penguin and Director of Religious Publishing, Penguin Group (USA) Inc, and publisher of The Artist’s Way, LAURA BREMAN, best-selling author of Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction, featured on Oprah, The CBS Early Show, NBC's Weekend Today, MSNBC, CNBC,CNN and many others, and JAMES NAVÉ, acclaimed poet and co-founder of The Imaginative Storm Writing Salon for a hands-on, intensive one-day workshop that will provide the tools you need to get published now!


September 27, 2008
9:30 - 6:00 p.m.

The Sacred Center
330 West 38th St.
New York, NY

Don't miss this unique chance to get insider information and advice on:

• The #1 secret to landing a great book deal

• The top 10 mistakes authors make

• Promotional platforms that attract major publishers

• Proven techniques to keep you creative and motivated

• Three sure-fire ways to connect with your audience

• How to create powerful marketing materials and web copy

• The final word-when to let go

• When you need an agent

• The pros and cons of self-publishing

• How to build strong relationships with publishers and professionals who can help you succeed.

Registration is limited! Early Bird Tuition is available if paid before September 12 ($129)

Find out more, and register early!

www.thewritingsalon.net/assets/salon_tarcher.html
1-877-994-8267
outside US: +1-919-949-2113

Live the Fantasy

Women are like tea bags. They never know how strong they are until they get into hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt

“Get Into Hot Water”
Friday, July 27 - Sunday, July 29
with Kathryn Jordan at Two Bunch Palms Resort,
Desert Hot Springs, CA

Don't miss this rare opportunity to "live the fantasy" right where the steamy novel takes place.

Readings / talks with the author in the famous Al Capone Suite. Fabulous spa treatments, early morning hike, yoga by the lake, wine tasting, barbeque & gourmet meals.

Also Included:

• Two evenings in elegant accommodations
• A Welcome Gift, including a signed copy of “Hot Water,” “Hot Water” Mug, and “Hot Water” Music CD - first 10 to sign up will receive “Hot Water” Tank top
• Spa Treatment ($125 Credit)
• Friday Night Complimentary Wine Tasting & Appetizers
• Friday Dinner, Saturday lunch, and Saturday Barbeque (alcohol not included)
• Complimentary breakfast, Saturday and Sunday morning

Call early: 760-329-8791

Take the Plunge—it’s one you’ll always remember.

$531 each, double occupancy; $715 single occupancy plus tax

Email Kathryn for complete schedule: katejor@earthlink.net

Visit Kathryn's Web Site: www.kathrynjordan.com for more details.

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Those of you who read WOW!, know that Kathryn Jordan is a favorite! Check out her previous articles and write-ups:

Event Recap: TWO BUNCH PALMS GETAWAY WITH KATHRYN JORDAN

Feature: Marketing Madness! Kathryn Jordan shares her secrets on book promotion!

Review: Getting into Hot Water with Kathryn Jordan by Diana J. Ewing

Event Recap: Two Amazing Authors Speak at OC Writers' Meetup Group

Carolyn Howard-Johnson Helps UCLA Play the Career Game!

Yup! It's true...

Veteran publicist and promotion how-to author Carolyn Howard-Johnson will teach UCLA students winning plays for their budding careers. Students will play The Career Game during Career Week 2007, April 9-13. Howard-Johnson will appear on Tuesday April 10 at 5 pm at the James West Alumni Center on campus.

Students will learn to develop special strategies through one-of-a-kind workshops and meetings with presenters from various industries. Career themes will be played around the themes of traditional games including Scrabble, Sudoku and Pictionary!

We all know and love author, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, but did you know she was named Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment? It's true, the 43rd and 44th District of the California Legislature gave her that well-deserved title for her first novel, This is the Place, and her book of creative nonfiction, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, which are both award winners.

Carolyn's fiction, nonfiction, and poems have appeared in national magazines, anthologies and review journals. She consults on publishing and promotion and is an instructor for UCLA Extension's Writers' Program where she will be teaching a course called "Savvy Marketing for New Authors"-- April 14. Her book, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T was USA Book News' Best Professional Book and an Irwin Award winner. Her THE FRUGAL EDITOR will be released this spring.

Howard-Johnson may be reached at (HoJoNews@aol.com)
Information is also available at https://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.

CAROLYN'S EVENT:

WHEN: TUESDAY APRIL 10TH
TIME: 5 PM
WHERE: James West Alumni Center on the UCLA Campus

Visit Carolyn and learn more about the consulting and strategies panel at https://career.ucla.edu/cw7/ -- click on the link to find out more.

Hope to see you there!

