Book A Latte!

I had a lovely conversation with Takiela Bynum of RadiantLit.com and BooksALatte.com last week. She interviewed me and created a podcast that's been put on BooksALatte. Check it out!

More Library Memories

I have to admit, as a child the most memorable thing about the Troy Public Library was the Gulliver's Travels portrait. It's huge, and to a child seemed even larger.

But on the trip I took back to the library last month I was awed by the beauty of the building.

I did a bit of research and the library, which opened in 1897, was designed to loosely resemble an Italian renaissance palace. The principal facades are white marble, with rich carvings. Click on the photo to see the amazing detail in the carvings.

Isn't this lamp by the front door exquisite?

And the library has some amazing Tiffany windows, more than a dozen of them!

This is a skylight in the main reading room. There are also some incredible Hudson River School paintings in that room. Do you remember that term from your college art appreciation class? Unfortunately, those photos didn't quite turn out.

There is a series of these windows in that same room --

And then across from those amazing windows, these windows open to the staircase. I was standing on the stairs when I took this photo. The windows to the outside are across the staircase from these beautiful windows.


The most notable Tiffany window in the library is the House of Aldus Tiffany window which was commissioned for the library and designed by Frederick Wilson to portrait Venetian scholar and master printer Aldus Manutius (1450-1515). It's located behind the circulation desk. Manutius is credited with creating italic typeface style, which because of its narrow and compact letterforms allowed the printing of pocket-sized books. Which in turn was one reason for the growth of public libraries in the world. Thanks, Aldus.

Here's that beautiful window:

The scene depicts Aldus presenting the proof sheets of The Divine Comedy by Dante Aligheri.

And that, my friends, is our culture and history lesson for the day!

Fuzzy Memories

If you've ever read my "about me" page on my website, my Tyndale-made bookmark, or the bios in my books, you've heard mention about the library my mom would drive the kids to weekly.

I was pretty young, probably pre-school, when we would visit the Troy Public Library. It was about a 20 minute drive from where we lived in Wynantskill, NY. I remember sitting in the Children's Room and staring at a scene from the story Gulliver's Travels that was high up on the wall.

In my fuzzy memory, it was a mural. But last month I visited "home." While I was there, I stopped at the Troy Public Library to donate a copy of Searching for Spice. And guess what? The picture isn't a mural, it's a large portrait.

As you can see, it sits on the mantel of a fireplace. It's still much as I remember it.

When I went into the library, I walked into the Children's Room and was very sad not to find the Gulliver's Travels picture that I remembered there. I toured the rest of that beautiful library and then happened to mention my disappointment to a librarian. She stopped what she was doing and led me right to it.

The Children's Room is actually two rooms. That, I didn't remember. There is a fireplace on your left as you walk in, but if you walk to the end of the room there's a door that leads to a room on the other side of that wall. That room has a matching fireplace and the portrait of Gulliver's Travels.

I tell you, I was so happy to see that portrait. Yes, I was.

Come on, girls -- VOTE!

It’s too easy to take our right to vote for granted. Like many privileges, women’s suffrage wasn’t simply given to our grandmothers. The battle for the right to vote was a long, hard road –- one that is too often overlooked.

It was not until 1920 that women were given the right to vote.On November 5th, 1917 a group of suffragettes picketed the White House, carrying signs asking for the right to vote. These women were arrested and jailed, and by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of “obstructing sidewalk traffic.”



Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror,' when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragettes imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.

Lucy Burns


They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding, and gasping for air.

Dora Lewis 


They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting, and kicking the women.

For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

Alice Paul 


When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

Woodrow Wilson and his cronies tried to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. The doctor refused. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

 The doctor admonished the men: "Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity."

I have not seen it, but I've heard HBO made a movie called Iron Jawed Angels. It is a depiction of the battle these women waged so that we could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have our say.

It's so easy to vote today. You can do it from the privacy of your own home by having a ballot sent to you. And even if you haven't made those arrangements, and you must got to the polls, isn't it our duty to vote?

Go ahead. Do it. Vote. It's our right and our responsibility.

9/11 Tribute (The Fray)

Please remember to pray those who lost loved ones, our brave protectors: firemen, law enforcement and those in the armed services, our political leaders, and everyone who loves freedom and hates evil.

Words For The Journey day

This morning I attended my weekly WFTJ meeting. Today we discussed being a part of a critique group.

Before the meeting got down to business I did a book report.
I don't know if you can tell, but I'm holding Kim Vogel Sawyer's Where the Heart Leads. It's book # 2 in the Waiting for Summer's Return series. Kim is a strong author. She occasionally stops me in my tracks when I have to pause to admire a particular phrase.

