May 1, 2009

May 1, 2009   I can't believe the calendar page is already on May. Is it just me - or is 2009 really moving faster than any other year before it? Time flies, whether we're having fun or not, so I'm glad that I'm mostly having fun! There are three book talks scheduled this month so far, one on May 8th, one on May 19, and another on the 22nd, articles to write for The Skinnie magazine, and ongoing work on my new book. Those things, together with working in the garden (you should see my tomatoes!), and visiting with friends and family, keep me happily keep'n on as the weather moves slowly from warm and wonderful toward the annual hot and humid months of summer. I had an absolute blast as speaker for the Tybee Lighthouse Volunteers annual awards dinner last month. What a great bunch of folks they are that contribute their time and talent to make visitors have a wonderful museum experience. The one thing I forgot to mention during my talk was that my mother was a Tybee Lighthouse Museum volunteer back in the day, which gives me a personal connection to them all! We had a huge loss in April, however, with the death of my children's beloved 86-year-old Grandmother – and my second "Mom" - Margy Saunders. Her grandchildren (and many of her great-grandchildren) all attended the funeral held in Warner Robins, GA, driving there from coastal Georgia and Tampa, Fla., or flying in from Pembroke, GA, Seattle, and England. It was wonderful to see my far-flung offspring all assembled in one place, but it was a very sad day for us all.

April

April is upon us and a busy springtime it has been indeed! But not too busy for me to forget how to appreciate the beauty of Savannah's annual Big Bloom! I hope those of you here are enjoying the azaleas, dogwood, wisteria, blossoming fruit trees, etc. as much as I am – and for those of you far away, well, I am really sorry you're not here! J  I recently connected with our delightful Port Chaplain Andrew E.V. Krey and he invited me to the Spring Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church held at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church near Savannah's containerport in Garden City, GA. As I got out of my car that morning I could hear the container cranes working right across the highway!  Before giving his interesting power-point presentation on his port ministry, Chaplain Krey gave Waking Up Men a nice "commercial" plug as I stood there, smiling big, and holding up the book for all to see – kind of like the gals do on "The Price is Right." Also in March I was invited to the Grand Opening party for the new pilot office/base in Charleston, S.C. It's a two-hour drive each way, but I up and went anyway and I'm so glad that I did. I enjoyed being around the river people there (many of whom are very supportive fans of Waking Up Men) and getting to meet, face to face, people I've only talked with on the phone over the years – especially dispatcher Kathi Legette (I quoted her in the 2nd edition), and also their brand new dispatcher, Lee Ann Ward (already doing a great job).The new pilot facility, built to withstand Category 3 hurricane winds, is right in the historic waterfront area of the city. Both building - and view - are spectacular. There are lots of upcoming activities on my calendar, including breakfast with Gordon Varnedoe and the Continuing Education folks at Armstrong this week, a scheduled talk for the seniors group at First Baptist on Isle of Hope on April 8th, lunch at Savannah's Propeller Club with Chaplain Krey on April 9, being guest speaker for the Tybee Museum Volunteer Dinner on April 15th, and several other talks in May and June that I'll report on as they get closer. And finally, I have revisited my copious notes for my next book and have begun the organizational process and writing of "Kids and Other Pets." Look for it in print sometime in 2010 – if all goes well!

Jan.  9, 2008     HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!               The New Year has barely begun and my personal calendar is already full of special events, both professional and personal. My daughter and her Irish husband and their three little leprechauns have just moved from Ireland to Tampa, Florida and we are busy planning many visits back and forth over the next few months, scheduling them in between book events! But I'll be front and center as an exhibitor at the big Savannah Book Festival on February 7. This constantly expanding annual event is very well attended and I am excited about participating for my first time this year. I'll have all three of my books on display - so if you're in the area on that date, come on by! The festival is free to the public and it's a terrific event.  On March 19 I'm the scheduled guest speaker for the Pilots' Club in Statesboro, GA and am really looking forward to meeting in person some of the very nice women I've spoken with to arrange this event. I have some upcoming book club activities lining up in the Statesboro area, too – more on them as plans jell. And on March 24, from 6:30 .p.m. till 8:30 p.m., and again in that time slot the following week on the 31st, I'll be teaching a workshop on self-publishing at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah. To attend contact Kyle Smith at conted@armstrong.edu

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008   The book business, like the rest of the economy, is on slow at the moment, although I did have signings at The Book gift shop in Savannah last weekend and have another one coming up there the afternoon of November 28th. And my Atlanta daughter, Oria, is hosting a book party for me there on December 7th which I know will be fun and, hopefully, profitable. Then, on December 12th, I'm speaking to the Forever Young Group of St. Peter's Catholic Church on Wilmington Island. And every day right now I get up expecting to hear about a major book deal that is still pending (and pending, and pending) which, if it happens, will make my holidays merry and bright indeed. Meanwhile, I'm handing out copies of my resume' like gumdrops to various newspapers and magazines, trying to pick up some part time employment to supplement my book sales income. So if you know of anything going for someone with my varied talents (writing, cooking, gardening, dispatching, public speaking, etc.) – let me hear from you! Happy Thanksgiving Day Week everyone! I hope your Turkey Day is filled with friends, family, and feasting, as mine promises to be – reminding us all how very much we have to be thankful for as we launch into the Holiday Season.

