Category Archives: desktop publishing

2013 Book Awards – the EVVYs

Leave a comment

“To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.” ~ Anatole France

evvy-gold-sticker-76134-53479-zoomEvery May the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) presents awards to independent publishers who have submitted their books for judging. I look forward to these annual awards because some of the authors I have had the opportunity to meet through networking.

The awards are given according to genres of literature, and also by technical category. Today, we will feature some of the 2013 EVVY Award-Winning author books and authors. To see the full list of award winners, please visit http://bit.ly/16BLVPn.

Writing and publishing a book is a big task. Kudos goes out to every author who submitted their publication to the contest. Each individual should be proud of having finished the many-step process and find fulfilling feelings, from within, for having accomplished it.

Please return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. We will feature  more 2013 EVVY award-winning authors and their publications.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Routt County 2013 EVVY Book Award Winners

2 Comments

It’s back to books, business and publishing today on All Things Fulfilling.

presss release 2

May 22, 2013

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

On Saturday, May 18, 2013 in Lone Tree, Colorado, the 2013 EVVY book awards were presented by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Three authors, all members of We Write Steamboat, a meet-up group for independent publishers in RouttCounty, came away winners.

9780974461793.Front Cover.vxA first place prize in the health and fitness category was won by Dawn V. Obrecht, M.D. for her publication, From the Edge of the Cliff: Understanding the Two Phases of Recovery and Becoming the Person You’re Meant to Be, published by Richer Press of Phoenix, Arizona. “Doc Dawn” is also the author of Mission Possible: A Missionary Doctors Journey of Healing. It is also an award-winning book. Her practice, specializing in addiction medicine, is based in Steamboat. Click for info & ordering Dawn V Obrechts books

Alzheimers moss bookSecond place prize in the autobiography/memoir category was given to author, Donald Moss, PhD for his book Alzheimer’s: My Journey to a Next Generation Treatment. Dr. Moss resides in RouttCounty on a part-time basis, and recently retired as professor at University of Texas, El Paso. Dr. Moss’s book is available as a paperback and as an e-book. Click for info & ordering Dr. Moss’s book

newtons-ark-coverA merit award was also given to author D.A. Hill of Steamboat for his first novel Newton’s Ark. This book is the first in a trilogy series. It is available as a paperback, in digital format (e-book) and also as an audio book. Click for info & ordering D.A. Hill’s books

More EVVY award winning books will be featured on All Things Fulfilling in coming weeks.

Do return to this blog tomorrow. I will be featuring a book that I mentioned several weeks ago in the blog called Star of the Publishing World http://bit.ly/10RIonQ. The principles within this book will be  helpful to writers who struggle with completing their publishing projects.

Do stay tuned to this blog by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Revisiting Charm City

2 Comments

It’s surprising how much of memory is built around things unnoticed at the time. ~ Barbara Kingsolver

Things have really changed in Baltimore from the days of my childhood in the 1950s and 1960s.

This past weekend I spent time visiting tourist sites in and around the Harbor Place and in other sections of Baltimore where monuments and museums I remember from my childhood, still stand. Now dubbed “CharmCity,” Baltimore has made the most of attracting tourists from all over the world to their port.

As my sister and I walked the city this weekend, so many fulfilling memories came flooding back. I was reminded of the fact that writers Edgar Allen Poe, H.L. Mencken, musician James “Eubie Blake,” and singer Billy Holiday called Baltimore their home. And of course, Francis Scott Key wrote The Star Spangled in this city filled with art, culture and one of the  top medical institutions in the country, Johns Hopkins.

Today, join me on my tour of the BaltimoreHarbor. It is always fun to return to this city and see the various phases of development that have come to sections of the city since my growing up in the suburbs of Towson, Maryland.

IMAG0456

 Pyramid Structure in Distance is the Aquarium http://www.aqua.org/

IMAG0461

Maryland Science Center http://www.mdsci.org/

IMAG0464

 Spirit of Baltimorehttp://www.spiritcruisesbaltimore.com/

IMAG0465

Frozen Custard, piled high, on the cone always brings fulfillment!

IMAG0474

IMAG0472

Historic Ship – USS Constitution moored in the Baltimore Harbor http://bit.ly/13WUHQA

IMAG0475

IMAG0485

Above Image:Barnes & Noble in the Power Plant – awesome store, multi-storied

Below: Interior of Barnes & Noble – books and more

IMAG0505

IMAG0493

Performing Arts Center on the Harbor

IMAG0500

 Portable Beer cart – Taps are musical instruments

IMAG0512

Street Performer on a Unicycle

IMAG0515

Beach Volleyball in the Center of the City, Amid the High rise office buildings

IMAG0517

Of course- a trip to “Bawlmer”  isn’t complete without mention of the Marylander’s beloved “Oreos” (Orioles baseball team)

or “goin’  downy o-shun” (going down the ocean), Ocean City, of course. Marylanders favorite vacation spot.

