Introductory Comments
A Fond Farewell

“ ‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘To speak of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax…’ ”

…And for me, of beginning a new chapter. I hate good-byes, but hopefully this one will be au revoir as opposed to adieu. I hope to start up again with this newsletter sometime in the future, but for now I am bidding you all a fond farewell.

As I mentioned last month, I’ve been inspired by your loyalty and by your praise and comments on my efforts here. I hope I’ve entertained and amused you, and for you writers out there, provided some motivation and useful info for your efforts as well. It’s been a pleasure being a small part of your lives. If you come up with any questions during this hiatus in the newsletter, do let me know. And drop me a line just to say hello every now and then. Thank you!


Media Update
Carolyn Howard-Johnson receives another award!

Our dear friend and incredibly talented Carolyn Howard-Johnson has received the American Business Women's Association's (ABWA) Outstanding Woman Award at the their 19th national American Business Women's Day Celebration, on Sept. 8 in Anaheim, CA.

Lynn White Shelby, Burbank, CA, nominated Carolyn for the National Award. The ABWA brings together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provides opportunities for personal and professional growth. Their motto "Together we can do it" unites tens of thousands of members throughout the world who benefit from membership and its national magazine Women in Business.

Carolyn may be reached at HoJoNews@aol.com Information is also available at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com The ABWA site is www.abwa.org


The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward To Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success reached the top ten in its category (editing) on Amazon in presale efforts.

The Frugal Editor is the second in the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers after The Frugal Editor: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't, which is a USA Book News Best Professional Book and Irwin Award Winner. The Frugal Editor helps writers jigger their computers to work with them instead of against them to produce everything from picture-perfect query letters to full manuscripts. It also includes advice from 20 of the nation's top agents on how to avoid appearing like an amateur and a appendices that include contact information for those agents.

The Frugal Editor will foil the gremlins out there determined to keep authors' works from being published, their books from being promoted. They—resolved to embarrass writers before the gatekeepers who can turn the key of success for them—lurk in their subconscious minds and the depths of their computer programs. With the release of Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s The Frugal Editor writers can take control of their own futures—from first query letter to final galley.

This new how-to book is second in the How To Do It Frugally Series, accessible at http://howtodoitfrugally.com

The author says, "This series is the result of a combination of experience gained through trial and error in promoting my own literary works and my professional experience in marketing, PR, journalism, editing and publishing in general."

Way to go, Carolyn!


For And About Writers
A Final Pitch for the Muse Online Conference!

We’re a little less than a week away from the first day of the Conference, and I wanted to remind you all to check it out. There is still time to sign up for this fabulous freebie, and I urge you all to take advantage of the opportunity. I am thrilled at being able to participate again this year. It’s geared towards authors, but truly there’s something for everyone, writer and non-writer alike, in the dazzling menu of tempting subjects.

You can find a sample of my topics here

The presenters are listed alphabetically, so scroll down about halfway to find me. You’ll find details on my presentation below the Media Release. And as always, feel free to send me your comments. As Carolyn has mentioned, she believes that ‘journalers find they can benefit from some of the presentations. Bet they could! Lea and I want to help as many authors as we can!

Contact: Lea Schizas by E-mail

Or contact Publicist Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Free Muse Online Writers Conference Becomes
1,000-Strong Force for Authors

The Muse Online Writers Conference served more than 1,000 authors in its inaugural year and registrations are running double that in this, its second year.

Scheduled for the week of October 8-14, the conference is sponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard-Johnson . It was conceived to serve authors who otherwise may not be able attend onsite writers' conferences. All workshops and presentations are free of charge for attendees, certainly appealing to emerging and starving authors and those homebound.

Learn more here.

Those interested in attending or presenting should E-mail Lea Schizas


'From My Readers'
Final Newsletter

And in turn, Carolyn writes: ‘can't believe you are considering closing down your newsletter. I'm lobbying you not to! ... this is perhaps the worse news of the year.’

Carolyn, I am so flattered. It’s so nice to know I will be missed. I may be MIA, but I’ll always be here to chat, etc. I’m passing the gauntlet to you – you’ll just have to ramp up your efforts and keep those home fires burning!


Closing Thought(s)
More quotes… than usual

As my ‘swan song’ I’ve collected a mini-treasure chest of quotes that I hope will resonate with you now and in the future. Read them, contemplate them, and most of all, have fun with them!

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows."
- Helen Keller

"Welcome home! That's what I want my life to say to everyone whose path crosses mine. I want to create an atmosphere of serenity and joy, blessing and belonging, that embraces people and draws them in -- that makes them feel loved and special and cared for."
- Emilie Barnes

"My theory is that we are all here to serve one another in very specific ways, which usually show up as our dream. And that dream exists so we can fulfill what I call our soul purpose in life."
- Suzanne Falter-Barns

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any."
– Orson Scott Card

“One of the greatest gifts you can get as a writer is to be born into an unhappy family."
– Pat Conroy

"I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil."
– Truman Capote

"Our job is not to straighten each other out, but to help each other up."
- Neva Coyle

Amen!

Until next time.