Category Archives: Independent filmmakers

The Inside Story

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“In all things, preserve integrity.” ~ Barbara Paley 

A few days ago, I talked with author Marl Purl regarding the changes that were made to the cover of her book “What the Heart Knows” to better match what was inside. This morning, I gained a whole new perspective to this conversation while I was out taking my early morning walk. 

I walked by three beautiful little girls standing on the street corner waiting for the bus. I stopped just for a moment to chit-chat with the girls. They told me it was the first day of school. I asked the girls how old they were and what grades they were “rising to.” They were ages 8, 9 and lO – stair step sisters. 

Call me old fashioned! But, does anyone think that a 10 year old little girl standing on the street corner waiting for the bus on the first day of school really needs to be made up with lipstick, eyeliner, mascara and rouge?  

As I began to walk toward home, I began to think about the analogy between the publishing process and a 10 year old wearing make-up. In my opinion, she was wearing a cover far too soon. At 10, she doesn’t even know what her own inside story is all about. The tale of her life had hardly begun to unfold, and she already had decided that she needed to cover up her natural beauty with something that may or may not match her final  internal constitution.  And shame on me, I have drawn my own conclusions based on the girl’s surface appearance before her full biography has even evolved. That’s not right – she is only 10 years old! http://bit.ly/22ZvMo.

This correlation does however, support the importance of having a cover that preserves and accurately portrays the integrity of the book. As an independent publisher, you have the final say in making sure the cover reflects the inside works. As a ” non-traditional publisher”,  you will be fulfilling the role of boss of your own book!

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Life in Chapters

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Change your thoughts and you change your world. ~ Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993) 

Three years ago, I made a phone call that was difficult to make. I called my twin sister to tell her that we would be moving from East Coast to the West. Once we resettled, we talked again and again, each time she’d continue to lament about the geographical distance that had grown even further between us. I told her, “I was actually grateful for the change because after much self-searching I decided I would take it as a sign that it was meant to be and I needed to embrace a new landscape in my life –  literally, personally, professionally and in spirit, too.”  

What helped me to adjust and accept change was I began to consider that the move was just the next chapter in my life. My life is a story of non-fiction, lived in stages, filled with realities of what I have learned from my childhood, teen and young adult years, through thirty years of marriage and through the most fulfilling years of my life – raising of a precious, most wanted child. 

Now, three years later into the next chapter of my life, I have found change that I was certain I would find.  The synchronicity between people, place and events all working within the growing and dynamic industry of independent publishing here in Colorado,  has taught me that entering into relationships with a spirit of openness to change, indeed brings about fulfilling metamorphosis. http://bit.ly/dNMMuR.

I have not yet, closed out this chapter of my life. What I have learned along the way is not to rebuff change, let it happen, evolve and good things will come along the way. 

When the next episode of my life comes, I will embrace it once again wholeheartedly knowing that there will be more lessons along the way and they will come in the form of  more wisdom, of that I am sure.

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Speaking the Language of Heart and Art

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As we broke away from our interview on Thursday with author Mara Purl, we began to talk about the hardcover release of “What the Heart Knows” and the new cover design painted by watercolorist Mary Helsaple. Today, we will engage in conversation about the creative artistic marketing of the book as well as Mara’s life as a multi-dimensional artist. 

The Interview Continues – 

Sue:  What other creative things are you doing with marketing and merchandising as part of your new arrangement with Bellekeep Books? 

Mara: I have written a short story “When Hummers Dream” which is a prequel to “What the Heart Knows” available through Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook e-readers. It is free until Labor Day. “When Hummers Dream” is a Best Seller on the Kindle free e-book list. After I wrote the short story, I realized there are many bird enthusiasts that follow all kinds of hummingbirds. I got invited to speak at a Hummingbird Garden in Phoenix. I look forward to that! 

We are having an internet launch on September 27 and there will be some bonus items included in the purchase of the hardcover “What the Heart Knows.” We also incorporated a heart cockleshell dingbat on the pages and each subsequent book in the series will have a different kind of shell dingbat aside the chapter numbers. Also, as part of the merchandising, there will be shell charms that people can purchase to match the dingbats in the books. They can begin to build their charm bracelets. It is our way of incorporating books and art. I created my protagonist Miranda Jones, a painter out of my love for art. 