Here's the description for Where the Heart Leads: After his graduation from college, Thomas Ollenburger is filled with big dreams and many questions. What will he do for a career? Should he marry? Where will he call home? Torn between his Mennonite roots on the Kansas prairie and his love for the big city of Boston, as well as his affection for a girl in each location, Thomas is unsure of his place in the world. He has always sought God's leading in his decision-making, but now it seems as if God is silent. Has Thomas's heart led him astray?

I wasn't the only one to do a book report. Chris Richards told us about a new find, The Dimwit's Dictionary. This book gives you alternates to overused words and phrases. Good one, Chris!

Author Dianne Daniels was kind enough to take my photo while I was doing my book report. Bless her heart--she was so kind that she took about 15 photos. I felt like a superstar on the red carpet, LOL.

To pay back the favor, I took about 10 photos of Dianne while she walked back to her seat. It was good for a laugh.Loretta, the girl hiding behind my launch party invitation, apparently didn't find it quite so humorous. You should check out her blog. She's one smart cookie --blogs about religion and science.

New Bookmark!

My new bookmark was delivered from the printer today!

The images are two sides of the same bookmark. I love it because each side represents that book so well.

The design was created by 100 Proof Design.

(If you click on each image, it will enlarge.)

11 Days and Counting!

As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, I'm eagerly awaiting this year's annual conference. 

In just 11 days I'll be flying to Minneapolis! It's heaven on earth, spending time with writers, agents, and editors. Being with the publishing community is almost as if I'm going to a rendezvous on the mother ship with like minded folks. You know, those other people who live so much in their own heads. 

One of the great events of this year's conference is the huge book signing that is sponsored by Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. I'll participate with about 125 other Christian authors. Wow!

If you're in the area or know any book lovers in Minneapolis, I hope you'll stop by Saturday, September 20th from 1:00 till 3:00, and mingle with and meet some of your favorite authors. 

I'll be there, and I would love to meet you.

Proud to be a Coloradan!

We have an opportunity to help create history and make a difference for eternity! 

Life Counts!

The term "Person" or "Persons" shall include any human from the time of fertilization. 

Vote YES on 48!

Colorado for Equal Rights Personhood Amendment from Personhood USA on Vimeo.

You're Invited!

Mark your calendar now! 

The book launch party for Out of Her Hands will be held October 4th in, Elements, the bookstore located in my home church. Come and mingle with editors, agents, authors, friends and family. We're going to have a great time!

I'll even be giving away one gift certificate to the Gray Pony Inn AKA The Warhorse Inn in downtown Parker.

Sad State of American Journalism

I'm disheartened. As I've followed the current political news, I've discovered that bias in journalism is no longer subtle. It's in your face and it's ugly.

My first "real" job out of college was in journalism. Back in the old days, you were supposed to report the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Now it seems journalists (it makes my stomach heave to call some of those people by that professional term) want to make the news as well as form your opinion for you.

Check out these two Us Magazine covers.

Hmmm. Now which candidate do you suppose Us supports? It sure takes hubris on the part of Us Magazine to create those competing covers.

Makes you sick, doesn't it?

I'm not a wimp!

I'm not a wimp, a little crazy maybe, but not a wimp.

I'm hanging onto summer with all my might. Today in Colorado it was in the mid 50s. But the sun was shining and the sky was bright blue, so I decided to fortify myself and work outside on the patio, as is my habit in the summer.I had on velour sweatpants, a T-shirt, my DH's worn flannel shirt (on the arm of the chaise), a burgundy throw from the living room, and a black knit scarf. It was delightful, but by late morning I had also added my velour hoodie, with the hood up. My chaise is in perpetual shade.

My chair is pulled so close to the house so I can slide open the door for my little dog without having to get up. It's the perfect summer office. I've got my lap desk, laptop computer, telephone, and jug of H2O. What more do you need?

As long as I'm comfy, I can write and write and write and write and write and write and write and write and write and write and write . . .

Happy Memories

I had a wonderful trip "home" last week and got to spend some time with loved ones.

And just in case you're wondering -- yes, girls with arms as strong as spaghetti noodles can kayak around a gorgeous lake.

If you can't tell, that's me. It was wonderful! I would paddle a bit and then glide across the water. I saw herons and turtles while I cruised along.

This is one of the most restful places on God's earth.

And then we watch the sun slip below the horizon. Isn't that a peaceful scene?

WFTJ & Searching for Spice On an End Cap!

My Words For The Journey writers group meets in Barnes & Noble on the last Tuesday night of the month.

