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. |
Thursday, November 20, 2008
November 20, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
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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Sunday, August 31, 2008
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 |
Friday, August 8, 2008
Content from SavannahNow.com
Latest and greatest on "Waking Up Men!"
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.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
TV Appearance Ahead
7/24/08 Savannah's TV celebrity Sonny Dixon has once again invited me to be on his WTOC-TV morning talk program this coming Tuesday, July 29, at 10 a.m., to talk about the reprint of Waking Up Men. I hope those of you in this area will adjust your dial and tune in. It should be fun! Following the TV event, I'll be signing books from 2-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, August 1 and 2, at E. Shaver's Booksellers in downtown Savannah. On August 8 I'll again be speaking about Waking Up Men to members of the Military Order of the World Wars, Savannah Chapter. And I've had several more requests for talks from various groups for this fall, events I'll post here as the time gets closer. This weekend I'm going to Atlanta for a book signing on Then They All Got Naked, which continues to find its readers – and fans. I've had several people tell me they enjoyed it even more than Waking Up Men. So if you haven't read it yet (Jerry!), it may be time to investigate what the new buzz is all about. And my manager from NYC will be here the end of August to map out some very exciting special events, which you'll also read about here as they unfold! Keep coming back! J |
Saturday, July 19, 2008
July 19, 2008
July 19, 2008 THE BIG NEWS IS – TAH DAH – WAKING UP MEN, AT LONG LAST, IS OFF THE PRESSES AND IN HAND!!!! Yes, the second edition of Waking Up Men is finally available, complete with new prologue and epilogue, and even a spiffy reader's aid bookmark (the result of comments from readers of the first edition). The blurb on the book cover is different, too, as are most of the back cover quotes, including this one from Captain John A. Jones, Retired Senior Pilot and Immediate Past Secretary-General of the International Maritime Pilots' Association: "Waking Up Men is a book that I just did not want to put down! Crammed full of stories and anecdotes about the Savannah River and the people who work on it, it is highly entertaining, often very amusing, and best of all, TRUE! It is written by someone with inside knowledge of the day to day workings of a large port, and is an absolute must for anyone with even the slightest interest in Ships and Shipping."
I'm very pleased with the reprint. It's still a very fun read and it still makes a great gift for anyone on your list with a maritime interest – or a love of Savannah.
|
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July 1
July 1, 2008 – I have fallen waaaay behind on my blog, but only because things are happening at a rapid rate and blogging has taken a back seat to everything else. Waking Up Men's second printing is taking place right now and book will be shipped to me this week. The timing is perfect as I sold my very last available copy of Waking Up Men at a house book party at the home of Jerry and Mary Anne Hogan this week! Mary Anne had invited many of her good friends to the party, which was a great success and great fun! Mary Anne had set a table that should have been photographed for Better Homes and Gardens magazine She even served pink lemonade in stemmed crystal glasses with rims encrusted with pink-sugar! I remain impressed! There have been other parties and speaking engagements too, keeping me nicely occupied while beginning a whole new level of book selling experience ever since I reconnected with Cynthia Stillwell, former Savannah Dynamo now living in New York City (and still a dynamo). Good Savannah friend Gordon Varnedoe (aka: Batman, aka: General Oglethorpe) had me get in touch with Cynthia before my NYC book launching party and I'm so glad he did! Cynthia came to the party and bought a copy of Then They All Got Naked. We later met for lunch while I was still in Manhattan and, at her request, I passed along a copy of my two earlier books. Cynthia liked them all. And the long and short of this serendipitous reconnection is that Cynthia – who wheels and deals and the very highest levels – has become my manager! So continue to watch this space folks, because we're all about to take a very exciting rocket-ship ride to new and far-reaching places! Ready … Set …. Go! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee! |
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
June 3, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
May 8, 2008
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Friday, April 25, 2008
April 25
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
4/17/08 feedback
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
April 16, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
april 11 post
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
polyamory
blog post
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Savannah's "The Skinnie Magazine" Reviews Then They All Got Naked!