Also, at the back of the book “What the Heart Knows” there will be questions to the reader to ask them whether they are listening……are they listening to their own hearts? 

Sue: Mara, you have worn many artistic hats over the course of your life time, as performing artist, award-winning author, screenwriter, songwriter and journalist. Were your parents always supportive of your career in the Arts? 

Mara: Yes! Tremendously supportive…always.  

Sue:  A little while after we met, I found out that you graduated from Bennington College with a degree in the Arts. As you know now, my place of residence of almost 30 years was in Bennington County,Vermont. Has your career matched your vision when you decided upon this field of study many years ago? 

Mara: Yes.Vermont is a magical place with independent spirit. Winter was long but the solitude became a cauldron for internal development. The mentors at Bennington College were wonderful and had extraordinary influence on me. I met two Bennington grads as a teen and both said it would be a good fit. The decision ended up a heart decision for me. There were small classes and I learned how to talk in front of people. You had to contribute because there was little other structure and few others in the class. I learned to be a self starter there. 

Sue: I was going to ask you to what do you attribute your success in working in so many dimensions of the Arts, but you may have just answered my question, in part. 

Mara:  Yes, I did. I found that in the quiet came self growth. And you ask yourself what are you here to do? I learned in my college years that the rest doesn’t happen unless you become a self-starter. I have concern about kids today and all the external they are exposed to – the TV, the iPods,  the cell phones, all the digital devices. They can’t be quiet and be with themselves in quiet spaces. They are plugged into something constantly. 

Sue:  What has it meant to you personally to be able to follow your dreams and pursue your passions in the Arts? 

Mara:  It’s funny, years into my career, I came across a guy that I had known way back, he said to me “you didn’t sell out.” At first I didn’t know what he meant, but what he meant is I stuck with what I wanted to do. But, I didn’t know what else to do. I was just being me.  For some people painful choices have to be made but I say it is never too late to come back to your core mission. 

Sue:  To wrap things up, what words of advice can you give to the younger generations who are interested in pursuing careers in the Arts? 

Mara: Listen to your heart and soul. Look for mentors that have walked the path in what you want to do. There will be well meaning people and ask their advice but there has to be internal and external balance. Finally consult with yourself only you really know. 

Sue:  This has been a busy month for you. You have been on virtual blog tours for weeks and you have a few more to go. Mara, I appreciate so much your taking the time to stop by All Things Fulfilling and giving us insight into your books and also into your career as a person who has so successfully made their living in the Arts. 

Sue: One last question – where can we look for “What the Heart Knows?” 

Mara:  In bookstores, through links on my own website www.marapurl.com, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, on i-Readers. Just Google and you will find it.

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Just Sayin’……

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“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 

My clients are located in different parts of the country, and I am forever trying to figure out what time it is in different time zones. My husband even printed out a map that outlines the State boundaries for Eastern Time zone, Central Time zone, Mountain Time and Pacific to help me figure it out. The problem is I don’t always have the “cheat sheet” at hand. Sometimes I am calling clients from out of the office on a remote phone. 

A few weeks ago, an author friend of mine taught me a new way of telling time. My husband has decided my friend’s way of telling time makes good common sense.

I contend that Mary’s way of tracking time is good for her, but maybe not for me. Suppose I am in a city like New York?  After all, New Yorkers are on a New York minute, smack dab in the heart of miles and miles of pavement. It just will not work! 

My husband said he doesn’t care what I think.   (How’s that for compassion?) He says ” I should just use Mary’s test of time. He’s gotten tired of sorting out for me what hour it is across mountains and plains and in places like Hawaii, Iowa, Florida, Minnesota, Texas or California.” Now when I ask him what time it is, all he says is “It’s time to make HAY!” What is that supposed to mean? That’s just forecasting. That’s not fulfilling my need to know the accurate time! 

Help me out here folks, we have a royal battle going – all over time telling. My husband thinks he’s clever. I think NOT. He’s  really trying  to lose track of  real time to escape from what takes doing some work!  Next time he asks ME what time it is, I’ll say it is “half past a freckle.”  How’s that?

I’m going to contact Mary! Perhaps she has some other kind of  forecasting cheat sheet http://bit.ly/q15kEt.