This month Donita K. Paul was our guest speaker. She taught writers how to achieve backbone in their writing life. Great talk. It was very inspiring and encouraging. She helped some of us weird writers to feel more normal. Er, maybe not exactly normal, but we could understand ourselves within the context of a writer's realm. Some of the quotes she shared evoked universal understand among us. Yeah, we became one with the likes of John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway.

Then I took a tour through the store and was thrilled to see Searching for Spice on an end cap.

See! That's actually a self portrait. LOL. Maybe I should just stick to writing.

Then my friend Jan came over and took another photo. Isn't SFS in great company?! Brandilyn Collins, Angela Hunt, Terri Blackstock. Wow!
The other excitement of the evening was when the WFTJ Devotional Writing Contest winners were announced. Kay Day won the award for the unpublished writer, and Robbie Iobst won the published writer's award. Good job, girls! I wasn't fast enough with my camera so this is a picture of them at the WFTJ picnic lunch. Robbie's on the left and Kay's on the right.

Please Pray

Please pray for baby Jake today. He's three years old and is receiving a kidney transplant from his mom today. Jake is the great nephew of my friend Jan. When Jake was born, doctors said her would only live a few weeks, so he's already a miracle unfolding. 

Hometown Food

Do you have a special memory of a particular dish that you have only found in your hometown? Or a special vacation treat, like Johnson's Peanuts located on the boardwalk of Ocean City, NJ?

Well, I took a trip home to NY this past week and enjoyed a culinary stroll down Memory Lane.

My first stop was Gene's Fish Fry. Oh, my -- how delicious! My friend ate the clam roll. The fish fry is breaded and deep fried haddock smothered in chili sauce. I've never seen that style of fish fry anywhere other than the Capital District of NY.

My next stop was to Jack's Drive-In on Main Street in Wynantskill. Yes, check your atlas. That's my home town. Jack's is a local institution and has been around for 60+ years. It's a traditional drive-in and it closes come winter. You can smell the aroma before you even see the little brick building.

They only serve burgers and hot dogs, sodas and milkshakes.

I had a cheeseburger and fries. Yum!

But it gets better.

After one bite, the ingredients ooze out onto your plate so you get to scoop them up after you're finished with the burger.

That's the point. The burgers are supposed to be greasy and covered with caramelized onions and drenched in ketchup. It's a taste of childhood.

Of course when we travel to Long Island to visit family there's a whole other set of food traditions. The best of course is Grandma's meatballs. Like my father-in-law says, "If you want great Italian food, go home!"

Five Questions

Five Questions, that's the name of the article that featured me in The Troy Record. The intro to the article said this:

"Troy native Megan DiMaria of Denver, Colo., is the author of Searching for Spice, a work of contemporary fiction published April 2008 by Tyndale House. The story features a woman married nearly 25 years who decides she wants to have an affair -- with her husband. Its sequel, Out of Her Hands, by the same publisher is due to be released in October. On a recent trip to Troy, DiMaria donated a copy of Searching for Spice to the Troy Public Library."

You can check out the Five Questions here.

Wowie!

To see more about the photo session and my time at the library, see the post below.

Dreams Come True!

This day was not only a dream come true, it was an amazing marketing opportunity. When I was planning my trip to NY I contacted the local newspaper, hoping I would get some traction out of this event.

I always dreamed of being a published author.

When I was a young girl, my first job was as an envelope stuffer for the commissioner of jurors at the Rensselaer County Courthouse in downtown Troy, NY.

That's a photo of the Courthouse on the left. (I was 15 and had to get working papers.) The County Courthouse was next door to the Troy Public Library. The photo on the right is of the front door of the library. On my lunch hour I would stroll through the stacks of books, running my finger along the spines--on the author's names, locating the spot where my book would sit.

Well, fast forward 38 years, and you can see that my dream has come full circle. Today I donated a copy of Searching for Spice to the Troy Public Library. Dreams do come true!

This is a photo of the photographer from the Troy Record Newspaper, taking my photo for the paper.

This was also a significant moment because my first job in publishing was in 1973 as a high school intern working for that newspaper. I thought I had arrived--I had a job in publishing! I wrote wedding announcements and obituaries. LOL

Beach Dreams by Trish Perry

I was excited to read Beach Dreams because I thought it was the perfect summer book. Isn’t the cover cute? It drew me right in as a good read for relaxing on the chaise lounge, but I soon discovered that this is a great book to read any season.