IMAG0463

Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow, as I bike over to a place of personal fulfillment that I loved to go as a teen on rainy afternoons – The Walter’s Art Gallery. The architecture of the building is as spectacular as the permanent collections of art. The light filled spaces illuminate the art exquisitely. We will also see the Peabody Institute, Maryland Humanities Council, Mt. Vernon Place and other iconic historic landmarks.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com, the space were sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business.

Star of the Publishing World

1 Comment

In I walked, last week, to the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont and I was greeted by “Miss America of the Independent Publishing Industry.” That’s my tag line for her, but, she’s better known as the Expresso Book Machine. At one time there were only five “clones” of her in the world, but no longer. Her appearance on the scene has led to the growth of a new generation of publishing, and print-on-demand has a bright future. She was in action, performing her art of downloading, binding and printing a book right there in front of people, on stage, at the entrance to one of the top independent bookstores in the country, according to Publisher Weekly Magazine.

IMAG0339

IMAG0341

IMAG0342

IMAG0344

I’d gone to the bookstore to meet with an author, who was somewhat jet lagged after being in Bali with Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul series.Click for info & ordering Chicken Soup For the Soul Series . She had arrived home from her travels late, the previous evening. Keep your eye on All Things Fulfilling in the coming weeks because her book, which we will be featuring, is all about success in life and business. Many of the strategies she offers are valuable to independent publishers.

Earlier in the week, I also met with a leader who is beginning to write her story. She hopes to publish independently. Her “dream” has led her to helping people around the globe to know that they matter. I look forward to seeing her publishing project evolve and come to fruition.

I also visited with numerous old friends in Vermont, and oddly each is one seizing new opportunities and starting down new paths, for very different reasons. We talked about baby boomers retiring,  life, change and where it leads us. Our conversations reminded me of what C.S. Lewis once said “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

IMAG0345Etched in stone, outside the Northshire Bookstore, http://www.northshire.com/ Manchester, Vermont

Here are pictures of other familiar places I stopped by in my travels:

 IMAG0347

Weston Playhouse, Weston, VT http://www.westonplayhouse.org/ where I volunteered for more than 25 years.Saw many outstanding theatre productions.

IMAG0348

Can’t go to Vermont without a stop by the Vermont Country Store. http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/. I ran into my office assistant who worked with me when I was an insurance agent and branch manager for Finn & Stone, Inc. many years ago.

Return tomorrow to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com as I highlight a city, in Rhode Island, that is being revitalized by a group of shakers and movers who are capitalizing on the city’s art, history, architecture and universities. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com, specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers.

Writing Ambitions

Leave a comment

Walk_Two_Moons“I want to write a book like Walk Two Moons,” my twin sister declared the other day. “Did you ever read it?”

“No, I haven’t,” I said, “Go ahead, what’s stopping you?” Frankly, she took me by surprise. It was the first I’d ever heard of her having any ambitions to write. For many years decorative painting was her “thing.” I would have expected a return to that craft, after abandoning it when her life got too busy with raising children and a career in project accounting for a prominent architectural firm that designs healthcare facilities. http://www.wilmot.com/.

“It’s the best book,” she said. “We read and discussed it in our mother-daughter book club many years ago when the girls were little.”

“So, what’s stopping you from writing?” I asked again.

“I don’t know where to start.” My sister replied.

“No one ever does. Just begin, and see what happens, and where the story goes.”

“I never thought of that.” She said. “I thought I needed to have a beginning and an end, in the first place.”

“Nope, how can you determine it, if you haven’t met the characters yet?” I said.

“What is it that was so good about the story?” I asked, turning the conversation back to her comment about Walk Two Moons.

“It taught the best lessons!” She replied.

“Then keep that in mind, as you write.” I said.

“Well, I didn’t say I was going to write! You’re assuming that I will.”

“Why not? I asked again. “Just start and see how it turns out. You might find the experience of creating a story, in and of itself, fulfilling.” I said, thinking of the joy I have gotten over the past year or so in writing my soon-to-be published narrative.

“I might,” she said. “I just might.”

After our talk about writing, I came across this adage. Is it not true that values determine how all stories, our own and others, end up?

character in story

See you next time on  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Engagement through Books and Writing

Leave a comment

There are a great many human souls whom we should accept more kindly, and even appreciate more clearly, if we simply thought of them as people in a story.” ~G.K. Chesterton,What I Saw in America

book clubYesterday, I went to a book club on the East Coast, and had a fulfilling experience with a group full of strangers. It made me reflect on how, in recent years, building relationships with others, through books and writing, has become part of my life story.

