Tag Archives: Independent Publishing

Film Friday: 48 Hour Music Video Contest

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“Curiosity about life in all it’s aspects, I think is still the secret of great creative people.”  ~ Leo Burnett

The judges have had their say. The 48 Hour Music Video Contest in Albuquerque is over for 2012. Congratulations go out today to Lindele Media for their awards in the competition.

“Todd and The Fox” was the title of Lindele Media’s music video that was conceived, shot and produced within two days. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r04xy9830Bw&feature=relmfu.

It takes intense brainstorming, artistic creativity and labor to pull off a quality video within the given 48 hours. Lindele Media came away with the following awards:

  • Best Director:  Marc Leonard  http://bit.ly/QiidY4
  • Best Acting
  • Best Cinematography
  • Runner-up Place for Best Music Video

To learn more about the independently published films and music of Lindele Media and projects in progress, please visit this link. http://lindelemedia.com/.

Congratulations to all teams who participated in this fun and frantic competition!

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

Help for Individual and Societal Problem

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“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it.” – Margret Fuller

Last winter, on All Things Fulfilling, we put the spotlight on a multi-award winning book called Mission Possible: A Missionary Doctor’s Journey of Healing by Dr. Dawn V Obrecht.  

Doc Dawn’s second publication was recently published by Richer Press. It focuses on her field of specialty, addiction medicine. From the Edge of the Cliff: Understanding the Two Phases of Recovery and Becoming the Person You’re Meant to Be addresses the author’s personal account of “coming clean” and her own successful recovery of 28 years. “Doc ” Dawn willingly opens up her life to help others who face the pervasive problem of drugs and alcohol in today’s society. Addiction is not specific to any one community, socio-economic group, or any other specific segment of the population; addiction is an equal-opportunity disease. Most people are somehow touched by an addiction, if not personally then tangentially, perhaps at work or in a relative or neighbor.  People in places everywhere struggle or know someone who struggles with overuse and unhealthy reliance on drugs and alcohol.

Education about the two phases of recovery and the quality of life that comes with putting addiction behind is an enormous part of the information available in this publication. Learn how abstaining from the use of “legal drugs” prescribed by physicians can be the key to avoiding triggering relapses.

The author uses her expertise as a board certified Medical Addictionist, and her own experience, and approaches the subject in this book in a voice that is non-clinical in nature. It is effective in reaching those who struggle to admit there is a problem in their life. From the Edge of the Cliff is also a helpful resource for those who wish to reach out to a family member or friend who is struggling with any kind of addiction.

To read more about Doc Dawn’s publications,Click on this link

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpectedandwww.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Fonts Intensify the Experience, Spooky!

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Over the past months, discussions keep cropping up with people who are publishing their first e-books or are converting books-in-print to e-books.  This has led to the subject of fonts, and how some fonts just do not work well in  digital publishing. I am sure with time, a larger variety of typeface will become available for e-books. There is a lot more to come in the growth of the industry. That is both exciting and scary to many people. 

Have you ever noticed how a font can really make a difference in the ease of reading?

Times New Romans is said to be the best for “easy on the eye” because it is a “serif typeface.” It is the default font for programs such as Word. 

Here is a very insightful article about the purpose of fonts in writing. You will learn how to  fulfill and enhance your objectives for a piece of writing by inserting mood and atmosphere using  certain fonts. http://bit.ly/VO3BC6. 

Today I’d like to share some examples of what impact using different fonts has on words. You’ll think differently about the utility of typeface after you see what an effect it has on text. 

See what I mean? The spookiness of these words is intensified all because of the font that’s been used.

 

Happy belated Halloween, everybody, from my house to yours! Return tomorrow for more independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

A Charming Idea, Mara Purl

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Today’s blog is part 2 of my interview with Mara Purl, author of the Milford-Haven series. The second book, Where the Heart Lives was the subject of yesterday’s blog. Please scroll down to read it.