Here’s what it’s about: Tiffany LeBoeuf recently lost her mother to cancer. Still grieving, Tiffany seeks rest for her body and soul at a cozy beach house in San Diego. A scheduling mix–up causes a double booking, and Tiffany ends up sharing the house with a woman named Eve. When Eve’s boyfriend, Jeremy, arrives to surprise Eve, he’s surprised to see Tiffany as well. He settles in at the beach house next door, and what happens after that surprises them all.

Beach Dreams is about being true to your faith and finding redemption from past mistakes. The characters were unique and relatable, and the setting made me yearn for a cozy beach vacation. I loved that secrets were revealed and the fall out dealt with in meaningful ways.

Beach Dreams is a fun and romantic story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Trish Perry is an award-winning writer of The Guy I’m Not Dating and Too Good to Be True. Her most recent book, Beach Dreams, was released on July 1, 2008. She served for seven years as the editor of Ink and the Spirit, a quarterly newsletter of the Capital Christian Writers organization in the Washington DC area. She has published numerous short stories, essays, devotionals, and poetry in Christian and general market media, and she is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers group.

Trish lives in Northern Virginia with her son, and has a gorgeous adult daughter and an amazing grandson.

You can learn more about Trish at her website.

Radiant Lit!

Wow! Look!! I'm featured at Radiant Lit today. The tag line over there is, "Godly Lit for savvy chicks." Isn't that great? I had a wonderful conversation with Takiela Bynum last week that she's put on the site as a podcast.

Don't forget to check out my latest post on marketing, right below this one.

Make a Big Splash ~ Book Launch!

I am currently presenting some posts on marketing. Also check out the previous posts.

If you want to generate excitement, you need to make a big deal about the book you’re promoting.

 One way to announce that your book launch party is a big deal is to have custom invitations created. This goes hand-in-hand with my post of 8/14 that speaks about presenting yourself professionally.

I sent invitations everywhere I could think: 

• bookstores
  
• newspapers
• magazines
• local authors, agents, and editors
• radio and television stations
• libraries
• churches
• I even sent an invitation to the mayor of Denver. We're a very literate city, and although he didn't make it, I was flattered that it was under consideration by his office.

The image above is the front and back of the invitation. See the tower on the invitation? That's the D&F Tower. The party was held on the floor behind the clock face and the floors above. Like my bookmarks, I also carried around a handful of invitations in case I ran into someone I wanted to invite.

A word about your book launch party: the reason for the event is not to celebrate with friends and family, as much fun as that is. The reason is to generate publicity for your book.

I live in suburban Denver, and I could have found a nice venue in which to hold my party. Fortunately a friend offered me the use of the top floors of the D&F Tower, an historic building on the 16^th Street Mall in downtown Denver. 

The reason for using a fabulous venue is to lure people to the party who might have declined the invitation had it been held in my local rec center. Mission accomplished! Three different editors of local magazines came to the party as well as book store employees who received the invitation.

Another consideration was the day and time of the party. I held it on a Thursday evening because professionals who are not acquainted with me (editors, bookstore employees, etc.) might be more likely to attend a function on an evening that doesn't cut into their family time. That's why the party started at 6:00 p.m. as well. 

If you're curious and want to see more posts about my book launch party go here. The night was perfect and ended all to quickly. Sigh.

Currently I'm planning my book launch party for Out of Her Hands. It's going to be a very different type of party. I'm doing a charity tie-in to help increase awareness of my books. I'll let you know about it in a little while.

Radio Interview

*I interrupt this regularly scheduled thread

on marketing for a

Marketing Announcement!*

Last week I was interviewed for Look Up Orlando, a radio program on AM810 WEUS (Central Florida). The show will air on Monday, August 18th at noon and 6:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Look Up Orlando is hosted by Mark Goldstein and Randye McLemore. We talked about Searching for Spice, marriage, family, and writing.

If you're in Central Florida you can tune in. If you're not local, you can listen online. Just figure out the time zone thing.

Mark Goldstein also publishes a magazine that's distributed to Central Florida churches and is also online, Look Up Orlando. He did a lovely review of Searching for Spice in this month's edition. I posted a clipping of the review on my blog.

Step Up to the Plate

FYI: I'm in the middle of presenting some posts on marketing. Also check out the previous posts.

I had been involved in the publishing industry long enough to know that when I got my first contract it would be imperative for me to contribute my own time, effort, and money toward marketing.

One of the first things I did was have a professional bookmark created for Searching for Spice. I did this in August of 2007. My book didn't release until April of 2008. No, I'm not crazy. I had the release date on the bookmark and started passing them around eight months before Searching for Spice released. If you want to get up close and personal with the bookmark, click on each image to view them larger.