Front Range Author Signs Bestseller

Dynamic author and good friend, Sandi Ault, returns from her national book tour to the Front Range THIS SATURDAY to read and sign her BESTSELLING NOVEL Wild Indigo! If you're in Colorado or the surrounding area, this is not to miss...

TWO EVENTS ON SATURDAY MARCH 31ST:

Sandi Ault at Borders Books & Music:
Saturday March 31st:
12 Noon - 2 PM
1750 29th St., Boulder, CO
Phone: 720-565-8266

and

Sandi Ault at The Readers Cove:
Saturday March 31st:
4 - 6 PM
1001 E. Harmony Rd., Fort Collins, CO
Phone: 970-266-1618

WILD INDIGO, a mystery published by Berkley Prime Crime, has achieved critical acclaim. The New York Times called it "a striking debut" with "thrills galore!"

WILD INDIGO has appeared on eight bestsellers lists since its release in January, 2007 including The Boulder Daily Camera Local Hardcover Bestsellers and The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Beryl did a fabulous interview with Sandi Ault -- to check it out, CLICK HERE. This is a MUST-READ interview!

To visit Sandi Ault's website, go to: www.SandiAult.com or to find out more, email Sandi at: contact@sandiault.com

Sandi has achieved bestseller status, and it's not too surprising since she has Betsy Amster as her agent! Betsy has a great eye for picking talent. To read our WOW! interview with Betsy, CLICK HERE.

Join the fun! If you're nearby Colorado, we hope you take this wonderful opportunity to meet Sandi Ault -- the wonderful writer behind Wild Indigo and an amazing woman.

This American Life at Royce Hall - I went!

Event Review:

This American Life
UCLA Royce Hall
March 12, 2007
8:00 - 10:30
"What I Learned From Television"

WOW! I'm still pinching myself! What a rare opportunity to see my favorite radio show, This American Life with Ira Glass, live on stage! If you missed it, all I can say is that I hope they do another one some day. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event. I'll do my best to capture the moment. Then you'll just have to listen to the edited version of this radio show when it comes out, later on this month.

Those of you who are unfamiliar with This American Life will have to visit their site and listen to one of their free podcasts. I urge you to do so... this is some of the best entertainment out there today!

Each show features a theme and three acts. Topics range from Fiasco's (one of my favorite shows) to summer camps, liars, babysitting, and accidental documentaries. Each show has writers and authors who contribute their spoken word, as well as 'ordinary people' from all walks of life who share their stories. The hour-long broadcast is a mixture of cinematic story telling and a feast for the ears -- great mixing, segues, and thematic music.

Celebrity Sightings! (Okay, I put this here first to grab your attention, and make you read further)

I knew the show was about to start because a guy in a suit was walking around with a xylophone, lightly drumming bing-bong. I was sipping cabernet out of a plastic glass while casually standing by a trash can, trying to finish it before I went in. My hubby said, "Down it!" But it's not an easy task to chug wine!

As I stood sipping, I saw a sober-looking Jack Black, dressed in a button-down and jeans, with two lady friends (they did look like his friends, not dates) on either side. He looked refreshed, healthy, and much more handsome in person. He's actually around the same size as my hubby! Not too tall, not with the camera-weight, and just a down-to-earth looking guy. In Hollywood, there is no real fanfare, so people pretty much ignore celebs, Jack included. Plus, you have to think... this crowd is devoted to public radio... and unconcerned with celebrity sightings. Myself included, but hey, some of you are into this, and news is news! (or gossip anyway)

I admit, I'm not too savvy at remembering names, but I do remember faces. So when reached across Catherine Keener to grab a paper towel in the restroom, I recognized her I immediately. She gave me a warm smile, a double-take, and I said, "Hi," and commented on her top, which was the same color as mine. Instantly, her multitude of characters and movies flashed through my head: Being John Malkovich, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Capote. All of which she'd done amazing work, and won several awards, including her Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Being John Malkovich. In person, she was absolutely adorable!

There were many others, stand up comedians, broadcasters... however, their names escape me...

Onto the Show:

The lights dimmed and the band OK Go came on stage. They played a song I hadn't heard before about television. Wow... is all I can say. What dynamic performers. They came on stage after every act, and the singer, Damian, even joined in on several impromptu conversations with Ira Glass. When Ira asked what on TV prompted Damian to become a musician (paraphrased), Damian told him Prince; Prince in Purple Rain. Ira then joked, So that's what made you say, Mom, Dad, I'm not going to medical school?

Here's a couple of videos from OK Go:

"Invincible" by OK Go



"Here It Goes Again" by OK Go



Buy OK Go - Oh No at iTunes.