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Little Things Mean Alot

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My husband has been glued to the news channel, following the ups and downs of the stock market, as well  being engaged in squabbles in politics. The other day, I said to him, “I refuse to get drawn into listening to too much of this. Yes, I have my opinions, but, at the end of the day, I really have zero control in what Washington and the Stock Market does. I am going to disconnect and pay attention to what  I have going in my own life that I am grateful for.” 

This week and next is what matters to me most, right now. They are full of little things that will mean a lot. On Tuesday, I ushered for a Youth and Family concert that tickled my funny bone and warmed my heart. Bill Harley, longtime commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered http://n.pr/qSraRp helped me to recollect my own days of going to school and as well as hilarious moments of parenting a child. Many of his “slice-of-life vignettes” made me realize that many things that I worried about as a child,  really didn’t quite matter at all.

Last night was a special treat, too. Volunteering my time once again brought me perks of getting to see a show that I would not have wanted to miss. Strings Music Festival http://bit.ly/qYxQ5R Director and Conductor Andres Cardenes led a night to remember of a picture perfect program, focused on famous movie musical scores which incorporated classical music. Tunes from Fantasia, Amadeus, Psycho, Platoon, a 2011: A Space Odyssey, Titanic and the God Father brought great pleasure to my evening. 

Next week on All Things Fulfilling will be my interview of an author and actress. The back story will appear on Wednesday, August 17. On Thursday, the interview will appear on this site as well as on the author and actress’ virtual book tour. 

Join us next week as Mara and I discuss how our lives came together and what we find to be mutually important in this big wide world called Life.

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

 

Asking for What we Want

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Blogging  is a fickle thing! It is a form of communication that is indirect. Because we are often trying to get a message across in a round about way, careful care and consideration needs to be taken in what we have to say. 

Sometimes, I even manage to amuse myself in my blog writing and then, I still have to put great thought into whether to publish my post or not. “Will I be the only one to get the gist?” I think. 

It happened just yesterday.  I wrote a blog that had subtle innuendos that had no malicious intent what-so-ever in my own interpretation, yet I was concerned that the meaning might be misconstrued. For someone who knew the person I was trying to reach, the obscure message may have elicited a chuckle or two. In the end, I edited the blog out of concern for being misunderstood. 

We’ve all read blogs that perhaps should have been shot down by the blogging police. If I ever have any thoughts of whether my meanings may be taken in the wrong, I usually err on the side of silence, and decide not to post. But, sometimes, I may slip out of naivety. 

For me, troubling moments come when I say something that I later regret. It happens to all of us. When that occurs, I think of those wise, fulfilling words that I have heard so many times before -“God doesn’t give you the people you want in your life, you’re given the ones you need so you can become the person you want to be.”  

Putting words out in cyberspace every day means I must listen to myself and my intuition and pray that if I fail, someone will kindly help me to understand where I have gone astray.

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Building Partnerships for Community

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“We are not lacking in the dynamic forces needed to create the future. We live immersed in a sea of energy beyond all comprehension.” ~ Thomas Berry, The Great Work 

For those who follow this blog site regularly, you know that I have been curious for some time as to “What Do Men Really like to Write About?”  Weekly, I try to get some insight into this nagging question when I sit in on the Steamboat Writers Group. www.steamboatwriters.com. 

At the beginning of the summer, a new community meet-up group for independent publishers called She Writes Steamboat was introduced. After two consecutive monthly meetings, we concluded that She Writes Steamboat does not fit the description of the group. There are men who want to be involved, too! We’ve changed the name to SHe Writes Steamboat so we will be fulfilling the needs of both genders for independent publishing support.  

On September 9th, SHe Writes Steamboat http://on.fb.me/oOWKWm   will be hosting their first major event. The President of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, Dr. C. Daniel Miller will be arriving in town. The purpose of this blog today, is to make it clear that SHe Writes Steamboat welcomes anyone who has ever even thought “I Could Write a Book about That!” to attend. In fact, artists, illustrators, independent filmmakers and musicians are also welcomed too. 

Join us one month from today, at the Bud Werner Library www.steamboatlibrary.org  on September 9th beginning at 9:30 am. Find out more about the wonderful support that the Colorado Independent Publishers Association has available through their organization and the e-book partnership they are building with libraries. Stay for the afternoon CIPA College offerings to learn about various options in publishing and the costs involved in independent publishing. Please pre-register by going to http://bit.ly/pdUNxz. 