October 17, 2008

October 17, 2008    The address to my blog site got LOST during my move these past few weeks, but my wonderful son, Forrest, just sent it to me again, so here's a quick update!   The house move is behind me and could not have been accomplished without the help of Jimmy Hogan and his grandson, and also Ian and Jordan, Clay and Susanne. It was a lot of work getting it done in a day, but it got done thanks to the above named, and I am lov'n it here! The fur people love it, too. In fact, Sailor finally figured out he's a Labrador and won't come out of the lake! (swamp).   It took a week to get back on line and then I had a computer glitch that knocked me back off line for another few days, but – fingers crossed – I'm up and working on line again at long last.   In addition to moving house, my brother, Robert, from Lacey, Washington, and his daughter, my niece, Delinda, showed up at the same time from her home in Pennsylvania. And a good time was had by all!   Work wise, since the last blog entry, I have appeared on WJCL-TV and Fox News, meeting co-anchor of the coastal source morning news shows, Jessica Kiss, for the first time. What a treat she was to get to know - and revisiting Lynde there was very good, too. http://www.thecoastalsource.com/news/local/30739079.html Skirt Magazine in Savannah featured me in their October edition – savannah.skirt.com – and that was fun, too! Terrific picture by Jade McCully made me laugh. Spoke to the delightful folks at the Lions' Club on Sept. 11, the laugh-out-loud seniors of  First Baptist Church in Savannah, and had a book signing on Oct. 11 at E. Shaver's Booksellers in downtown Savannah. A signing scheduled for Oct. 12 at Seaside Sisters on Highway 80 on Tybee got cancelled due to bad weather. It's set to go again this coming Sunday, Oct. 19, from 1-4 – so please drop by if you're on the island. My agent, Cynthia, has been in Savannah from NYC a couple of times in recent weeks so we could rehash old business and plan new ventures. And that, plus many book sales, plus company, plus moving to the country, has kept me busy since we last met here.  More soonest!  And enjoy the High Holy Day (Halloween) now almost upon us! J

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blog entry

August 31, 2008         Tune your radio dials to WSVH Public Radio – station 91.1 FM on your dial – at 6 p.m., Tuesday, September 2, to listen to the program you find there. You should hear a familiar voice at some point during the broadcast!        August was a busy, busy month – with many talks given and many books sold – and September is already shaping up to keep me just as much on the go. I have a couple of really exciting events in the works (make that three) that I'm itching to tell you all about, but I don't want to spoil the big surprises when they come to pass. Keep checking in here so you don't miss any future announcements! On the evening of the 8th I'll be speaking to members of well-known Savannah author Rosemary Danielle's Secrets of the Zona Rosa group. That promises to be a very fun evening as my buddy, Savannah's Batman (Gordon Varnedoe), has threatened to attend. On Sept. 11th I'm scheduled to speak to members of the Lion's Club at their noon luncheon at the Savannah Golf Club. My lively friend Trot Hurd will be there, so that promises to be another fun event. My business partner Cynthia Fritts Stillwell was here from NYC the last week in August and we spent one full day of planning (and laughing) together, lining up events through the rest of this year and beyond. All I can say is, if you think it's been interesting around this website up till now - you haven't seen anything yet! On a personal note, my brother, Robert, and my niece, Delinda, will be visiting me at the end of this month from Washington State and Pennsylvania. And my daughter and her family are almost ready for their move to Statesboro, Georgia from their home in Ireland. I'm looking for them the end of this month - or early next! Son Clay earned his pilot's license this past month, son Forrest bought a Chinese Junk, and son Delton is in the process of acquiring a (haunted?) mansion in England.  I'll be moving out near Statesboro, too, the first week in October. I've found a place out in the country on a lake, dock, and a lot covered over with figs, scuppernongs, and blue berry bushes. It's a 35-40 minute straight shot into Savannah from there so I won't be that far from business and friends – but I'll be lots closer to my kids and grandkids, and that's very attractive to me. It feels like a great place to write, too, so maybe I'll make a start on my next book in the reasonably near future … Meanwhile, the books I have in print are all doing great. Waking Up Men's second edition got a rave (front page!) review wonderfully written by Savannah Morning News reporter and portside columnist Mary Mayle (posted here), and in Savannah it has been Number One on E. Shaver Bookseller's Best Seller list going on its third week! Then They All Got Naked is earning its own good reviews (and sales), this one from the owner of a lifestyle club in another state: "We love the book and it is so right on point. We have had several of our patrons ask to borrow it, but we told them "No way, support this lady in every way you can." We thank you for giving swinging a fair shake as it were. … if you are ever in our neck of the woods, let us set up book signing … Good Luck, Gennie D."  I had a book signing in a club in Atlanta in early August and it went very well, so send me some directions, Gennie, and I'll see about getting there! J

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Latest and greatest on "Waking Up Men!"

'Waking Up Men' back in bookstores
by Mary Carr Mayle

O.Kay Jackson's "Waking Up Men," a fascinating, irreverent and often hilarious ode to Savannah's port and the folks who bring the world upriver, is in its second printing and back on bookshelves around town.

Click here to read more on our site