#IWSG: Fear of Marketing & Diane Wolfe Book Announcement

Help Has Arrived!

     One of the most common fears or insecurities cited by authors or authors-to-be is that of marketing and promoting ones book.  For that matter, promoting anything can leave one feeling a bit insecure at times. Am I talking to the right person?  Will my message get to the right person?  Does anyone really care?

        Marketing and promotions can be a real guessing game sometimes and you never know for sure what is going to work.  I've always been fascinated by promoting.  I've done a fair share of blog posts on the topic.  It's nice to get the scoop from someone who's been involved in the whole marketing and promotion process.

         Thank goodness for authors like L. Diane Wolfe who lead us by the hand to make that which might be very difficult to do on our own an easier road to travel

         If you've got a book ready for publication or if your earlier attempts at book release didn't turn out as well as you would have liked them to, never fear!   Help is on the way.

         No need to feel insecure about publishing and promoting your book.   L. Diane Wolfe has just what you may have been looking for.

HOW TO PUBLISH AND PROMOTE YOUR BOOK NOW!

By L. Diane Wolfe

Publishing and promoting made simple!

Have you always dreamed of publishing a book but didn’t know where to begin? This book walks you through the steps of identifying markets, budgeting, building an online presence, and generating publicity. Get the whole story on:

·         Traditional publishing

·         Self-publishing

·         Print and e-book setup, formatting, and distribution

·         Finding your target audience

·         Generating reviews and media interest

·         Networking and developing an online presence

·         Promotional materials and appearances

Uncover your ideal publishing path and numerous marketing options before you begin. Writing is your dream. Give it the best chance for success!

Available February 5, 2012

Publishing/Marketing, 214 pages, Dancing Lemur Press LLC

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2

$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Barnes and Noble - 

Amazon - 

Amazon Kindle - 

“She gives an unbiased take on the advantages and disadvantages of traditional publishing and self-publishing and publishing paths that combine the two… It's the perfect book for those who want an overview to begin the decision-making process.”

- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning series of how-to books for writers http://howtodoitfrugally.com/

“A must-read for writers planning on self-publishing or any writer who wants the ultimate how-to on promoting. Tons of links, advice, and how-to, whether you're going for print or e-publication.”

- Helen Ginger, author of Angel Sometimes http://helenginger.com/

L. Diane Wolfe's sites-

Blog - Spunk On A Stick’s Tips - http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com/

Website - Spunk On A Stick - http://www.spunkonastick.net/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SpunkOnAStick

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/l.diane.wolfe

 Bio-

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association and a motivational speaker. She’s conducted seminars on book publishing and promoting for five years and assisted writers through several author services. Her other titles include “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK!” which ties her goal-setting and leadership seminar’s information together, and a YA series, “The Circle of Friends.” Wolfe travels extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, and contributes to several other sites and newsletters.

A Writing Experiment: Part 2

 
           I'll admit that sometimes I get fixated on things, but I feel like when I do I have good reason to do so--then again I'm biased.   On my Wednesday post I presented two versions of the same story.  You may wish to go back to read these very short pieces before continuing with today's explanation of the origin of the story.

         One of my latest fixations came about while putting together a post  for the Sad Songs Blogfest hosted by L. Diane Wolf at Spunk on a Stick.  Anyone who knows my blogs well knows that I enjoy writing about music.  This Sad Songs Blogfest was something I liked so much that I put together lists for all four of my blogs.

          One song in particular stuck with me well after the blogfest was over and I decided I wanted to make sure more of my readers had an opportunity to listen to this song.  I included this song on my Sad Songs entry at A Faraway View.  When I first heard Steve Forbert's "Make It All So Real" back in the early 1980s it impacted me immediately not only with the quality of the song and melody, but I found the story rather powerful.

           It's a simple tale that consists of snapshots taken from a few different perspectives.  We don't get much detail, just enough to show us that we don't always know a complete story.  Our perceptions of others can be very deceptive when we don't know all of the facts.

           In my Wednesday post I first presented my hastily slapped together version of a prose narrative that is essentially a summary of what is depicted in the song.   The second version is the actual Steve Forbert song written in a narrative fashion, although I think it was probably pretty obvious to most readers that this was a song or a poem.  You may want to read through the comments to Wednesday's post to see some of the reactions to my two story examples.

                    If you had read the two versions prior to reading this explanation did you guess that the second version was a song or poem?   What are your thoughts on this song and the songwriter's approach to telling a story?   Have you ever written a story based on a story told in a song?   Can you think of an example of a story you have read that was based on a song?   Am I being overly obsessive about this song?   If you'd like to listen for yourself here it is:



Here are the lyrics to "Make It All So Real" by Steve Forbert:

Take your seat in the table
watch the cabaret fill
Ted came down for the singer
He saw the name on the bill
how the minutes were draggin'as the audience grew
Ted was growing impatient as he swallowed his brew
" It's time to welcome the artist " he heard somebody say
saw a face in the floodlight an' ev'rything
was ok....


