Day 29: Introducing . . . Revelations

Day 29: M. Ann Ricks releases The Blood Done Signed My Name

About The Author

M. Ann is a Christian Fiction author originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey presently residing in Bear, Delaware with her awesome husband and two handsome sons. She is a graduate of Rider University.

M. Ann is forever grateful to her parents, Earnest and Anne Smith for their prayers and close reign over her young life.   Their seemingly ever-present influence and strong desire for her to know God, attend church and participate in every possible youth auxiliary kept her from elements that could have swallowed her whole.  Writing for M. Ann was always a hidden love. One would say that as her relationship with her Savior matured, her desire to write was blossomed. Stories that seemed to be buried in her heart to give God glory were unearthed. She then became convinced and confident that it was her gift.   She is determined to tell the world how wonderfully awesome Jesus Christ is and can be in our lives if we just allow Him to be.   She is honored to be used by God to spread His message with the stories she creates with the leading of the Holy Spirit, knowing that He will provide her with the words that will draw all men to Him.  She realizes that her role as a writer is simply to exhale what God has already breathed into her.

She is also what one may consider a motivational/inspirational speaker but she prefers the term, “Godspirational” as one may only be truly inspired and changed when hearing the uncompromised word of God!

M. Ann is the author of Awesome Wonder: The Gift of Remembrance , The Son and THE BLOOD DONE SIGNED MY NAME. 

About the Book

Feelings of condemnation, guilt and shame, are some of the underlying reasons why some won’t accept Christ or even acknowledge the unending love He has for us. Because of the past, familial history or even consistently making choices that have proven to be wrong, many have decided to live a defeated life of regrets; resolving that they are worthless and unable to believe or even accept the possibility that anyone could really love them or give their life for their freedom and liberty. Set in present day, THE BLOOD DONE SIGNED MY NAME chronicles a woman’s desire for redemption. It is a novel seasoned with the sensuality of love, the need for familial truth, supernatural deliverance and God’s promise of hope. This novel will enlighten and encourage as we journey with the heroine, Honey Lamb.

Are the sins of the father and mother visited upon their sons and daughters?

Undoubtedly damaged, Honey Lamb, like many, is a descendant of an unfortunate legacy of molestation, addiction, murder and bad decisions. For as long as she could remember, she believed the unhappiness she experienced was somehow bequeathed to her. The blood that surged through her veins seemed to be tainted and she often wondered about the DNA she possessed. Experiencing more than her share of misery at the hands of her mother, an alcoholic; the source of all her woes, Honey believed she’d overcome her seemingly checkered path all by herself when she met and married, Mason; a man she loves beyond her own understanding.  Unfortunately, unsettling memories emerge to crack the veneer of her seemingly happy existence. Feeling unable to escape what she believed to be her destiny, Honey makes a decision that may have ruined her life. Not realizing God places people in our lives for His purpose, she reluctantly embarks upon a journey that will open her eyes and heart to a divine inheritance. Will she accept what God has already given to her or will she shun the invitation of salvation and allow her familial carnal legacy to continue to the next generation? Will she come to understand that Jesus’ blood redeemed us from a self-defeating existence because He became the sinful inheritance for us while at the same time eradicating it forever, giving us a spiritual blood transfusion that would change us all?  

Day 28: Storyworld Conference and Expo

To view this email as a web page, go here.

