Books 'N Authors and All That Jazz - 10th year

 Saturday April 28, 2012, I attended Books 'N Authors and All That Jazz, a conference at Weatherford College. It was their 10th Anniversary celebration and they put on a good show. I hung in the authors' wing, chatting with folks about my book - My Zoo World. Plenty of interest and enthusiasm

 My display included pictures of some of the critters cavorting through my chapters. Linda T's cat Benji was a star, as well as son Kevin's pit bull, Rusty. Certainly conversation starters.

 Other Trinity Writer attendees included Ann Summerville (A Graceful Death, High Tide, Storms & Secrets, and her latest The Berton Hotel), Sharon Owen (Thicker Than Water), and Arly Pineo (Cheat the Wind). Not pictured here are Sheryl Nelms (poet) and Kalvin Weaver (Kobra).  We hung out, made new connections, attended some classes (Dave Lieber is always a treat), and discussed the world of publishing in 2012 - ever changing, that's for sure.

The grand finale included some Jazz, thanks to the college jazz combo - very cool. Linda Bagwell, coordinator, also announced winners of various writing contests. Alas, I did not have to leap from my seat.
Nonetheless it was a worthwhile day in the world of writing and publishing....and all that jazzzzzzzzzz!

Thankful

Thanksgiving 2011

I'm very grateful for my family and friends. I'm excited that my book My Zoo World: If All Dogs Go to Heaven, Then I'm in Trouble is published. It's been a great year with poems and flash fictions chosen for various on-line journals.

I'm employed. My husband's employed. We have health insurance. Wow - that says a lot.

My father, at 80 (no, he doesn't admit to being a senior) is energetic and healthy. I'm SO grateful. My sister is doing great, as well as my brother and his family. All in all, I have so much to be thankful for.

Here's a humorous poem to celebrate Thanksgiving and enter the Christmas season:

Peace on earth

bow my head in church and pray
one eye on my teen brother, he texts his girl
other eye on Nate Holcomb, my enemy
I hate him, but it's Sunday so I can't, should
pray for his soul, for that pious face
to break out in zits, but that's not Christian
charity

close my eyes, soar above the congregation
imagine peace on earth, or at least my
sister's grubby fingers out of my stuff
sorry I pushed her, but she stole my glitter
shirt, claimed it was borrowed, but that
implies consent. Stomach growls
pray for last piece of pumpkin pie


sigh



and peace on earth

Book Launch

It's been a journey and an adventure both in life and publishing.
My Zoo World (If All Dogs Go to Heaven, Then I'm in Trouble) is available to buy, read, and chuckle as you turn pages.

As an animal fearing woman, Joanne Faries laughs at her acclimation to an animal loving world. She stares down swans in Sweden and a guinea pig in the washroom, but averts her eyes for the wombat in Australia.

My Zoo World is a humorous memoir of animal encounters with a twist. Among published animal tales, very few are skewed with a touch of fear and laughter on every page. Unlike books written by pet-loving authors, these chapters introduce the reader to a manic menagerie of animals: a snapping Shetland pony, a bowling ball playing pit bull, and a terrified turtle that tolerates distress. Meet Benji, the cat, Muff, the dog, and more. Friends are convinced they can overcome Joanne’s concerns with their precious pets. Join them and root for the animals as you read My Zoo World.

Enjoy!

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I wonder if Gutenberg had as much trouble with his press as I've had with my format issues for my book. Self publishing is an adventure, a challenge, and yes I do appreciate the big NY brickhouses more. However, I soldier on and (shameless plug here), I am on Amazon Kindle - My Zoo World is available for download. Print edition coming soon (fingers crossed).

Back to Gutenberg. An article caught my eye (Dallas Morning News 10/15/11 p. 14A) about Germans in Cologne who have set up free-for-all libraries. Street corners, city squares, and super markets - shelves are available and books are donated and shared. Very cool concept. No questions asked. Take a book, leave a book, read and enjoy.

The project is open and financed by donations. Volunteer groups care for the shelves. The branch manager of Cologne's Mayersche Buchhandlung book store, Elmar Muether, said, "If books are present everywhere, it helps our business, too.". It's promotion versus competition. If someone gets hooked on an author, he or she is more likely to seek out and buy other books.

Anything to promote reading has to be a positive for society as a whole. Das ist gut!