Here is something that may interest those of you who are authors, or have a book “inside” of you that is waiting to be written.  I received this information from an author friend who is listed in my Blogroll, Kathie Thomas. It sounds like a lot of fun for those of you who can afford it and fit it into your February schedule.

Next February, the Captains of Independent Publishing are rolling out   a Publishing at Sea Cruise. Judith Briles (The Book Shepherd), Brian Jud (Beyond the Bookstore), Eric Kampmann (Midpoint Trade), Dan Janal (PR Leads) and Katherine Carol (Coach) will help you create the book, the marketing strategy, the PR savvy and much, much more on this fabulous week at sea. The dates are February 15-21. The cruise line is Royal Caribbean.

Publishing Panache, Marketing Moxie, PR Power, Distribution Do-ability and Speaking Savvy will be your guaranteed take-aways and how-tos from this glorious week at Sea. All woven with visits and play in Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel plus two relaxing days cruising at sea. Bring your spouse, significant other or kids—make it a holiday for all.

After a strenuous day of tanning, swimming, touring and a workshop or two you can return to your room, kick off your sandals, pour a refreshing drink and put your feet up on your balcony railing as you watch the Caribbean float by you. Paradise? You bet. You can cruise the Caribbean, visit and play in top Mexican resorts and learn how to publish and market your books—for about $275 a day including meals, the seminar fee, your cabin, all the food you could possibly eat, all taxes and tips. Only Balcony and Oceanview cabins available on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas.

Only 50 cabins area available. The dates are February 15-21, 2009.

For information and details of the workshops, go to www.PublishingAtSea.com.  You can call Judith directly at 303-885-2207.  Reserve your spot NOW!

I just found out about an event that is taking place THIS Friday that those of you who are considering self-publishing a book may want to be a part of.  Even if you’re reading this too late, you’ll find a link to “Logical Expressions, Inc.” to learn more about what the presenter, Susan Daffron, has to offer.

I’ll make the link above “live” later, but for now would like you to click here to review the information about this event, taking place at 11 a.m. CT (12 noon EST, etc.) on Friday, and other virtual events taking place over the next few days.

I’m an “oldie but goodie” enough to remember Cher when she was married to Sonny, and they were just starting out in the entertainment industry. I distinctly remember lying on the beach at the Jersey Shore with friends, and our transistor radio blaring “I Got You Babe”. There were no iPods back then, or CD players, or music downloads…we were still listening to vinyl records and an occasional tape….and not the little cassettes, the big 8-tracks. The melody and words are playing in my thoughts as I type as clear as can be!

Of course that was way back then, and this is very much now. Cher has come a LONG way and continues to be on the go! She has written or co-authored several books, including “The First Time”, “Cooking for Cher”; and books have been written about her, including “Cher: If You Believe”, and “The Cher Scrapbook”.

She is as beautiful and talented as ever, and presently performing in Las Vegas. In May of this year she replaced Celine Dion at the Caesars Palace for what will surely be a real “Cher Las Vegas” experience. For the Cher fan, it’s great to know that she is still on the move, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing from her for a long time to come.

Am I the only one that remembers Cher in the early days?

72 years ago today one of the most loved novels of all time was published, “Gone With the Wind”. The book was my favorite kind of book, many pages with a story that I never wanted to end. I have watched the movie more times than I can count, living vicariously the trials faced by Scarlett O’Hara during the Civil War era on her Plantation in the beautiful south.

I remember thinking her statement, repeated often throughout the movie and book when flustered by a problem she could not solve. “oh, I’ll think about this tomorrow” such a wise thing…perhaps this is why I am a master procrastinator - LOL! Of course there were her self-serving relationships with men, and her famous romantic relationship with Rhett Butler, played by the dashing Clark Gable in the movie. Even as I type this, I’m wanting to pull out my old video cassettes (no, haven’t purchased it on DVD yet) or better yet, my old copy of the book, and read it again.

Margaret Mitchell started the book while she was recovering from an injury and had little else to occupy her time, except to be inspired by the stories she had heard while growing up, so she began typing, and the rest is history. I’m sure that is one injury that she was thankful for in the end!

