How Many Rewrites?

I had a nice post all typed a few days ago, went to submit it and Blogger was down. I'll try again!

I've got ten chapters done and am doing another rewrite. I'm taking out unnecessary words. Too many adverbs and adjectives. Too much redundancy. I'm not worrying about word count anymore, now it's quality of writing and the flow of the story. I am writing the purpose of each chapter in my notes. This has been very helpful to me. It keeps me on track with the storyline.

I think I'm going to stop after this rewrite and write the last chapter before I tackle more of the middle of the book. I like the beginning chapters. It's the middle I'm getting a little wishy washy with.

What has helped me tremendiously is Stephen King's book, On Writing. His "memoir of the craft" is dead on. I've read and reread it several times. This last time really hit home for me. I realized I was writing just to get words down. It was necessary for me as I had become so frozen with my writing but now it's time to clean it up, delete, and rewrite. Thank you, Mr. King.

How many rewrites is this? I've lost count. Let's say twelve, that sounds about right.

Pounding the Pavement in the Adirondacks Part 8

On Saturday, July 14th, the whole family got in the Envoy to head down to
Raquette Lake. It killed me to take the gas-loving vehicle but we couldn't fit in the hybrid with all the books, etc. We were heading down to the First Annual Festival of Life. This event was a benefit for North Country Life Flight, a non-profit air medical rescue program with headquarters at Adirondack Airport in Lake Clear. My friend, Jan Washburn, invited me and she organized the whole event. I was honored to be invited. We all loved watching the Life Flight helicopter land outside the school where the event took place.





We set our table up along with the other crafters. The event was from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and we did quite well. We sold 24 books to individuals and 10 to the Raquette Lake Navigation Company. They have daily and nightly cruises on the W. W. Durant (our protagonist is William Durant) and we could see their ship docked outside of our hotel room.



We were too tired to take a cruise but it looked like so much fun! Next time, we promised ourselves.

The next day we were off to Inlet for our next signing. We had a fantastic breakfast at the Tamarack Cafe & Movie House. Woof, we ate too much. Jim had the Lumberjack special and it was a plate FULL of heart-stopping goodies, like buscuits and gravy and sausage and toast and eggs and woof! I had an egg sandwich and we had to take a walk after that before the signing. Our signing in Inlet was at the Adirondack Reader, right on the main road. It was scheduled from 1 p.m until 3 p.m. We set up our groovy display a bit early. The father of the owner of Adirondack Reader, Reggie, took our picture. They were so nice and funny and easy to be with.



Yup, that's my little baby. Sigh. We only sold 7 books but we have been invited to Reggie's Author's fair in September so it's cool. We also gave out a lot of bookmarks so all's well that end's well. We were pretty tired on the drive back home and the kids fell asleep in the back. I fell asleep on the couch that night, exhausted. It was a good weekend!

Brodarts, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Midwest Book Review

I received a notice from Brodart which says "Titles With NYP Status To Be Checked" and my book was listed. It clearly states that

*** THIS IS NOT AN ORDER ***.

Thanks, I need that? What the heck is "NYP Status"? Anyway, they are a library fulfillment service so I guess it's good they're checking on things. Does this mean libraries are trying to order the book? I don't know but that would be pretty cool.



I also received a letter from my distributor, North Country Books which says that Eric Burger, Barnes and Noble's regional buyer for the northeast, has requested I send him sample copies of my new publications as they become available. Okey dokey, but what the heck happened to the two copies I already sent in to Barnes and Noble? So I sent my newest buddy, Eric, two more copies. At least the book now shows as in stock. Where did those other two copies go? Did they just fly away? Hmmm.



Now for the biggest, best news of all! Midwest Book Review has given our book a 5 out of 5 star review! Here it is:

"Written by mother of two Rebecca Leonard and featuring numerous black-and-white computer-generated illustrations by her son Nick Leonard, Adirondack Nightmare: A Spooky Tale in the North Country is a Halloween adventure novel for young people new to chapter books. Enhanced with tasty original Adirondack recipes like "John and Mary's Best Michigan Sauce Recipe Ever" and "Caramel and Chocolate Covered Candied Apple Recipe", Adirondack Nightmare is goosebump-inducing treat from cover to cover. A great holiday mood-setting story for reading aloud chapter by chapter or allowing novice readers to immerse themselves in the spine-chilling joy of words."



Can you believe it? I was so happy I didn't know what to do. They posted it on Amazon, too, which really helps.

Well, time to get ready for our two signings this weekend. We need to prep a lot of books! Take care, thanks for reading.

