It’s Too Hot
June 28, 2007 | 8:27 am
Okay, so I’m a wimp. I’ll gladly admit it. I can go geocaching in winter, walking fearlessly over frozen ponds and crunching through snow; but 95-degree heat and humidity and bugs just isn’t my cup of tea. Probably why Paul and I plan to move to Montreal and not Belize.
We were in Connecticut on a business-related matter last weekend, though, before the really bad heat struck, and did three caches, two of them in New Haven (home to one of my alma maters, Yale) and of course had The Best Pizza In The World while we were there. The nearby urban cache was easy to locate and a good hide (urban caches are trickier to find than ones out in the woods — one really has to be creative in looking as well as in hiding), and it was a lovely time.
A lovely memory, now, because *nothing* is getting me out there right now. It’s just too hot …!
– Jeannette Cézanne
Posted by: — jcezanne
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Writer’s Block
June 20, 2007 | 3:26 pm
I just heard from a friend, a writer, who is in a panic. Despite having all the material she needs for her current book, she’s found herself unable to translate any of her research onto the page. This is a woman who generally writes as naturally as she breathes, who is bright and articulate and talented.
What happened?
Some people call it writer’s block, but it’s more than that. It’s an erosion of self-trust, of the sense of knowing who one is and what one can do. And it doesn’t just happen to writers: it can happen to anybody, at any time. It’s just that with writers, more often than not, it happens when there’s a deadline looming.
There are a lot of theories as to how and why it happens, but it’s probably more useful to talk about how to deal with writer’s block, and leave the how and the why to lazy afternoons in an outdoor café (oops, there I am thinking I’m back in Bucharest again!).
Behavioral therapy, it’s called, and this site has a number of excellent suggestions for dealing with writer’s block from a behavior point of view. Change the behavior, change the outcome.
What about you? Does anyone have any thoughts about writer’s block, or tried-and-true methods for dealing with it? Let me know!
– Jeannette Cézanne
www.jeannettecezanne.com
Posted by: — jcezanne
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Book Expo America and Bread & Roses
June 15, 2007 | 12:16 pm
Well, I’m back from Bucharest, and so have time finally to add my two cents (or “ron,” as Romania isn’t yet on the euro) to what Meg said about Book Expo. It was amazing “meeting” Meg, Shelby, and Tony, and odd to think that it was, in fact, the first time we’d met — feel like I’ve known Meg forever!
BEA is indeed extraordinary, and if it comes anywhere near you in the future, by all means, carpe diem. If nothing else, you’ll have reading material for the next six month (I’ve happily added substantially to my TBR pile); but beyond that, it’s really a way to keep your finger on the pulse of publishing.
And amazing, unexpected things happen. I dutifully stood in line for Peter Yarrow to sign my copy of Puff The Magic Dragon, and was delighted when he spontaneously burst into song while signing it! I explored some of the quieter corners downstairs and found out about the upcoming FaerieCon in Philadelphia — a perfect bonding experience for me and my stepdaughter. Expect the unexpected and you won’t be disappointed.
Paul and I got back from Bucharest Tuesday night, and Wednesday night — barely coherent — we hosted Bread & Roses 5, our fifth geo-event in Manchester. It was a lovely time, despite my tendency to nod off a bit (people were forgiving), and it served as a nice launch party for Open Your Heart with Geocaching.
This weekend is my stepson’s birthday, and his requested activity? A family geocache, of course!
– Jeannette Cézanne
www.JeannetteCezanne.com
Posted by: — jcezanne
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Book Expo a HUGE success!
June 9, 2007 | 10:46 am
Shelby (our extraordinary marketing director) and I could not be happier with our results at BEA. We had a great show, with lots of traffic at the booth (any other independent publishers reading this: if you go, *definitely* sign up for a PMA booth. PMA has prime real estate at the show) from bookstores, librarians, distributors, and the press. We squared away deals for distribution in Australia, Singapore, South Africa and New Zealand (see our contact page for details). Our giveaway to the luxurious Caliente Resort raised some eyebrows, but then…that was the point, after all! On a personal note, it was a book lovers paradise…books, books everywhere, and lots and lots of galley (read: FREE!) copies being given away. We’ll definitely be back next year!
Posted by: — Meg
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Geocaching in Romania
June 7, 2007 | 11:56 am
Well, I’m in Bucharest this week for the Book Expo (after being in New York last weekend for *that* Book Expo!), and unexpectedly had a day off today. It’s fabulous here, a city filled with contrasts and contradictions, and Paul and I wanted to be out and about, so there’s no better way to do that than with a geocache.
And it underlined, again, why I love doing this so much. Our official tour when we first arrived included museums and other “places of interest” deemed appropriate for visitors, but what it didn’t include was this gorgeous park, filled with winding tree-lined pathways, outdoor cafés, lovers and grannies on (separate) benches … and, yes, a geocache. How else would we have seen this park, which is obviously popular with the people of Bucharest, but less so with tourists? We found the cache and spent the afternoon wandering and sitting, and it was *inspired.*
I’m so glad I geocache!
– Jeannette
Posted by: — jcezanne
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Elfreda on World of Publishing!
June 6, 2007 | 11:13 pm
I’d like to remind all of you that Elfreda Pretorius, author of “Stop Struggling and Start Living,” will be a guest on “World of Publishing” on World Wide Artist radio next week. As guest host, I hope you’ll drop by to listen in and learn something about how she conceived, wrote, and published her amazing book, and how you can grow, too.
Posted by: — Stephen Hultquist
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In to edit, off to BEA!
June 3, 2007 | 3:21 pm
It’s summer here in the Rockies, and after my great trip to the French Alps, the manuscript went in to Meg and thence to editing. It can be a real challenge to hand over a creative work to others to be “improved,” but I think I’ve managed pretty well. After all, part of the book outlines how we flow with the challenges and changes in life, so hopefully I’ve learned a bit about that.
As you know, the Dreamtime team is off to BEA and is also offering you the chance to win a couple’s getaway! So, make sure to drop by the Dreamtime booth (booth #3148) at BEA, sign up, and check out the exceptional books in the series.
Don’t miss Elfreda’s “Stop Struggling and Start Living,” either, and you can catch her on http://worldwideartist.net on Monday evening, June 11th at 8pm EDT with yours truly as the guest host. I’ll also be guest hosting tomorrow night (Monday, June 4th) and interviewing my friend and fellow author Tom Hanson. Tune in and turn on!
Let’s go!
Posted by: — Stephen Hultquist
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