This is a very busy season!

From June 20th-27th I will be attending (and co-coordinating) the Peninsula Writers summer retreat at Glen Lake in northern Michigan. This will be the fifth time I’ve attended this conference and each year has been a little different, but always wonderful. We have our largest group yet, 37 writers!

Our keynote speaker this year is Laura Kasischke. Laura is a novelist and poet extraordinaire. She has been highly celebrated, won numerous awards (most recently the Guggenheim for poetry!), two of her novels have been made into films and is a best seller in France. I’ve known Laura for, I think, over twenty years. I had known her for at least a couple of years before she showed me her poetry, before she’d even been published. It has been an honor to watch her career blossom. The very last time I saw her we were watching Allen Ginsberg perform Howl in Ann Arbor. I’m really looking forward to seeing her again and hearing her read and talk about her writing.

From July 8th-12th I will be traveling to Montreal to speak at the International Policy Governance Association Conference. I’ll be presenting my ideas an work with Board of Directors and businesses on the Solution Focused Process, a model that combines therapy and coaching techniques with the world of governing systems. I combine systemic, narrative and solution based models to address challenges and enhance strengths for organizations.

I’ll be introduced by my old business partner, Susan Siers Stratton Radwan.

The Montreal trip also happily coincides with the Montreal Jazz Festival!

For more information on the Montreal Conference, look here:

http://www.policygovernanceassociation.org/conference_09/sponsors.html

On July 16th-17th I will be teaching a course for the Michigan State University’s Summer Institute in Traverse City, Michigan. This is the first Summer Institute by MSU and is being done in conjunction with the efforts of Monkey Business Consulting as well as several other MSU instructors. I’ll be teaching a two day workshop on weaving Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies into your clinical work. This workshop is designed for people in the helping professions but would probably be of interest to anyone interested in the science of change. I always do this workshop in a manner that leaves audiences touched, moved and inspired. Really looking forward to it. I’ll follow up with a book signing at Horizon book store in Traverse City on July 18th at 3p.m.

For more information on the MSU Summer Institute, look here:

http://socialwork.msu.edu/ceu/glsi.html

So thank you all for buying and reading the book. I have had some amazing feedback from many of you and I am deeply touched at much of what you’ve shared. Some people are actually making profound changes in their lives as the result of reading this book. I’m glad it is making a difference and giving some people the courage to change. I’d go into more detail, but that would be giving away some of the fun of reading.

I’d also like to formally apologize to Lansing readers for all the lost sleep, the crazy dreams, the tears that some of you have experienced as the result of reading Everybody Dreams. Just kidding. I love it!

On Friday (4/24/09) I’ll be delivering the keynote Friday for the Wise Woman Program (Michigan Breast & Cervical Cancer Control) at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. My topic is Motivation & Beyond, and will be focused on how to access the healthiest parts of our selves in order to do the work to help others gain access to their own motivation to change. I’ve worked with this group before, delivering a two day training last spring. It was the only time in my career that I received completely unanimous 5 star ratings (on a scale to 5, you smarties!). So we have some history and some chemistry.

Thanks for looking at the web site. Feel free to send me a note or feedback on what you’d like to see.

1) There is another book signing at Schuler Books at the Lansing Eastwood Towne Center Mall on March 23rd at 7p.m. The last book signing at Everybody Reads had 85 attendees! I’m amazed and flattered over the response the book is getting. At this reading/signing someone from CMU public radio will be recording the proceedings!

2) Two more radio interviews on 3/23: Check out WJIM (1240 am) at 8:50 a.m. for an appearance on the Michael Patrick Show, and then WLNZ (89.7 fm) at 9:30 a.m. for an appearance on the Coffee Break Show.

3) Ray Walsh has a review of the book in this week’s Lansing State Journal, Sunday edition.

I’ve been receiving so much good word of mouth about the book, so many positive remarks. I’m sorry the book has made so many of you cry (NOT!!)