Adirondack Nightmare Wows Fifth Graders At Momot Elementary School

Well, I do believe we've hit the nail on the head! Jim, Amanda and I did a book presentation for the fifth graders at Momot Elementary School in Plattsburgh. (Thank you so much for the invitation, Mrs. Bouissey!) We started at about 1:15 p.m. and ended right before the end of the school day, about 2:30 p.m.

It was so wonderful for the kids to share their dreams with us. Nick couldn't attend because he had to go to school to get help with his English journals. He's got a lot going on at school right now and we've all agreed that school comes first for him.

There were about 60 kids and more than a handful of adults. Jim and I made a CD-rom of some of Nick's illustrations and we showed them as a part of the presentation. One of the highlights for me was when we started up the DVD portion (made by John Mitchell of Silver Lining Photography and Video (www.silverliningphotovideo.com). It was near the end of the presentation and before the Q&A part. Jim queued up the Excerpt From The Book, read by John, and I heard a young man say, "This is so cool!". My heart melted.

I'm so grateful to Momot Elementary School for allowing us to share our dreams with them and to hear their dreams. The opportunity is just beyond words.

Take care, time to post some photos from the presentation on my site. www.rebeccaleonard.com

We're In The 21st Annual Adirondack Authors Night!

This is so exciting! We've just been invited to the 21st Annual Adirondack Authors Night at Hoss's Country Corner in Long Lake! I can't begin to explain how grateful we are to Lorrie for putting our book in their store and for the invitation.

If you've never been to Hoss's Country Corner you should. They have the greatest collection of Adirondack memorabilia there is. The last time I was in there, well, let's say I didn't leave empty-handed! Tons of books, t-shirts, knick-knacks, decorations, jewelry, on and on and on.

Another really cool thing about the store is the tree which is growing up in the center of the showroom. Seriously, a real tree. It's amazing, I can't explain it well enough to give it justice. You'll have to check it out for yourself!

The Adirondack Author's Night is always the second Tuesday in August. Plan on going, it'll be a fun event. Guaranteed! Hoss's is located at 247 Lake St (it takes up a whole block) in Long Lake and their phone number is 1-800-952-4677.

First Book Presentation/Signing...Total Success!!

Well, our first book presentation and signing could NOT have gone any better. There were probably 40-50 people present at Lake Forest Community Center. Eleven students, who are pen-pals with some of the Lake Forest residents, were there for the show. Jim, my husband, manned the DVD and projector. Nick (my son and illustrator of the book), Amanda (my daughter and book helper/bookmark hander-outer) and my mom (book editor) sat in the front as contributors. Johnny Mitchell of Silver Lining Photography and Video (great friend, great neighbor, great photographer) was there to take pics for my web site and promos. I've never seen my mother so proud of me! The audience was completely engaged throughout, Jim told me after.

The presentation lasted about half-an-hour, then we had fun! We brought out some props and I did a Q&A session. The kids hands flew up in the air! I was able to reach out to every single one of them. I believe I've met an up-and-coming future President of the United States. I was honored to be with them. Their hopes and dreams keep me going.

Oh yeah, we sold some books, too :-)

Peace out.

More Adirondack Nightmare Publishing News

I took yesterday off from blogging. My laptop is dead and that's where my web site info is stored. I was so frustrated.

It turned out to be a good day for the book, though. My distributor called with an order for 30 copies and I got a big book signing/presentation at a local elementary school. And, get this, I'm being paid for it! The only other signing I have now I'm doing for free so I've learned that it doesn't hurt to ask.

Today I read the book to a class and really enjoyed myself. I thought I'd be nervous but it went so well I'm a little stunned at the success of it! The kids were wonderful and the teacher had michigans made up for the kids while I read to them. The book was definitely well received, more than I could ever have hoped for.

Now I need to get my projector fixed for the presentation on the 6th, haven't even rehearsed for that yet. Yikes. And my laptop fixed. Then I'll feel fixed.

Have a good one.

Will Rachael Ray Endorse Adirondack Nightmare Book?

Today I'm focusing on book endorsements. I've been fortunate enough to get one from Sid Couchey, Gordie Little and John Mitchell. I've been thinking and emailing and asking and I came up with an idea. Why not ask Rachael Ray?

Rachael Ray was born in Glens Falls and grew up in Lake George. Her first job was at the candy counter at Macy's in NYC. (Hey, I worked there when I was in college!) Anyway, she also worked at Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a very famous hotel on Lake George. Then, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in suburban Albany. My husband, daughter and I watch her 30 Minute Meals show and love it. My daughter, Amanda, has her book, Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals For Kids, and loves it. Amanda's 10-going-on-11 (as she puts it) and has made meals for us using this book.