STORYWORLD CONFERENCE+EXPO OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 2, 2011 San Francisco StoryWorld Conference + Expo • Hotel & Travel CONTENTS • Keynote Speaker Jordan Weisman Explores Storytelling's Tribal Roots and Rich Future • Just a Few Days Left to Save $200! • Sponsor Spotlight: Sparksheet • Bonus: Build Your eBook Savvy at Publishers Launch Event Keynote Speaker Jordan Weisman Explores Storytelling's Tribal Roots and Rich Future StoryWorld Conference + Expo begins with creative dynamo Jordan Weisman's high-energy keynote talk. In a sweeping historical survey, the creator of MechWarrior, Shadowrun and Crimson Skies and author of Cathy's Book will chronicle the ancient, collaborative roots of storytelling. He'll explore how the rise of technology amplifies storytelling, bringing with it the democratization of storytelling tools—and echoing the fireside storytelling of ancient civilizations. He'll reveal how smart transmedia strategy and audience awareness can increase story's impact exponentially, building community and pushing your profits into the stratosphere. And he'll forecast the next exciting step in story's evolution—and how you can be a part of it. Jordan's inspiring and energizing keynote will set the tone for a creative, productive Conference dedicated to finding the next development in the story of story itself. Don't miss it. REGISTER NOW » Just a Few Days Left to Save $200! Reserve your spot at StoryWorld Conference + Expo by September 30 and you'll save $200 off the full-Conference price. StoryWorld is the first global meetup of film, publishing, gaming, and television professionals, indie producers and content creators, and marketers, all eager to explore the lucrative and potential-rich environment of transmedia storytelling. Click here to see a list of the influential companies represented at this year's StoryWorld. FIND OUT MORE » Sponsor Spotlight: Sparksheet StoryWorld is pleased to welcome a new media sponsor, Sparksheet. Sparksheet is an award-winning multiplatform magazine that explores how brands are using different platforms to get relevant content to the right people—wherever they may be. Through original think pieces and in-depth Q&As with international thought leaders, Sparksheet highlights the unexpected connections between different parts of the media and marketing universe, from journalism and entertainment, to advertising and technology. Powered by Spafax, a WPP content marketing agency, Sparksheet is committed to being an editorially independent think thank and industry publication where everyone from colleagues to competitors is welcome to join the conversation. Bonus: Build Your eBook Savvy at Publishers Launch Event eBooks for Everyone Else Wednesday, November 2 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Presented by Publishers Launch eBooks for Everyone Else is designed to teach agents, small and medium-size publishers and authors how to make, distribute and market ebooks effectively—either on their own, or through appropriate vendors, distributors and other third-parties. Although this is not a StoryWorld event, it is located at the Parc 55 Hotel. For your convenience, you may opt to add this event onto your StoryWorld registration. Click here for complete program information. Register Hurry! Sign up by midnight Friday to save $200! Register Now » Reserve Your Hotel Room Now! StoryWorld Conference + Expo will take place at Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco – Union Square. StoryWorld has negotiated a discounted hotel rate for attendees, but this deal ends October 7 and prices will go up after that date. Book your room now!. Connect Before & After StoryWorld @StoryWorldConf, #SWC11 Make plans with potential "tribe members" before Day 3's Unconference via StoryWorld's Facebook Page. Sponsors If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at the StoryWorld Conference + Expo, please contact Jennifer Affrunti at 678-324-1539 or jennifer@expoincorporated.com.

StoryWorld Conference + Expo • Hotel & Travel

Day 27: A Poem by John Ashbery

Instead of Losing

by John Ashbery

Anyone, growing up in a space you hadn't used yet would've done the same: bother the family's bickering to head straight into the channel. My, those times crackled near about us, from sickly melodrama instead of losing, and the odd confusion...confusion. I thought of it then, and in the mountains. During the day we perforated the eponymous city limits and then some. No one knew all about us but some knew plenty. It was time to leave that town for an empty drawer into which they sailed. Some of the eleven thousand virgins were getting queasy. I say, stop the ship! No can do. Here come the bald arbiters with their eyes on chains, just so, like glasses. Heck, it's only a muskrat that's seen better years, when things were medieval and gold... So you people in the front, leave. You see them. And you understand it all. It doesn't end, night's sorcery notwithstanding. Would you have preferred to be a grownup in earlier times than the child can contain or imagine? Or is right now the answer—you know, the radio we heard news on late at night, our checkered fortunes so pretty. Here's your ton of plumes, and your Red Seal Records. The whole embrace.

Day 21: 5 Reasons e-Books Might Be the New Paid-content For News

For publishers, selling content on the Internet has been always more about religion than business. In a world where users are saturated with news stories, most of them submitted for free, selling articles looks like selling fruits in the Garden of Eden. The news business is not like the music business. You can buy a song, and you can put it on your iPod and listen to it again and again. News stories are ephemeral. They’re just stuff you need to know. And in the connected world, you don’t need to buy it to hear about it. When a story is released, information is curated all over the social network.