I’m still walking on air from last week’s round of interviews and the book signing at Everybody Reads. There are so many people I need to thank: Tim Baron, Bill Castanier, Lawrence Cosentino, Berl Schwartz, Dan Mulhern, Dawn Parker for the press and interviews. Thanks to Scott Harris for allowing me and 80+ readers in taking over his bookstore, Everybody Reads, on March 5th. Thanks to all of you who showed up, stopped by, bought a book, said hello… Thanks to the fabulous Blumer sisters who brought cake, veggies, cheese & crackers. Mary Blumer came from Chicago for the event! Ken Osmar flew all the way from Florida! I am humbled by how many of you believe in this book. As I said at the reading, this is OUR book. Thanks so much!

I am just starting to get feedback from readers, and, dare I say, fan mail? I’ve heard from three people how they stayed up late at night/early in the morning to finish the book. I’m very pleased, because that was exactly my intent. I wanted to write a page turner that was hard to put down.

If you missed this signing, the next one is scheduled at Schuler Books, Eastwood Mall at 7p.m. The store is already carrying the book. And, as usual, you can purchase the book right here on this web-site. Or Amazon.com.

This next week:

I’m getting ready for Sophie Millman’s concert at the Wharton Center on March 19th. Some of you remember her performance at the East Lansing Summer Jazz Festival, singing with the Professors of Jazz. This time she is bringing her own band. I’ll be giving the pre-concert lecture, so stop by and say ‘hi’. The Vinyl Side of Midnight this week will focus on several tracks by Sophie, along with a mix of new music and classic female vocals.

After this is all done, I’m looking forward to going to see The Watchmen with Cathie, my favorite movie goer.

This new book is a mystery. I’m almost embarassed to say that I scared myself in the last scene I wrote. A member of my writing group asked, “How can you possibly scare yourself?” I think I’ll read her this scene and see what she says.

Meanwhile I just got a call from my sister Gail who told me about the wonderful buzz she’s hearing from Everybody Dreams. She says people are loving it and many more are wanting to buy it. If you can hold off for a week, PLEASE come to one of my signings. I’d love to meet you and sign your book for you. The next copy of the book will be edited to contain reviews, so books purchased now may become collector’s items.

For info on purchasing books, scan below for my instructions.

Stay warm.

Notes on Friday the 13th:

This has been an amazing week. My novel, Everybody Dreams, is available on amazon.com and I received a shipment of several hundred to begin selling and distributing to local bookstores.

The first question I’m asked most often is: How can I buy it? 

1) You can click on the title above and it will take you immediately to amazon.com for purchase. 

2) You can wait for one of the book signings. At this point I have a ‘kick off’ at Everybody Reads (which has long hosted our Peninsula Writers local writing group) on Thursday, March 5th from 6:30 (reception) to 9p.m. On Monday, March 23rd at 7p.m. I’ll be at Schuler’s Books at the Eastwood Mall. I am currently talking with Barnes & Noble in East Lansing to schedule an event there, which I’ll advertise here. 

3) Give me a call and pick up a copy at my office or catch me at another speaking engagement and purchase it from me personally.

My plan is to create ever widening circles of events, signings, etc. throughout Michigan, gradually expanding through the mid-west and beyond. My dream? Events and signings in Maui, Santa Fe, New York, Paris, London….

As of this writing, my book is within the top 12,000 sellers on amazon. That doesn’t sound like much, but I’ll keep you up to date.

Besides the book, Monkey Business Consulting is up and running. See our web-site at www.monkeybusinessconsulting.com. Tish Vincent and I have upcoming events within the month. I’ll be doing a Dream Workshop at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing on Friday, March 6, 9-noon. You can sign up for it by contacting Michigan State University’s School of Social Work department of Continuing Education (google it, it’s quick to find). The Monkeys are also involved in the very first MSU Summer Institute to be held in Traverse City in July! More on this in the near future.

And as for jazz? Still listening and planning new and improved versions of The Vinyl Side of Midnight. This week I’ll have Stevie Benge on the show. Stevie currently resides in Olympia, Washington, but used to live here in Lansing, MI. He was a student at L.C.C. and used to fill in for me when I was off. Later he did the same for Ed Love in Detroit, then went on to be a jazz programmer in at a station in Washington. Stevie also designed this web site for me. Pretty cool? We’ll talk all things jazz this week.

I will be updating this with regularity now, with an attempt to do some new writing weekly. So keep coming back!