Sue: Mara, I’d like to talk with you for a few minutes about books, in general, and what, if any, shift you have noticed among readers in recent years?

Mara: Readers know what they like to read, and with people being so busy these days, I think people are looking for more specific categories of books. Rather than just say, general fiction, they are looking types of fiction such as women’s fiction or family sagas or romance. My books are categorized in all three.

Authors are offering free sample chapters of e-books, prequels that are free, and 99 cent e-books which allows readers to venture into trying new genres and new authors they otherwise may have never discovered.  Short stories had been diminishing in the marketplace, and with the arrival of e-books, they are making a return. Serial story telling has also had a resurgence. 

Because of space constraints, in the past, booksellers have been hesitant to carry whole series of books; not wanting to take up too much space with just one author’s books. With e-books, there is not that concern of taking up too much shelf space. Thus, readers have the ability to read a whole series from beginning to end. Collecting and reading an entire series presents no constraints in storage in electronic (e-book) format.  

For fans of books that bring the reader through a chronology of generations, such as Louis L’Amour books, e-books can be very useful way to fulfill the readers desires to collect an entire series without having to find space to store them in their homes. 

Sue: I have noticed your wonderful newly redesigned website. There are all kinds of fun things for your readers on the site, including jewelry for fans of the Milford- Haven Books. Tell me what it has meant to you to follow the spirit of your character, Miranda Jones, and use your artistic expression to take your creativity in a new direction.

Mara:  Women love jewelry, and I have noticed that stories go along with jewelry that women wear. Women say, “oh, that necklace or bracelet was given to me by so and so, or it used to be my grandmothers, or I got that piece of jewelry when……” I thought that women may like to collect jewelry that will remind them of the Milford-Haven books they have read. As a talisman or reminder to listen to the heart. So, each book has a different shell “dingbat” (an ornament, character or spacer used in typesetting) and each will be available as a charm and can be collected for bracelets. The first book What the Heart Knows has a heart cockle shell “dingbat” in it, and then the 2nd book in the series Where the Heart Lives is a placuna shell, (called a windowpane oyster) which is a marine bivalve that is flat and translucent, in shape).  

Sue: Where can these charms and bracelets be purchased?  I will put a link to your newly designed website for our readers, and people can keep their eyes open for them as an upcoming product. Mara’s Blog site www.marapurlcom.  Link to Milford-Haven book charms on Pinterest  http://pinterest.com/marapurl/.

Mara: Yes, they are still in the development phase by a jeweler in Colorado Springs, but once available, they can be shipped anywhere in the world and if you go to my newly redesigned website, there is information.

Sue: Mara, I appreciate so much the opportunity to interview you again. I am so pleased at the success you are having with the Milford-Haven series. When will Bellekeep Books publish the third in the series When Hearts Keep Secrets be available? I look forward to reading the next book.

Mara: Look for When Hearts Keep Secrets in 2013. Probably in autumn of the year. Also, the e-book “When Whales Watch” the prequel to the second book  is available through Amazon.

For more information on all of Mara Purls’ publications,Click here

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpectedand www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Valuable Publishing Associations

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“Technology has changed the way book publishing works, as it has changed everything else in the world of media.” ~ Bruce Jackson

On Saturday, I attended the monthly meeting of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA). One of the reasons I don’t mind driving the distance, is the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life who are publishing their stories. Their manuscripts are usually a reflection of their interests, their lives or their careers. Always diverse, always leaving me wanting to learn more about each person, I collect business cards throughout the day, so I can go home check out their author websites and see what they have written. 

The October meeting was “Get the Skinny on Book Awards.” There was time for networking and facilitated breakout sessions, fulfilling CIPA members requests for information on: 

  • Award-winning Editing
  • Award-winning Design
  • Guidelines used by CIPA for their annual EVVY Book Awards
  • Discussions about Social Media and other Marketing 

Christine Goff, a judge and organizer for the Colorado Book Awards was the guest speaker on Saturday. She spoke about book awards in general and it became clear to me as she spoke that the criteria for judging books is as she said “subjective,” depending on each contest. The aim should be to make the judging fair for all by having a set of standards in place to go by. 

