Hi, friends! Thanks  for stopping by.

Directly below the Events Schedule, please find this new post regarding instant fame and fortune…or perhaps not!

Events Scheduled:

Book Signing: Barnes & Noble Bookstore-Pasadena
Saturday, March 3, 2012 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
5656 Fairmont Parkway
Pasadena, Texas 77505

University of Houston-Clear Lake brings you:

Small Talk/Big Ideas Networking Breakfast:  In the Company of Walt, Beatrix and Benjamin: Indie Publishing Then and Now

Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 7:30 am to 9:00 am

Please visit this link for ticket information and registration www.uhcl.edu/smalltalkbigideas

Southern Belle Book Club Meeting

April 28, 2012 Time TBA

University of Houston-Clear Lake Official Book Tour Launch: Book Signing and PowerPoint Presentation

Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 6:30pm to 8:30

UHCL Garden Room and Atrium I, free event, more details to follow

And now finally, a new blog entry!

Almost Famous…Well, Actually, Not Even Almost

Hello, friends! Or should I say adoring fans? No? No. Probably not.

Following a really nice, helpful and complimentary news article in my local newspaper, The Pasadena Citizen, (http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pasadena/news/pasadena-author-s-latest-book-celebrates-second-chances/article_3b2bc1dd-93f7-58bd-aec9-47faee85b0fe.html) many friends and neighbors have been very kindly congratulating me on my becoming famous. Now, as much as that might be the coolest thing in the world to have happen, in reality it is far from the truth. Writing a book and publishing a book are indeed worthy accomplishments, but ones that have been accomplished by many, many people. Most writers never know any fame (or fortune certainly) at all.

Now, that said, let me be honest. If The Offshore Triumphs of Karla Jean became the next Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, or The Help or We Bought A Zoo, would I swoon with literary ecstasy? You bet. And if Oprah called and said “Hey, there, I like your book…” would I faint dead away at the good fortune and possibilities? Without question. (I did actually pitch the book on film director Cameron Crowe’s Facebook page. I mean, why not? Someone had to look at my cover long enough to delete the post, so come on, I got attention from someone, who knows someone, who admins Cameron Crowe’s Facebook page!)

Anyway, chances of my book in today’s parlance “going viral” are quite slim indeed. But that’s entirely okay. Because what I set out to do, which was to write and publish a really positive story that might cheer up someone’s day (or week, or year), is in fact what I accomplished. So that is enough fame and fortune right there. If Oprah or Cameron calls or texts or tweets or Facebooks me, I will without hesitation respond with all possible vigor.

Are you an aspiring writer? Or is there someone close to you who is? These lucky days there are many, many places to dip your feet in and learn about the ins and outs of writing in all forms and fashions. My favorite blog is Boxing the Octopus (http://www.boxocto.com) with two of my favorite authors and bloggers, Joni Rodgers and Colleen Thompson. You can spend days on this site. Enjoy it but remember to sleep sometime.

Have you finished reading The Offshore Triumphs of Karla Jean? Leave a comment and make my day! And if you really loved it, write a review and publish it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Iuniverse! And thanks again!