http://www.theskinnie.com/Read.asp?ContentID=15
Sunday, April 6, 2008
New Write-up for Then They All Got Naked
Reviewed by Carol Sanders
In a move from Georgia to the suburbs of New York, author O. Kay Jackson finds herself literally in the back yard of a swingers club. The club caters to married couples who are living the "Lifestyle" of trading partners. Jackson makes the most of the opportunity and takes a job as a cashier at the club, which results in this highly entertaining, thought-provoking book. In the some 20 years of knowing Jackson, I have never found her shy about asking questions, and I'm always entertained by her sharp eye for observing human nature and her resulting wry comments. This book doesn't disappoint. Her years of reporting come through in the writing, as do her opinions on life, love, politics and sex.
Upstairs at the Swing Shift, the name she gives to the club to protect the privacy of the participants, she "gets the skinny" from the owners and eavesdrops on more than a few guests. Among the most amusing parts of the book are the anecdotes on the sometimes preening, sometimes arguing, downtime behavior of the participating couples. Even thought the bedrooms are downstairs at the club, Jackson still gets an eyeful and an earful and takes the reader along for the ride. But somehow she uses all of this to create a book that is more about attitudes, conversations and observations in the non-sexual sense than about people "doing the do." The professional photos scattered throughout the text do titillate a bit but, alas for the voyeur, are photos of models, not actual guests.
Before the book was published, I traveled through the area and stopped to take Jackson to lunch. Our visit included a tour of the club during the day, including downstairs, where private rooms cater to various eclectic tastes. (In her book, Jackson does a terrific job of describing the rooms and hinting at the various fantasies they foster.) While swinging wouldn't be my cup of tea, given the possibilities of a situation turning ugly when dealing with sex, alcohol and other people's spouses, it was nice to know that there were safe places for people to practice this particular hobby. One might not want a club like this in the neighborhood, but Jackson explains how it is legal.
Much of the book is a behind-the-scenes account of running this very quirky weekend bed-and-breakfast, where "Sissy" (Sissy and Vince are the made-up names of the owners of the club) handles most of the hospitality part of the operation. The day of my visit, we met Sissy in the kitchen making chocolate chip cookies for the big Halloween party coming up Saturday night. I smiled at the irony of the situation and relaxed a little at how at home one might feel, at least upstairs. I even envisioned a sequel, a cookbook of recipes perhaps titled: Variety is the Spice of Life: Recipes to Serve Hoards of Horny Couples in the Lifestyle. Sissy says they won't eat soup. What do you serve and how much? Are beans on the menu? Garlic? Jackson tells just how hard it is planning, cooking for and cleaning up after the weekend shenanigans.
While I wasn't particularly interested in learning more about the "Lifestyle," I did take away a few important lessons from the book, such as the attitude that many of the women guests have about their own bodies. In a time when the media deluges us with images of thin, young faces and bodies, it is comforting to know that there is a whole group of woman who are neither thin nor young but, as Jackson relates, "have a rock-solid conviction of their own feminine worth."
Why men and women participate in the Lifestyle is an entirely different discussion that is well documented through conversations Jackson has with some of the guests. Some of the reasons are what one would expect, "more sex", "different partners," but there are also a few surprises. At least one couple was sent to the Lifestyle by their marriage counselor. It worked for them, and they subsequently gave up the marriage counselor. Two surprising points for me from the discussion were first, for whatever reason they join, many of the couples at the club appreciate the friendly atmosphere that is not all about sex and second, the word "respect" is often used among the couples to define the treatment they expect and receive.
Some things in life remain a mystery—understanding our fellow travelers in the world is often part of that mystery. One of the best chapters is at the end, where Jackson has a conversation with herself and reflects that "a non-swinger will never understand the degree of sexual curiosity and desire that drives a person to the Lifestyle."