It’s trendy to say that “the important part of newspaper isn’t ‘paper,’ but ‘news.’” But when you start to think about it, you realize that before the rise of the Internet, what you paid for when you bought a newspaper was not the news, but the paper, or to be more precise, the news on the paper. I mean you pay for the packaging: curated and exclusive stories packaged in a well-organized, easy-to-read, offline browser, delivered to your home. That’s why some magazines still sell a lot of copies of their paper editions even if major stories have been released on the website earlier. In 2008, in France the news magazine L’Express published an interview with First Lady Carla Bruni. The interview was released first on the web, for free, and it was a huge success. But it was a huge success for the paid paper edition too; a record in the magazine’s history. Same story, different packaging.

Read entire article here . . .

Day 20: Borders Employees Vent Frustrations in ‘Ode to a Bookstore Death’

As Borders closed forever this weekend, one patron snapped a photograph of a bitter bookseller’s manifesto an unidentified store: “Things We Never Told You: Ode to a Bookstore Death.” 


The massive list collected years worth of pent-up sarcasm and frustration, spawning thousands of angry (and bemused) reactions from bookstore patrons.

Below, we’ve collected five controversial statements from the list. What do you think about the list? (Via Matt Staggs)

1. “We hate when a book becomes popular simply because it was turned into a movie.”

2. “Nicholas Sparks is not a good writer…if you like him, fine, but facts are facts.”

3. “We greatly dislike the phrase ‘quick question.’ It’s never true. And everyone seems to have one.”


Read more here. 

Day 19: Publishing Innovation Awards

"A well-crafted ebook is essential both from the reader's perspective, as well as the publishers'—a reader will respond to a well-crafted, beautifully designed ebook. They will feel like they got their money's worth when they interact with a professional-quality product. A quality ebook is going to be increasingly crucial as a component of a publisher's brand going forward."
—Pablo Defendini, Interactive Producer, Open Road Integrated Media

The Publishing Innovation Awards honor the most innovative ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and book apps in 14 categories. It is the mission of the PIAs to highlight excellent publishers/authors, encourage new thinking, and improve the reading experience in the digital age.

Day 16: Effect vs Affect

What Is the Difference Between Affect and Effect?

Before we get to the memory trick though, I want to explain the difference between the two words.

It's actually pretty straightforward. The majority of the time you use affect with an a as a verb and effect with an e as a noun.

 When Should You Use Affect?

Affect with an a means "to influence," as in, "The arrows affected Ardvark," or "The rain affected Amy's hairdo." Affect can also mean, roughly, "to act in a way that you don't feel," as in, "She affected an air of superiority."

When Should You Use Effect?

Effect with an e has a lot of subtle meanings as a noun, but to me the meaning "a result" seems to be at the core of all the definitions. For example, you can say, "The effect was eye-popping," or "The sound effects were amazing," or "The rain had no effect on Amy's hairdo."

Read more here.

Day 15: QR Codes - A Marketing Must!

With your eyes open, I’d like for you to take a small journey with me.  The economy is tanking and you have a family of six to feed. Food prices have reached an all time high and you need to find ways to cut costs.  In a valiant effort, you buy a Sunday newspaper and browse through the pages of coupons. You see some things that you buy on a regular basis and realize those thirty-five cents here and a dollar, fifty there could actually help lower the bottom line of your grocery bill. You take your pile of coupons to the grocery store and at the checkout stand and your eyes light up when you scan your coupon’s barcode across the scanner. The bar code on that coupon has information imbedded into it that tells the scanner how much to take off your purchase.

Read more here.  

Day 14: 2nd Annual Fall Fiction Fest

2ND ANNUAL FALL FICTION FEST

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH 2010 FROM 1PM-4PM

ELK'S LODGE

5555 W GOOD HOPE ROAD

MILWAUKEE, WI 53223

FREE ADMISSION - ALL AGES!