Books.  They connect us to other people. Worldwide, it’s gotten easier for people to meet-up through web-based book clubs and writers groups to build relationships of common interests. I’ve have the opportunity to open doors and step inside the lives of all kinds of people that I ordinarily would never have had the chance to meet, if it hadn’t been for books.

The dialogue that an author creates in penning a book helps the reader to know the personalities of the people we meet between the covers. Whether a person is physically attractive or not, walks through life with an attitude or is kind to others is determined through the words a talented author uses to craft the story. How and where a person lives and what kinds of relationships they maintain, is revealed through a good narrative. Characters in a story can even help the reader  learn more about themselves.

When you come right down to it, the way our personal tales go is a reflection of the people who pass through our lives. Whether we allow them stay, can be a determining factor in whether a relationship is fulfilling or not. Like the characters in each book we read, even when we let go of certain people, we are never quite the same for having let them in.

Meeting new people in life and in books is all about coming away from the experience learning something we never knew before.

See you next time on  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Click for Info & Ordering

Stimulating Writing Ideas

2 Comments

writer-caffeineIs this all it takes to write books? Smokin’ hot jamoke?

The hours I have spent pondering a good storyline, laboring over the computer, staying up late, getting up early, it’s all been for naught? Muggy thoughts have come because I prefer a cuppa tea over coffee?

Henry Fielding once said “love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.” I’ve taken his word as sacred and read heaps of romance novels, all in hopes of providing readers with a delightfully saccharine love story of my own. Creative non-fiction, in the form of a memoir, does that substitution work?

Had I known the key to prolific writing requires being a java jiving connoisseur, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache and hard work. A tall carafe of coffee and I could have been turning out “happily ever afters” faster than breeding rabbits? Really? No joke? Today,  I’ll take a large order of smokin’ hot jamoke.

See you next time on  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

mug of coffeejpg

Stepping into New Territory

Leave a comment

Travel quoteOver the next few weeks, I will be taking a business trip, going to new places and visiting old haunts, too. Ultimately, in my travels, my goal will be to find fulfilling things in my journeys. They  may be unexpected, and I’ll share the content digitally. Perhaps it will mean more photos than writing. We will see what develops!

Whenever you frequent this blog space, I encourage you to stay and explore all the other 1,100+ blog postings  on All Things Fulfilling. There’s a lot of information about independent films, music and books as well as educational information about the independent publishing process. Other subjects such as writings on the arts, career motivation, self-improvement, relationships and business, and they can be looked up by category,  on the right hand side of the page.

I’m not exactly where I am going to find myself in my business travels. Whatever I encounter, I’ll  assimilate the experience, enjoy it and share it like an open book.

Return tomorrow to  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Neighborly Inspiration

1 Comment

inspiredWe have a whole group of individuals, right here in Routt County, Colorado, who are inspiring others through their independent publishing. I’ve gotten notice that we have several book contest finalists from our meet-up group, We Write Steamboat.

On May 18th in Lone Tree, Colorado the EVVY book awards will be presented by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Who will take home the prizes?

Each author has been a motivating force for others because they have pursued their passion for writing. Some share educational or career knowledge and experiences, others share very personal stories, others use their creative powers to craft a fictional piece of literature.

Today, I’d like to honor each one, award-winner or not, for having the perseverance to complete the writing process and publish it. Some have chosen to publish their books digitally (e-book), others, audio format, or a book in hardcover or paperback. Smart authors make their publications available in all formats, whenever possible.

I’d also like to thank our members of We Write Steamboat for supporting me and others in our group. Because independent publishers find community, rather than viewing each other as competitors, the industry is growing and so is our networking group. How fulfilling is that? It’s a beautiful day in our neighborhood of Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in living a life inspired by other independent publishers.

rainbows-of-hope-260883Look forward to your return to   All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Message of Encouragement

Leave a comment

WORDS-OF-ENCOURAGEMENT-QUOTES-Mistake-Quotes Happy May Day, everyone! Did you read yesterday’s blog about Dallas Clayton? He’s been acclaimed as “the next Dr. Seuss,” and his success has come out of his decision to rely on his own creativity to make a living and by taking a leap of faith.

This image on my blog today, is for anyone who will be starting a new endeavor. Relate to the words above? If so,  they are meant for you. We all need words of encouragement as we travel the path of life and wonder if we are doing the right thing. My hope in posting this quote is that you will find all things fulfilling in your decisions. Usually tasks are placed in our hands because someone else believes in us. Move forward with confidence, you have what it takes to be successful. http://bit.ly/15SuKaV.

Understand for whom this message intended.  Wonderful YOU! And remember,  “Have patience to walk with short steps until you learn to fly.” ~ St. Francis de Sales

Return tomorrow to  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.