I admit I was one of the people Jackson quotes in the book who, upon hearing her subject, said it was all a bit "tacky." Now, after reading this mind-opening book which is a meditation on sex through the ages, marriages and morals with delicious stories weaving the ideas together, I probably wouldn't be so quick to judge. And I definitely have more respect and gratitude for those who run bed-and-breakfast establishments of all kinds. I am now more compassionate and understanding of people making choices that they believe are right for them. I learned a lot from this book, and, in the end, isn't that what reading is all about?
Friday, April 4, 2008
Savannah Daily News - Then They All Got Naked
http://savdailynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSectionID=177&ArticleID=14788
Monday, March 3, 2008
March News!
At Davis Produce on Highway 80 on the way to Tybee Island …
And at Kristina’s Skin Solutions on Wilmington Island …
On Saturday, March 22, beginning at 1 p.m., there will be a book signing for Then They All Got Naked at E. Shaver’s Booksellers at 326 Bull Street in downtown Savannah. Be sure and attend if you can – and bring all your friends!
The first “book sale party” is scheduled for March 8 at the home of Kathy Haeberle in Savannah. Kathy and her daughter, Christy, sent out lovely invitations to the event. Another book sale party will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 13 at the home of Milree Calhoun on Wilmington Island. On March 27 I’ll be making a talk on “Women’s Intuition” to a women’s group at The Landings in Savannah. There are three other book parties in homes scheduled for the end of March and other talks and parties are scheduled for April 10, 12, and 24.
Don’t miss out on the fun. Call me at 912-786-4689 and schedule a party of your own. All that’s required is a home or garden to hostess it in, coffee and cookies or wine and cheese, and friends who will enjoy a bawdy girl’s night out as much as you will. Your hostess gift will be a signed copy of Then They All Got Naked, the book we’re gathering to talk about.
In late February I put a copy of the new book into the mail to Oprah and another to Dr. Phil, which is kind of like buying a ticket on the lottery – but people DO win the lottery sometimes. I figure it can happen for me just as easily!
My earlier book, Waking Up Men, is still in the design phase on the reprint, but little by slowly we’re getting closer to the reprint date. Meanwhile, I have a very few copies left of the first edition still available for those who want them. Order them here at the website.
And the last week of March is family time for Clan Jackson as son Forrest and his Laura fly in from Seattle, daughter Georgia Helen flies in from Ireland, Delton, Cathryn, Joshua and Elliot arrive from England, Heather and Stan fly south from New York City, and Margy and Hank, and Clay, Susanne, Ian and Jordan drive to Tybee Island from the hinterlands of Georgia. Tybee Island hasn’t seen this particular crowd gathered here in many a year!
Fun Rules!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Okay's First Blog!!!!!
Hiya – and welcome to my blog where I hope to be able to keep you up to date with all my current exciting happenings - and to stay in touch with YOU. The BIG news is, I've just finished the final proofing on my new book, Then They All Got Naked, and it goes to press next week. I'll have books in hand by mid-February so get ready to make your order … and prepare to fasten your seatbelts – it's a wild read!
The second printing of /Waking Up Men, /with a new prologue and epilogue, will go to press in March and those books will be available sometime in April. I have a new marketing plan to kick start new sales that I'll be talking about here as the re-launch date gets closer.I have several speaking engagements about the books coming up in February and March and just as soon as I can figure out how to make a calendar here at the blog site I'll start posting that information for you.
Heather Swanson - the NYC photographer who shot the wonderful photographs for my new book, has set aside the week of May 11 th to pick a date for a New York launch of Then They All Got Naked. Watch for details here as the plans jell – and make a note to attend if you can. It's going to be FUN!!!
The Savannah debut for the new book will take place at a series of launch parties starting in late February. Dates and places are being locked in now, so again – check back here for details. And if you want to host a party, let me know and we'll work out a date!