Interestingly, Goff mentioned, there are only about 19 states that have State Book Award contests. The Colorado Independent Publishers Association is opening up their awards to non-members meaning more submissions, a higher level of competition and an increased need for qualified judges. A four hour workshop on book competition judging will be offered. 

Winning a book award gives a book distinction, indicating it is well-worth reading. There are many contests, and it is important that the contests that you, as an author, enter have been researched to make sure they are run legitimately.

I can not express enough, the value of joining publishing associations, at the national or state level, such as the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Networking with other authors should be  at the top of your list.  Join a publishing association in your area or State today!

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

Writing and Spiritual Journeys

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“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.”  ~ Andre Gide

Yesterday’s blog posting led me to much deeper thoughts about the value of writing about health issues.

There are many men, women, and couples, who have found help and spiritual healing by writing about their own experiences of dealing with health issues of all kinds. If it weren’t for independent publishing, many of these stories would not be available for others to read. Important that these stories be told to help others who are going through difficult diagnoses and treatment, independent publishing serves as a valuable avenue in getting these books out to the public. Unique books, with personal stories, are often sold and marketed through e-commerce (sold on the internet).

There are many books available on cancer but there are three independently published books that I would like to mention in honor National Breast Cancer Month. To read more about these publications or to order them, please visit the links beside each title.

Fine Black Lines: Reflections on Facing Cancer, Fear and Loneliness by Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad  Click here for info & ordering

The Heroics of Falling Apart: One Couple’s Breast Cancer Journey, Julie and Dan Gordon http://bit.ly/SYjX7xClick here for info & ordering

The Cancer Odyssey Author: Margaret Brennan Brumel http://bit.ly/RAPOrHClick here for info & ordering

As a member of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association www.cipabooks.com , I have the opportunity to meet many authors who have published award-winning stories that help others. Although I do not know Julie and Dan Gordon or Margaret Bermel, I do know Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad. She is an amazing woman for many reasons, not just because she is a cancer survivor. She also has written other books about personal relationships. Each time I see her at a publishing event, we enjoy speaking with boeach other. I have observed something that she writes about – a very, very long lasting, successful marriage. She has been married 64 years, as have my parents. Her musings on what it means to have a fulfilling marriage are thoughtful and inciteful.

Although you may think your own story would not be of interest to others, I encourage people to find creative ways of telling them. It may just benefit someone else or at least yourself. It is very the reason, I told my story of childhood illness, (unrelated to cancer). For more information click on this link. Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard andwww.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Images, Words and White Space

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“We’ve arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology.” ~ Carl Sagan

On Monday, our local paper Steamboat Today was printed on pink paper in honor of National Breast Cancer Month. It seems that no one is immune from knowing someone who has been touched by this cancer. The month of October is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of early detection. 

The color of the newspaper was more than just a blush of pink, bolder than that, yet not as dark as fuchsia either. That edition made me realize something – the importance of white space. Although, as always,  I read the paper from cover to cover, I found reading from pink paper difficult and in fact, it slowed down my progress because my eyes were straining. As I struggled to read the article on raising money at the local level through events such as The Bust of Steamboat http://thebustofsteamboat.org/, I couldn’t help but think of what white space means to publishing. 

Digital reading devices, such as Kindles, have now gone through a few generations of development, improvements have come with each new model. The Kindle Paperwhite is purported to give the reader the clearest text, the best reading experience, due to its bright white screen. Yet not everyone can afford this top model. Many people do not have the luxury of buying a digital reader at all. 

