These song lyrics moved me beyond words. My son, the poet laureate of my heart.
THAT MAN by T.Y. Headley
He sat upon the windowsill, shrouded in gloom, and sighed to himself, Life's sure enough a doom. The clouds passed by, watched from the corner of an eye, slow, but surely, meandering high.
Just like a rock, he was all alone without a sock, an unwanted felon. Nobody knew him, nobody cared, in depression and just so scared.
Three days passed: he kept looking out for a kind soul who would not shout. Looking about, he saw a friend, called to him at the bend. But the friend turned away, and the wind seemed to say, Give it up, go home today.
Just like a rock, he was all alone, without a sock, an unwanted felon. Nobody knew him nobody cared, in depression and just so scared.
All alone in the universe, feeling trapped in his hearse, hoping for something, anything at all. Nothing came, not even a doll.
Just like a rock, he was all alone, without a sock, and a wanted felon. Nobody knew him, nobody cared. In depression and just so scared.
Liv's Book Reviews hosted me on her blog and asked me a question that I just loved. I'll share a bit here. You can read the full interview if you're so inclined at her blog.
If everyone had to read one book, what would you have it be?
I would love it if Bill and Melinda Gates wrote a book about philanthropy, inspiring everyday people to take up community service. The book would kick off with a foreword by Bono (and each book would include a CD with a song that Bono wrote to activate people to help the world in an unpreachy but compelling way).
Am I the only one who loves to read an author's acknowledgments--our version of credits, homage to everyone who touched our book? (Personally, I prefer to read the acknowledgments at the end of the book since it feels like a grace note--the thank you after sharing the work with the reader. I simply don't get acknowledging people at the front of the book.)
I always wonder about the people who are included in that thank you--what made them so special to be immortalized in a book? Who are these people? Perhaps it's the writer in me. But I want their story, too. So I thought I would share the inside scoop on some of the amazing people who helped shape NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL. First up is Dia Calhoun--Dia, my Dia--an award-winning author, co-founder of readergirlz, and one of my peeps! What many of her readers don't realize is that Dia is also a brilliant artist, a lettering artist who created the Alaska Airlines logo. For my homecoming from China, she created a piece of art for my entry, words taken from my latest novel: Feed Hope.
How can hope not be fed with that glorious piece of art in my home?
And now Dia has launched a new website for her lettering business. Tell me, can't you just see this on a book or video game?
readergirlz is two years old! Two years old! Two years since that fateful school visit in Chicago gave me the idea to start the club. Two years since Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, and Janet Lee Carey agreed to co-found it...not knowing just how much work it would be to launch and run our community. (Worth every minute, right, girls?) And then the postergirlz came on board to advise us. And then the street team. And then Mitali Perkins. And now look at us with new divas (Holly Cupala and Melissa Walker)! We even have a little sister: readertotz.
So much to celebrate AND so much to look forward to. Thanks to every member of the team and every person who contributes and READS, REFLECTS, and REACHES OUT!
Last week, I hosted a geocache-o-rama, sending the readers of my blog all over the Internet to the places I found most beautiful. Here's the round up of the answers and winners.
Day 1: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder A boy with a cleft lip is featured in my novel. So which Oscar-winning short documentary focuses on SmileTrain, the group that fixes cleft lips? And the Oscar goes to Smile Pinki and Seeking Neverland for sleuthing it out!
Day 2: Bedazzled Beauty So I'm holding a Find Beauty Challenge on YouTube and asked which marvy videographer loaded the first entry? Woo hoo to friendsvslovefans and to Mrs. F-B's Book Blog for winning the challenge!
Day 3: Divas Divine Who are the four amazingly amazing YA authors who run readergirlz along with me? Let's give it up for Melissa Walker, Lorie Ann Grover, Holly Cupala, and Dia Calhoun. Congrats to Paradox!
Day 4: Shaping Beauty--and I'm Not Talking Spanx Which high-powered, high-energy, high-intellect woman is rocking the Internet with her lobbying to use media in smart ways? Let's give a shout out to Amy Jussel at Shaping Youth! Congrats to Stacy Nyikos!