My friend at 100 Proof Design and I worked on the design together, and I also ran it by the folks at Tyndale for their input. The Tyndale marketing people wanted me to put my photo on it, so I had it ghosted in. Apparently having an author photo helps reader connect to the author. Makes sense. I had the bookmark printed at Print Runner, an online company.

I ordered 1,000 bookmarks. They were 2x7 glossy, color both sides, UV coating both sides, printed on 14 pt. paper. Including shipping, they cost me $95.37. I think that's a good price, they were about a dime each.

I always have a handful of bookmarks with me, and pass them out every opportunity I can -- the grocery store, the Post Office, restaurants, the doctor's office, any time I can strike up a conversation with someone.

I have what my daughter calls my pick-up line. Let me give you an example, I was in line at the grocery store the other day when I couldn't resist the impulse to buy one of those recipe magazines at the check-out counter. When I put the magazine down on the counter, the lady in front of me made a comment about how good the sandwich on the front cover looked. Okay, that let me know she wouldn't freak out if I started to talk to her.

So I gave her my pick-up line: "Are you a reader?" She smiled and said yes, which gave me the opportunity to say, "Well, I'm a writer, and I've recently had my first book published. May I give you a bookmark?" When she agreed, I dug it out of my purse and gave her my one-sentence synopsis of what the book's about. Then I also asked if she's a part of a book club or knows someone who is. She says she was, so I give her a few more bookmarks to distribute.

Don't neglect word-of-mouth marketing. Most people are fascinated by writers, and they seem happy to meet an author. Having a bookmark to hand out when I introduce myself serves as a visual aid should they decide to consider buying the book, and having an attractive marketing piece (the bookmark) gives me some credibility.

One more thing, this year Tyndale gave me some Searching for Spice bookmarks to distribute. This new version also mentions Out of Her Hands releasing in October.

Sorry to say, I'm still working on my bookmark for Out of Her Hands. I'll let you see it when it's finalized. In the meanwhile, I'm still using the SFS bookmark that mentions OOHH.

Preparing for Your Portrait Session

FYI: I'm doing some posts on marketing for the next few days as well as the previous two days.

Now that you’ve scheduled your portrait session appointment, you want to make the most of it by being prepared.

Preparing yourself is more than selecting a good shirt and applying your makeup. There are a few tips to help you look your best:

• Be well-rested, and drink plenty of water in the day leading up to the session.
• Avoid haircuts or hairstyle changes within one or two weeks of your photo session.
• Excessive sun or tanning salon visits prior to your session should be avoided; a dark suntan may make your face look oily.

Don't stress about your wardrobe selection. Here are a few guidelines that will help you to present yourself in the most flattering way:

• Choose collars and necklines that frame your face.
• Clothes that are solid colors are best. Avoid anything with a bright or busy pattern. You want your face to stand out in the image, not your clothes. If you're not sure what to wear, black is always a safe color. Jewel tones are also very flattering, especially for outdoor shots.
• If you're wearing a suit or jacket, select a middle tone or dark jacket and pair it with a light color shirt.
• Avoid sleeveless clothing -- that will draw attention away from your face to all the skin on your arms. See the sample image of the lady in the yellow shirt? The goal of a professional portrait is to have the viewer focus first on the face, not all the skin from the neck down.
• Don't select high-neck clothing that will obscure your neck. See the photo on the left? The stripes are too busy and she has no visible neck. That's a no-no.
• Wear your usual hairstyle. Don't try anything new and risk suffering regret over wasting the photo session. Make sure your hair is styled the way you want prior to arriving for your session. You may want your usual stylist to style your hair that day, if you're nervous.
• If you wear glasses, you may want to ask your optometrist if you can borrow a pair without lenses. That way there won't be any glare.
• Avoid clothing that wrinkles easily or doesn't fit well.

You want to look as natural as possible as far as makeup is concerned.

• Don't go overboard on your makeup on portrait day. Simple, clean, and fresh is best. When applying makeup, pay special attention to your eyes. That's what people see first. Eye shadow adds depth. Stick to neutral shades and avoid iridescent colors.
• Ladies, as we age the most flattering shades of blush are peach tones. I know those pink blushes used to make you look fresh and young, but I have to tell you -- if you're no longer a young woman, it will just look unfortunate. The same goes for pink lipstick. Trust me on this. Truly.
• Bring your makeup kit with you so you can touch-up as needed.
• Gentlemen--a light powder foundation can reduce imperfections and an oily appearance. No one will be the wiser, and don't feel self-conscious about a dusting of powder to enhance your image.

For samples of great author headshots, see the previous post.