Ira Glass came on stage and told the story of two young boys in elementary school that created 'video cameras' out of cardboard, paper towel rolls, and paint. He went on with his story and then stopped. Spoken word may have worked for his radio show, but for an audience, he said, there needed to be visuals!

He then retold the story, with lights dimmed and animation flowing. It was hilarious! The animation showed how these kids created a trend among their fellow classmates through 'videotaping' -- exemplifying how people act differently behind a camera, and kids are no different. Pretty soon the whole schoolyard was taping each other, and when a fist fight broke out between two boys on the playground, the whole student body crowded around in a circle with their cardboard video cameras 'taping' the fight!


Sarah Vowell came on stage and read a story about pilgrims and Thanksgiving on television. She talked about the education she received from TV, by recalling a Happy Days Thanksgiving episode. Quite entertaining!

Next, John Hodgman was the highlight of the evening, in my opinion. He talked about how television made him famous, and his sudden rise to fame ever since he became the Mac commercial's PC. He told several stories that had me buckling, but I'll share one with you.

(Abbreviated) After coming out of the 'captain's lounge' at the airport -- a room that has a bar, all the comforts of home, including a shower -- a business man struck up a conversation. "You know you should have the company pay for a private jet." John didn't know what to say and started laughing uncomfortably. The business man went on, "You know you can trade some of your pay for a private jet..." John wondered if the business man knew something he didn't and just laughed uncomfortably again. What if this was a set up? Was this business man trying to lure him into flying endlessly around the world with him? He pictured him and this man together, flying from town to town, airport to airport, exchanging their pay for endless private jet trips while their families were left to fend for themselves at home! He laughed uncomfortably again, trying to appease the businessman.

Later on he came to an epiphany, that the business man had obviously recognized him and was just trying to strike up a conversation. It was the first time he realized that HE was actually a celebrity, and that people came up to talk to him because of it. (You'll have to listen to the show... it's much funnier when he tells it!)

As you may have heard, This American Life is going to be a TV show. Many of their diehard fans, including myself, were a little worried that the format would change, the show would bomb, or be a disappointment. Well, we got to see some parts of the show! Chris Wilcha, the director of the show came on and had a conversation with Ira. They talked about the decision whether to put Ira Glass in the show or not, and then showed some extremely funny outtakes. Trust me, the show is going to be a huge hit with everyone, public radio fans and television fans. It's just like the radio show, but with amazing visuals.

Check Out the Trailer!

Dan Savage talked about the stereotypes of homosexuals on TV. When he grew up, they were portrayed as swishy, poodle walkers who cruise parks late at night. He'd sit watching these shows with his dad, and at those moments, the room would become silent, as if his father knew he would grow up to be one. From that day on, he swore he'd never become a poodle walking, swishy gay guy. Years later, his adopted son begged him to get a toy-cup poodle, and now he walks it in the park late at night sometimes, regretfully becoming the stereotype he never thought he would become.

Rounding out the show, Ira Glass talked about his obsession with The OC television show, and played some dialogue from the show that mentioned This American Life! "This American Life... isn't that the show where suburban hipsters sit around talking about ordinary people... Uhg, gawd!"

Then as a bonus, OK Go, came out on stage and did a synchronized dance!

What a great show. If you've never heard This American Life, check out the free podcasts now! You'll be glad you did.

THIEF! BOOK SIGNING: SAT FEBRUARY 17

Check Out THIEF! in lights on the marquee at Mandalay Bay! Now that's amazing! Both Cherie Rohn and William 'Slick' Hanner deserve all the recognition for their hard work in making THIEF! a success.

If you are anywhere in the area, please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to meet the guy behind the crazy true-life-story, and get to know the kind and colorful character he really is. What better chance to get Slick's signature, and to read a book written by Cherie Rohn, a dedicated and talented woman author.

Saturday February 17, 2007
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
2:00 P.M. - ?

If you can't make that date, visit Slick at the Meadows Mall, Las Vegas: Sunday, February 18 at 2:00 p.m.

Be sure to get your signed copy of THIEF! before Slick's interview with multi award-winning reporter, George Knapp!

Check out Cherie and Slick's blog!

Event Announcement: Patricia Fry Luncheon

Come meet Patricia Fry and the Editors of WOW! at this special O.C. event!

When: Saturday, February 10, 2007, 11:30 AM

Where:

Town and Country Manor
555 E. Memory Lane
Santa Ana, CA 92706
**in their Garden Room

Who: Patricia Fry, Author, Editor, President of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artist, and Writers Network)

What: Luncheon with Patricia Fry


Why: To learn about promoting fiction, self publishing, and more.


Contact: Russell Traughber

Cost: $10.00 for event

Learn More and see who's coming HERE