I've heard her talk about her working in Upstate NY on her show. She says very clearly that they've helped shape her into the popular TV personality she is today. What an Adirondack success story!

I think the michigan sauce recipe in our book would catch her attention. It's so simple and fast and perfectly delicious. It just might be the type of thing she'd dig. I hope so. I've sent a copy of our book to her office in NYC with a letter and some promotional material. My fingers are crossed.

Ok, now on to try to solicit more endorsements. Have a good one.

Learning to Blog to Promote Our Adirondack Book

Ok, I've spent quite a few hours getting used to this blogging stuff. It's pretty fun! I changed my template so many times that I finally gave up and am happy 'nough with what I have now.

I need to learn how to connect with other bloggers in the region. Any suggestions out there? I'll take all the help I can get. I learned a lot by looking at other blogs and paying attention to what caught my eye. I think I need to learn to have some patience with blogging and not rush things.
I'm learning that labels are pretty important and when I rush, I miss labels.

I have a problem with patience. I'm working on it as fast as I can. Ha ha ha.

My husband, Jim, wants to know where the word "blog" came from. He thinks it's a weird name. He called me a "blog" and I told him I'm a "blogger" not a "blog". According to Peter from peterme.com, it began in 1999. He writes, "'Blog' would have likely died a forgotten death had it not been for one thing: In August of 1999, Pyra Labs released Blogger. And with that, the use of blog grew with the tool's success."

So, I googled "Pyra Labs blogger" and came up with this link, http://www2.blogger.com/about. It's an interesting article, you should check it out if you're a noob like I am. My son, Nick, told me recently that the new word for "newbie" is "noob". Feelin' groovy now, I am.

Ok, since I'm getting off topic, it's time to end my second post.

Pounding The Pavement In The Adirondacks

Well, this being my first blog post and all, I guess I'll try to catch folks up on what I've been up to. My son, Nick, is a sophmore at Peru Central School and he is the illustrator for our new book,
"Adirondack Nightmare: A Spooky Tale in the North Country". The book is published and it's time to get it into stores!

I have a distributor but, well, a little legwork doesn't hurt. I could use the exercise and fresh air. I've gained some weight (ok quite a bit of weight) this winter and really need to do something about it!

So, on Friday, April 22nd I grabbed a bunch of books and fliers (for our upcoming book signing/presentation-our first, gulp) and hit the road on Friday. It was sunny and beautiful out. Sold books to 2 bookstores, 2 museums, a beauty salon, and 1 to my kids' orthodontist. The only retailer who said "no" took a flier to display. So did all the other retailers. One museum is going to let us do a presentation at the end of June! A good day.

On Tuesday, April 24th I went to a school book presentation. The authors are Gary and Justin VanRiper, a father and son writing team residing in Camden, New York of the Tug Hill region. They write the "Adirondack Kids" series of books and are very friendly and supportive. They've been doing presentations for a long time and since we have our first one coming up I thought I'd go to get some ideas, meet the authors, etc. I showed up at the wrong time and the presentation was just finishing. I asked when the next one was and found I had 2 hours to kill. I hit the pavement. I went to 6 locations. Two local pharmacies (I've learned that small towns have pharmacies which carry local books) and sold to both of them. They're in two different towns. I sold to two apple orchard giftshops (the book has an apple recipe in it) and will return on Thursday to two other places when the owners are in. Got back just in time for the presentation, learned a lot and hooked up with another local author team. Good day #2.

Wednesday, April 25th, I made 2 follow-up phone calls to 2 important retailers. It looks like a big NO from both of them. Drat. Not such a good book selling day.

Thursday, April 26th I hit the road again and traveled deeper into the Adirondacks. I was able to get our book into 4 giftshops and 1 bookstore in 5 different towns. After 3 weeks of trying, I decided my book WAS going to get in our local Borders store in Plattsburgh. I had faxed book info to the manager, sent him some info in the mail and followed up with an email. The employees would tell me to stop back in each time I went, as he was always on a conference call. Today, the manager was in the store after being on the road for a bit. When I went in, he was on a conference call. So, this time when the sales clerk asked, "May I give him your name?" I said, "Halle Barry" with a straight face. He eventually got off his conference call and when I met him he said he'd already ordered the book through my distributor. When I asked how many copies, he said, "Dozens". The most I've ever sold at once is 10 copies so I'll find this interesting when I see them in the store.

Well, I've caught things up to speed here. I'll keep learning how to live in blogosphere and plugging away at getting our book in regional stores.