Building a strong affiliation with the Colorado Independent Publishers Association would be a great asset to our entire community of creatives throughoutRouttCounty. Join in!

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Communities Rediscovering Reading

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 “Literacy is at the heart of sustainable development.” ~ Kofi Annan

Recession: less disposable income. Fewer people are frequenting restaurants, bars, sporting events, malls. People are finding other ways to entertain themselves and that means rediscovering reading. The Library Research Service completed a study that determined library lending and patronage is up anywhere from 5% to 28% percent  in many Colorado communities. To read the full article, please visit http://bit.ly/ornVOf.

Here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado a brand new library facility has proven that if you provide a beautiful and welcoming community space, people will come! www.steamboatlibrary.org. It appears this trend will be reflected in other States, too. 

Yesterday, I picked up the Battenkill Business Journal www.businessvermont.com and read that the town neighboring my previous place of residence is going through the permitting process to build a new $4 library facility. That is fulfilling news to me because the town fathers have toyed around for years with what to do with an aging facility. The town of Manchester,Vermont is a gem, as is Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I personally believe that a new library facility in that town will become a valuable asset and center of community life, too. 

Readers are finding their way into libraries through portals other than walking through the  building  doors. On-line entry is becoming popular, too, as independently published e-books are starting to appear in library catalogs. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association www.cipabooks.com a whole new generation of books are available  through digital reading platforms. Checking a book out of the library means not even having to drive anymore.

To learn more about the basics of the  independent publishing industry and how people are e-publishing books to entertain, inspire, educate and inform, a short webinar is now available. http://bit.ly/pukeKE.

From my perspective, although digital publishing (e-book publishing) is quickly becoming a strong presence on the book-buying scene, good bookstores and libraries will never disappear. They are commodities that strong communities will and should continue to support. High rates of  reading literacy is important for a prosperous world and any way you can reach large populations of people, young and old, through the written word it is to the benefit of those who will inherit this earth.

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Studio Quality Motion Picture for 1/400th the Cost

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“Do what you do so well that they will
want to see it again and bring their friends.”
WALT DISNEY

It’s Friday! And it has been a very busy week for me. There are two upcoming events that I am planning that have taken much of my efforts this week. This blog will be short and sweet. I have some very fulfilling news on the independent film scene that I want to pass along to readers of this site. 

What do you get when you step away from traditional ways of producing a film and use unique, creative ideas starting with a well-orchestrated budget to wise use of pre and post- production crews to a ground-breaking marketing plan? 

You get a film that has had over 1,000,000 (yes, one million) viewers who are so excited about the film that they have downloaded the first 27 minutes before it even hits select theatres in January 2012. 

Why?

  • The film has won award, after award, after award at film festivals, it is as simple as that. 

Want to know more about this much sought-after independent film and learn tips from a webinar on how you too can create a studio quality motion picture for 1/400th the cost? Go to: http://vodo.net/alpfd 

For a tutorial on how some of the visual effects of the movie were created, please visit

http://bit.ly/2mPX.

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Laying Groundwork

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“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase” ~ Martin Luther King

  • Does faith rank high in your life?
  • Do you like communicating with other Christians about their principles and values?
  • Do you have an interest in telling your own personal story of faith to others?
  • Have you considered independent publishing a book, film or music relating how faith makes your life richer and fuller?
  • Interested in Christian publishing but the time is not quite right? 

You are not alone! There is a way that you can share your Christian experience, your truth, your values and your independent perspective on Christianity in “short snippets” through a community of global Christian bloggers. 

www.Christianblog.com is a respectful and well-monitored Christian blog site that is devoted to people, like you, who have the desire to share stories, inspire and even educate others about living life through faith. The blog site, denominationally friendly, is fulfilling the need around the world for believers to have open discussion with other believers. 

For some writers, blogs become “testing grounds” and in some instances “a proving ground” for writing books. The film “Julie and Julia” is probably the most recognizable blog to book success. However, there are many other writers who have used their blogs as groundwork for writing a full-fledged book. 

All aspiring writers have to start somewhere, so begin telling your tale through www.christianblog.com. Anything is possible if you believe. Your blog may someday become a book! 

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