THE GUIDING DWIGHT

I saw the movie FOXCATCHER tonight. It was filled with good performances and was a tense movie to watch.  A movie about wrestlers and conflicts of interest.  Though not the feel good movie for the holidays, to be sure, I was surprised how many were in the audience. Steve Carrell channeled something in his performance. There was a stillness at the center of his character that was chilling. As if he were encased in glass and the words he spoke and the words he heard took light years to reach him. What the movie lacks in humor, it  makes up for in tension. I'd give it a B. I also previously saw THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING.  Isn't the movie poster above stunning?  I enjoyed this film. At the center, it was a love story, and also a story of transcending one's disabilities/ limitations. The movie was charming and touching and fueled by the scientific quest for knowledge and personal quest for romance. By the way, both movies in this post are based on real people who

Well, anyone who is following this blog knows that you are getting a bird's eye view of one author's road to self-publication.  All roads lead to Rome.  This one happens to be mine.  And part of that journey is packing a good marketing plan.  I have talked to other authors and googled how self pubbers market themselves.  In the end, it's cafeteria style.  I pick and choose what works best for me, my personality,. my work-style.  Here are a couple steps along the way. 1.  Decide to self publish. Work with a good editor and designer 2.  Seek out venues for book signing + possible book reviewers + do book giveaway 3.  Make bookmarks to promote your book, seek out book clubs 4.  Design Evite for book signing 5.  Ask the universe for whatever karmic blessings are due to you Beyond these steps and any others you come up with -- there is just the importance of keeping your eyes open for opportunities.  A fair amount of the marketing plan will be unplan-able.  You'll m

It's July 18th and two important creative projects are coming down the pike.  I'm designing a website for a dental laboratory in Chicago that should be simple and elegant.  It's due this Wednesday night.  And I'm working with Createspace on finalizing the book cover for my first novel due out in August!  Above is one draft of the dental website.  I'm very happy with it as is the client so far.  Seeing all the lab's great photos of bright white teeth brought to mind for me white tulips.  And so a concept was born. And as for the book covers -- there are some good ones to choose from.  From top to bottom, I call them:  Escalator Boy, Handstand Man, and Falling Man.  The above three are my amateurish renderings.  The real designers will make them look more book store ready.  Handstand is a late addition into the face and a rising favorite.  I do like the words "a novel" on my cover so that people know what it is.