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Ever feel like you've lost control of your life- your schedule- your plans? Oh, moi? Gee, never. But I 'know' this children's author who is experiencing something like this. It's a lot like getting your arm wrenched out of its socket by a thundering bull or an exceptionally fast little white dog. All you can do is HOLD ON. The crashing from letting go would be worse!

Or, at least that is what I imagine it feels like to her. :-] Okay, fine, it's me, and my month hit the ground at warp speed. I have way more events and deadlines than any one violet should have to endure. Lots of people+lots of events are to introverts what Kryptonite is to Superman.

I'm going to make sure that I get lots of down time in my special ice fortress-- or bakery. The latter works very well for me. Give me a latte hot as lava and a chocolate chip scone, and my battery starts humming again. (Not just from the joe-- really.)

And for the day's major gaffe, in editing my new Facebook profile, per my Marketing Plan, I accidentally fired off a request to (nearly) everyone in the northern hemisphere asking them to be my "Friend". The long list included the mayor of Santa Barbara, nearly every student I've ever had, some very high-profile editors and authors, and Robin's son in college. It was truly an introvert's nightmare.

I know I'll be laughing about it later in the week.

But I do want to speed by and deliver the ** NEWS ** that having counted all the entries for the Ms. Viola Makeover Contest, it is confirmed. The new look for Ms. Viola wins-- but only by a hair. Whew! It was close, a real dead heat. Thanks for all your entries, everyone!

Melissa Camara Wilkins' entry was randomly selected, and she will be receiving a copy of the Plug Your Book by Steve Weber. Many congrats, Melissa! Will you email me off-line and send me your address so that I can get it shipped to you? Click here to email me.

We haven't done a Milestone Monday for some time. Do any of you have any news, breakthroughs, incremental victories that you would like to post? We would love to hear from you.

Homework for This Week:

1. Update my mailing and email list. I taught two workshop classes over the weekend, and I'm doing a presentation at the Women's Literary Festival in Santa Barbara this weekend. I've circulated an email list in the class on Saturday and I'll do it again this coming weekend. Those names will all be added to my notifications lists. When it is time for postcards to go out in late May or June, I don't want to have to be scrambling to get my list updated. And, when I do my school visits this months, I'll make sure I get teachers' contact info as well.

2. Invite Shrinking Violets to be my Friends. A-hem. Any of you on Facebook?

Best,

Mary Hershey

I haven't even confessed to Robin yet-- well, until now, that against my better judgement, I went ahead and agreed to a particular school visit as part of my pre-launch plan that we both agreed was pushing the limits for this card-carrying introvert.

Remember the Comfort Level Inventory she presented to help us decide what marketing activities work best for us? The categories were:

FEELS COMFORTABLE
COULD GET USED TO IT
DEFINITELY UNCOMFORTABLE
COLD DAY IN HELL

Then she gave us a long list of activities to consider in the development of our marketing plan. Things like radio interviews, internet interviews, television, postcard mailing, press releases, teaching, message boards, book signings, school classroom visits, school ASSEMBLY visits-- (sound of me choking on that last one). We were to assign the various activities to the categories above. She gave us permission to stay in Feels Comfortable and Could Get Used To It. She's nice that way.

I do a lot of public speaking in my work and while I still get clammy pits, once I get going, I usually enjoy it. I love teaching, especially adults. The only activity that hit the COLD DAY IN HELL was talking to an Assembly of the wee ones.

So, it follows that I went ahead and agreed to do this. Wha-a-a-t?? To very, very many children. Of very, very many ages. (And, just in case their principal is reading this-- Oh, hi! I can't wait! Wheee! It is going to be so much fun! And, um, could you please stop reading now and go to an urgent meeting or something?)

Help! This is a classic example of me trying to be paisley when you'd think I'd learned by now that I'm polka-dotted. Both sides, top and bottom, too. I might as well stick a high voltage energy-sucking cable right to my brain and throw the switch to Total Melt-down Mode.

Stand back, friends, I'm buzzing through a few fingernails here. Hold on while I go get a brown paper bag to help me breathe.

Okay, better. Actually breathing now. Big sigh. You know, I have a wise friend that says "Don't anticipate pain." Same could be said, I suppose, for all sort of things we dread. Don't anticipate chaos, or mayhem, or failure. I've got to stay in present. Hey, maybe by the time the date rolls around, I'll be in jail or something, and I'll have a really good excuse for not showing up. I could just get lucky.

Before I forget, don't forget to vote on whether you like Ms. Viola's *new* look, or like the pre-makeover version. She's waiting, desperate to hear from you. Email me your vote and you'll be entered in the drawing to win a great marketing book called Plug Your Book! by Steve Weber. Last day you can enter is this Thursday, January 31st.

Back to work on Marketing Plan for now. Adding a note on Assembly Day entry to take books, postcards and several brown paper bags.

Later, friends,

Mary

Ciao and happy 2008! Come sta? I've just picked up Mary and Robin's smoke signals and come as quickly as my client's tired little jet could get here. I've been under wraps for weeks-- nearly undercover-- up to my newly tatooed eyebrows with an impossible client. (Without divulging any beans, I am happy to report that Dr. Phil is OFF the case.)

But enough about them! What do you think of my New Year Makeover? Si? No? I've had my lips done-- gawd, no, not botox, but a little shaping and reduction. I was born with enough lip to plump up the entire cast of Desperate Housewives. And, I've gone permanent make-up. Look! I've just rolled out of bed. No fuss, no muss, glamour to go. Do tell me what you think! I love Ms. Viola's New/Old Look! Each of you that reply will have a chance to be entered into a drawing to win a fabulous book called Plug Your Book: Online Book Marketing for Authors, by Steve Weber.

I've just sucked down my third skinny latte and I'm ready to work on Book Launch 2008. Oh, this will be such mad fun! My brain is already starting to spark and smoke.

First off, I do want to point out that even before Mary officially launched her campaign this month, there are some things she's done already to start plowing the proverbial field. She set up a few speaking engagements for the Winter and Spring to give herself venues to start chatting up her new book. Even though she won't have Ten Lucky Things in her little mitts to sign or sell, she can show an ARC and plant some cover and name recognition.

Secondly, as Robin will chat about later, the launching doesn't end on the day your new book comes out the chute. There is a very potent two-month window after your release date. We are going to have Mary busy-busy-busy hot on the Buzz Beat. More on that later. No rest for ze wicked!

And speaking of buzz, here is Mary's Ms. Viola Homework for the week.

1) Set up a Facebook Account

The latest industry research touts that Facebook is climbing up and over MySpace in terms of utility and popularity, and we want to take advantage of every networking opportunity we can. What do you think? Given that the users have to be 13 and up, I still think there are some good arguments for children's writers setting up their accounts. Robin? Mary? Either of you want to chime in here?

Gawd, those crazy Violets-- they are busy toasting each and doing some odd little dance over this being their 100th SVP entry!

Addio!

Ms. Viola

This episode is part of our Publishers Showcase, a special series of interviews with children’s book publishers, which we are running during the weeks of July 2 and July 9 2007.

It’s easy to forget that the amazing books we read are the products of publishing companies that exist within what some call a flawed economic model.

On this edition of Just One More Book, Mark speaks with Nancy Traversy, co-founder of Barefoot Books — a company the publishes books to inspire and educate our children as the caretakers of tomorrow — about her decision to pull their catalog from big box bookstores such as Borders and Chapters, and turning Barefoot Books green.

You can learn more about Barefoot Books by visiting their website, barefootbooks.com. (NOTE: the website automatically plays music)