I thought about how this relates to funding for breast cancer. Over the years, there have been advancements in detection through technology, yet people still slip through the cracks and find out about their case too late. Not every woman is able to afford mammograms and treatments either, which means not every woman has a chance of survival. Thank goodness for non-profit organizations such as the Susan G Komen Foundation http://bit.ly/TqInTF at the national and local level that work hard at trying to provide the means for everyone through their fundraising efforts. 

I don’t mean to trivialize the devastating disease of breast cancer by comparing technology of Kindle readers to a very personal medical issue. Digital reading devices are luxuries, and having medical technology and treatment for cancer is a necessity for survival; two very different issues. 

 These are just a few independent thoughts that came to my mind regarding white space as I read the news of the day on pink paper. That’s all….

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Sestina, Little Thumbelina

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“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon 

 I can’t believe what I am about to say, but I guess stranger things have been known to happen.  The poetry I have been writing  has been more fun then I ever expected. Telling a story using elliptical language is a challenge and thought provoking trying to make all the elements fit together. 

Who would have ever thought I’d find prose and poetry enjoyable? It was my greatest fear in taking a creative writing course. However,  I have come to enjoy the stimulation of the mind and the creativity that it demands.   

Our teacher said, “You will be glad we started the course with poetry.” I didn’t believe it. I thought to myself, “Let’s just take the poison first, and get it done and over with.”  She said not a word about things like sestina, haiku or pantoum, probably fearing she’d scare the bejesus out of the entire class, before we even got started. 

This weekend’s assignment was to work on a sestina. I couldn’t have defined it until now. Here is the definition of this form of writing. “a lyrical fixed form consisting of six 6-line usually unrhymed stanzas in which the end words of the first stanza recur as end words of the following five stanzas in a successively rotating order and as the middle and end words of the three verses of the concluding tercet.” 

I can hear you now “Huh? I don’t get it. What is a tercet?” That’s your assignment. I’m too busy working on mine to explain it. 

 I’ll admit, when you know what you want to say but can’t put your fingers on just the right word to add engaging “sounds, color and flavor” to the composition, it’s frustrating. But I like dancing with words; it’s fulfilling to write when you get all jazzed up and arrange a piece you are satisfied with. I guess that is what poetry it is about; the art of putting a spin on words to make the reader do a ballet with the text.

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Film Friday: Ruby Sparks

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“When we feel the need to change others, take the time to look inside yourself, find the mirror and the message” ~ Unknown

How often do you think a novelist creates a character that people fall in love with? I would suspect, quite often. Personal attributes of a character communicated through good dialogue and storyline is all part of the Art of  creative storytelling.

One of the top independent films of 2012 is Ruby Sparks. The film is about a male novelist who becomes enamored with a woman he has crafted in his mind through his story writing. This person becomes real. The author and character develop a romantic relationship. Not all of her characteristics are admirable, however, and the novelist begins to rewrite part of her personality to become more like the person he wants her to be.

This romantic comedy-drama, Ruby Sparks, features Paul Dano as the novelist and big name actors Elliot Gould, Annette Benig and Antonio Banderas also play parts in this independent film. Click here for info & ordering Ruby Sparks

 

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Better Living Books

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Are you looking for a different assortment of books, like no other? Publications geared toward mind, body, spirit and the Earth? 

The Living Now Book Awards “Books for Better Living” has a great selection of independently published books on many topics that are popular and relevant to better living. Here are just a few categories that are judged in the Living Now Book Awards. 

  • Green Living
  • Social Activism/Charity
  • Enlightenment/Spirituality
  • Metaphysical (Astrology, Tarot, Psychic Development)
  • Healing Arts/Bodywork/Energy Techniques
  • Caregiving
  • Mature Living/Aging
  • Grieving/Death and Dying
  • Inspirational Fiction

 To see the titles of the winning books that came from thirty-six U.S. States, six CanadianProvinces and 7 overseas countries, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/RLQ8WV.

Return tomorrow for more independent publishing news from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.