Day 5: Beauty--One Etsy Step at a Time Who created the beautiful custom jewelry for Girl Overboard and readergirlz? None other than rgz member Gypsy Wings who adores all things Twilight. Congrats to Lisa all the way in Korea!
Here's another absolutely, truly beautiful video that was uploaded to my FIND BEAUTY CHALLENGE. Check out this touching tribute to friends. Love it. Aren't you inspired to make your own video? I'm working on mine... Remember, contest ends at the end of March.
COMPLETE DETAILS: Tell the world what you find to be Truly Beautiful! Just upload a 90-second video describing what real beauty means to you...and you could win yourself an iTouch! PLUS, for every uploaded video, I'll donate $10 (up to $1,000) to Global Surgical Outreach, an amazing group that helps kids with cleft lips and palates in the third world.
Here's what to do: 1. Record a 90-second video essay about what's truly beautiful to you! 2. Upload the video onto YouTube. 3. Then...send a link to north@marthabee.com. (Martha Brockenbrough--tech guru and my friend of much wonderosity--will link your video to the North of Beautiful YouTube channel.) 4. Tell all your friends to RATE your video.
The Official Rules for the NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL: FIND BEAUTY CHALLENGE: 1) The Top 5 videos will be chosen by YOU based on the most views and highest ratings. So be sure to tell all your friends to vote for you! Any ties will be broken by the North of Beautiful team.
2) The North of Beautiful team will score the five finalists on A) 40 percent emotional appeal (humor, pull-on-the-heartstrings, incites activism, etc.); B) 40 percent content (clean, widespread appeal across audiences, plot – if applicable, scriptwriting – if applicable); and C) 20 percent professionalism (smooth transitions, stable video, non-jarring editing cuts, constant audio levels).
3) All videos must contain original content. Your entry indicates you understand this and have the legal rights to distribute your video.
4) Any videos deemed inappropriate by the North of Beautiful team will be removed. Please don't upload anything that wouldn't, say, be shown on television during prime-time hours, or anything you wouldn't want to watch with your first-grade teacher. So no nudity, profanity, or racial slurs.
5) The contest will run from 12:01 a.m. Feb. 1, 2009 until 11:59 p.m. Mar. 30, 2009. Anything submitted before or after the deadline can't be considered.
6) Justina will donate $10 for every uploaded video (for a maximum of $1,000) to Global Surgical Outreach to help fund facial surgeries for kids in the third world.
7) The Find Beauty Challenge is open to people over 14.
8) The Grand Prize winner will receive one iPod Touch. 3 runners up will receive fabulous gifts, such as an autographed collection of Justina's novels, other free books, etc.
Out for a run with a girlfriend who's a longtime bookseller, she shared the sobering news that her independent bookstore might not make it past the summer. Okay, folks, I'm still mourning All for Kids Books in Seattle and cannot grieve for yet another neighborhood institution to shutter.
So! After ignoring my umpteenth invitation from Facebook and Blogger friends to divulge 25 Random Things About Me, I thought I'd rather share some Random Ideas for Indie Bookstores to keep them going in this economy. (Note: I'm no expert on retail, but as an avid reader and stalwart book buyer, these are simply ideas that would make me eager to patronize my local bookstore...and to bring my friends.)
INDIE BOOKSTORES: RANDOM IDEA #1 With layoffs a reality and unemployment high, why not create a Career Seminar Series? Invite a local Life Coach to share his / her expertise on figuring out life's purpose and positioning ourselves to find, interview, and secure a new job in these economic conditions. THEN have the Life Coach book talk 10 awesome books about this very topic.
These career self-help books are the ones that people ought to BUY and use as a workbook, marking them up, scribbling notes, etc. They are INVESTMENTS, well worth the cost of the books.
Consider this: one of my acquaintances is a Life Coach. She had 20 clients in January, now she has 4. I would bet she would be motivated to conduct such a seminar for FREE.
Potentially partner with your closest library so you can work together to spread the word about the series to their patrons and your customers. Then, let local alumni groups (who maintain fairly large email lists) and organizers of local job fairs know about the seminar to generate more word-of-mouth.
Notify the press. This is hugely topical and relevant. I would be surprised if this didn't get you a feature story in the local section of your paper.
Today I am thankful for tenacious booksellers who enrich our communities.