HEADLINERS: 

New York Times Best-Selling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby
National Best-Selling Author Marissa Monteilh

 

OTHER FEATURED AUTHORS:

 NAACP Award Nominee J.L. Woodson
Sheila Peele-Miller
Patricia Balentine
Winkk
Lesa Jones
Thomas Slater
Jhamika
Karyn Grice

Click here to register.

Day 13: You Fill My Eyes a Poem by Rick Bonner

You fill my eyes with the splendour of your beauty,

Let me hold and protect you from the storms.

Come dance upon Mars beneath shooting stars

And let the purity of my love keep you warm.

You lift my heart with warm anticipation,

Take my hand let me whisk you away.

See the colours so bright that light up our nights,

As we kiss by New-Hope bay.

I could not have believed that I would find someone,

That could make me feel like you.

Your eyes met mine, in a frozen time,

And my fairy tale came true.

You fill my eyes with unreserved surrender,

I would scour mountains for the briefest kiss.

In a world where we strive, we could learn to thrive,

Lord I have never yielded like this.

You thrill my dreams of new tomorrows,

Discard your cares and become part of my life.

Do not deliberate too long, take a risk and be strong

And forever fill my eyes.

I have spent staring through a window,

Like a stage-hand locked in a play.

But you smiled across the room, lit up by the moon,

And my cold nights turned into day.

You fill my eyes with complicit adoration,

I would do anything to see you smile.

My heart skips a beat, you make me complete

Now I have crossed these dark rivers of denial.

©Rick Bonner. All Rights Reserved

Day 12: Summer’s Over, How Did Bookstores Do?

Clearly, 2011 will not be considered a stellar year for a wide swath of bookselling: Borders is in the midst of closing its remaining stores; Books-A-Million has had two disappointing quarters, and Barnes & Noble’s growth is coming primarily from e-books and the Nook, while print, as everywhere, declines. Newer independents have had trouble gaining traction, like five-year-old Red Fox Books in Glen Falls, N.Y., which closed last month. Some older indies have also ran into trouble. Thirty-six-year-old Atlantic Books, headquartered in Conshohocken, Pa., closed eight of its 12 stores, mostly in high-rent resort communities. It will continue to operate four year-round bookstores: one in South Jersey, two in Delaware, and one in suburban Philadelphia. “The major problem is there’s not enough margin to run these small chains anymore and pay the overhead,” said Atlantic co-owner Mark Simon.

Read full article here.

Day 9: Call for Volunteers: Boston Book Festival

BBF PRESENTING PARTNER: THANKS TO:  Verizon Google Books  Other Press   Random House Audio  Pearson Foundation Hachette Book Group   Plymouth Rock Foundation Copley Square Hotel Bank of America  Target Vermont College of Fine Arts for their support of Boston Book Festival 2011. Stay in touch:  Follow @bostonbookfest on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!   Calling all readers and writers, story-tellers, poets, students, playwrights, performers, bookworms, intellectuals, library-goers, bookstore-browsers, open-mic enthusiasts, and lovers of literature of all kinds!   On Saturday, October 15, the Boston Book Festival is bringing over 100 world-renowned authors and presenters, as well as costume characters, performers, craftspeople, and vendors, to Copley Square for a full-day celebration of the importance, as well as the pure joy, of the written word in its many forms.  You definitely want to be there. Even better, you could be part of the team that brings it all together!   The Boston Book Festival depends on the volunteer efforts of dedicated and enthusiastic literary advocates, such as yourself, to help everything run smoothly. Volunteers do things like answer questions, help festival-goers find their next session, facilitate events and book-signings, and work at the merchandise booth. A volunteer shift is four hours long, and the rest of the day you are free to enjoy the festival! Prior to volunteering, you will attend one of the scheduled two-hour training sessions that will take place at different times in the two weeks leading up to the event. While volunteering for a great event like this is surely its own reward, your involvement will also earn you a delicious lunch and a cool Boston Book Festival volunteer T-shirt.   Please pass this information along to anyone you know who might be interested in volunteering. All are welcome, and the more the merrier! This year's festival is going to be bigger and better than ever, so don't miss the opportunity to be part of the team! RSVP to Nina Rogowsky, at nina@bostonbookfest.org or just reply to this email. Many thanks for your support of the BBF! Best,