The book and DVD are available below. The DVD set is the more economical 2 DVD set, there is also a deluxe edition with 4 DVD’s, just do a search for Gone With the Wind in the DVD category, and you’ll find it if you want the more expensive edition.

Book Fairs and Trade Shows may be a great way for writers and authors to promote their books. This depends upon what format is being used, but what better place to be than where readers are gathered?

While browsing the internet I found that the Library of Congress has a page dedicated to Book Fairs, with many that are available throughout the US. While the term “Book Fair” is more commonly used, you will also find a lot of resources by searching for “Book Trade Show”.

Maybe you are someone interested in being part of a fair or trade show to promote your book store, or need a ways to display your book at a show if you are an author. In this case you may be more interested in finding a trade show display company to get ideas. There are many ways to promote yourself and what you have to offer by using displays that can range from simple, to very elaborate, depending upon your taste.

I am going to take a look at what fairs are in my area of NJ, and take a look at the trade show display company to see what ideas they inspire.

The weather is warmer in many parts of the country, making for more outdoor fairs, so find out what is in your area, and enjoy!

Today is the day to help boost “Worth More Than Rubies” to the top of the Amazon charts, look two posts down for details. This is a wonderful book by Kathie Thomas for the Work At Home Mom, or someone who is considering working from home. I highly recommend it!

Again, the links and details are two posts down from this one.

Kathie Thomas would like to invite you to join her for one exciting day as her book already popular in Australia, is launched on Amazon! Here’s the details she has provided, I’ll be back to add links when I get them. The best way to help an author with their book launch is to purchase a book during the 24 hour period of the launch. I’m looking forward to buying my copy!

Would you like to receive over $1500 worth of gifts, just for buying a book? I’d like to introduce you to “Worth More Than Rubies” which is written for women in the 25-55 age group and who would like to run a business from home, or already are but are seeking some further encouragement. The book is being launched at Amazon.com and I invite you to participate in a special giveaway. If you are a mum who wants to do as I’ve been doing, or you know someone who would like to, then this book is just what you or they need!

Special offer (24 hours only):

Australia Time Zone: From midnight 27th June 2008 AEST
In the US: 10am 26th June - 9.59am 27th June US EST

CLICK HERE to sign up and be reminded of the launch,

and CLICK HERE for more details and info about prizes.

Here’s something that I received by email that I know those of you who are authors will want to take advantage of, it will be of particular interest to women:

If you’re a business woman with a book or product to offer, there’s a group of woman gathering on Friday, June 20th, that would like to see what you have to offer!

This is the day we are celebrating who we are as women—as women who are on the move and making a difference! June 20 is the 2nd annual celebration of Baby Boomer Diva Day.

Showcase your product for 15 minutes for the very low price of $10. A few vendor slots still left.

Also, there will be plenty of prize giveaways with special guest speaker, Heidi Richards, who will discuss how blogging can turn into $$$ for your business or product.

It’s going to be the most fun you’ve had online in a LONG time. 10am-3pm

To get more information or to sign up now:
keybusinesspartners@verizon.net

Am I the only girl that dreamed of the day when she would one day own a horse? I loved horses and reading any book I could get my hands on that had anything to do with horses, so reading “Black Beauty” was a natural for me.

So, may I just say thanks to the wonderful author, Anna Sewell, born this day in 1820, for capturing the imagination of a girl like me, and yes, I did realize my dream and did own a beautiful horse for a few years after graduating from High School.

Here is a seminar that I highly recommend to anyone who is serious about making money with eBooks, and though the title “How To Make Thousands Of Dollars With E-books Teleseminar Series” may sound like an exaggeration, I assure you it’s not.

The seminar begins this Wednesday, March 19th.

Here are the key things that will be covered in the seminar:

1. How to find an extremely profitable topic for your e-book. This is very important, because if your topic is not eye-catching and profitable, you will not make money with your e-book.
2. How to protect your eBook from being passed around for free to others, which will cause you to lose income.
3. How to create a whole information products empire based on your e-book.
4. How to maximize profits from your e-book

and much, much, much more. There are only 6 seats left for the Teleseminar Series. You will not be able to register for the Teleseminar Series once 6 more people register…so register now at “How To Make Thousands Of Dollars With E-books Teleseminar Series”

Thanks for reading, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!