Singer man do your work. Sing your song. Make it hurt.
Sing the tears. Sing the pain. Make it all so real.


Then the singer was singing all his serious songs
and his Band wa a-playing ; Ted was hummin' along.
Meanwhile back in a corner there was a table
for two.
Where sat the singer's cute lover snd she was
drinkin' a few,
all snuggled up with a stranger who had his hand on her tigh,
she was receivin' his message an' gazing into his eyes...
So the sound came a-rollin',tumblin' into the night
an' all the people were ravin', sayin' " Man our singer's allright ! "
An' " Such a burnin' performer ! " " What a fabulous show ! "


Little lover was stirrin'. She was ready to go.
An' while the singer was wailing she got up to depart.
The crowd was stompin' an' cheering. She was breakin' his heart...
Ted was feelin' terrific as the crowd filtered out
ravin' on 'bout the hero, there were whistles an' shouts
There was a guy with his sweetheart.
Ted came walkin' on past.
he could hear what was spoken. He could hear what she asked.
( She said ) " Don't you envy the hero ? "
An' the fella answered his girl 
" Yes. He's the ultimate singer. He's on top of the world ! "

Related articles

• Sad Songs Blogfest (psalmsunday.blogspot.com)
• Sad Songs Blogfest: Places I Remember (wrotebyrote.blogspot.com)
• 'Sad Songs Blogfest' Addendum (xtremelyun-pcandunrepentant.blogspot.com)
• Sad Songs Blogfest (tossingitout.blogspot.com)

This Post Is a Promotion and Contains Product Placement

          This will be my last regular post on Tossing It Out before the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge begins on Sunday April 1st.   During the month of April, I will be posting daily except for the Sundays after this coming Sunday.   Like many participants I've decided to go with a theme for the Challenge. I'll get to that theme in a moment, but first I wanted to clarify my opening statement.

       
        There will be a post on my blog this Friday as I provide my contribution to Spunk on a Stick's  Sad Songs Blogfest.  So it's a special post because it's part of a blogfest and it's exactly the type of thing I can't resist.  Anything to do with naming songs or anything like that is something I enjoy immensely.   So when I saw that Diane was doing the Sad Songs Blogfest I didn't have to even think about it.  

          The preceding was kind of an example of product placement even if not the best example.  The product was Spunk on a Stick's Sad Songs Blogfest and I've managed to put it in this post announcing my April theme in part because product placement relates to my April theme.  Also I want everyone to come back to read my Friday post and, if you're so inclined,  to join us in Spunk on a Stick's Sad Songs Blogfest.

My April Challenge Theme

         Most of you who follow Tossing It Out probably are aware that I am interested in the topic of marketing.   In fact, in February I had put up a post about Product Placement with the intent of making it the first in a series of posts about the topic of Marketing.  There is still more in that topic thread that I want to address and this is partly where the A to Z Challenge posts will come into play.

        For the Challenge my theme will be Marketing A to Z.  My 26 short posts will address various topics related to Marketing and Promotion.  I will try to keep it general so that I don't focus too much detail on any one aspect of the subject.  What I want to present is a general overview of the topic that might stimulate some thought on what marketing is and dispel any thoughts that marketing is bad or a "necessary evil".

        If you're thinking "I don't have anything to sell" or "I have no need in my life for marketing", then I'd like for you to look at this another way.  We are all marketing ourselves in one way or another.  Whether it be in dating or finding a mate, making friends or settling differences, we are selling personalities and principles in an effort to fulfill personal needs and wants.  When you go to interview for a job or try to get accepted to a university program you are marketing yourself and your talents.   We use marketing techniques on a daily basis whether we realize it or not.

         Hopefully my April series will present baby bites of some food for thought that will be good for you.  I hope you will bear with me and check out a few of my marketing snacks and offer a few thoughts of your own.

         Also, each day I'll be featuring a blog from the A to Z list that corresponds with the letter of the day.  Let me know if you would like yours to be considered.  If I haven't filled that day yet, I'll consider featuring your blog.   Let me know in the comments if you have a blog to recommend.

          See you on Friday for the Sad Songs Blogfest.   Are you going to participate in the Sad Songs Blogfest?    Are you ready for the A to Z Challenge?         

Related articles

• Is Product Placement Selling Out? (tossingitout.blogspot.com)
• Does Product Placement Blur Consumer Perception? (stargroup1.com)
• Alex Gross 'Product Placement' Exhibit (english.mashkulture.net)
• Product placement, does it work? (seocontentdeveloper.com)

What Story Should I Tell?

This is the final part of a five part series on promoting in the media.  If you have not yet read the earlier segments, you can find them here:

Part 1 --  The Media Challenge
Part 2  --Why you should promote yourself?
Part 3 -- An easy way to get press coverage 
Part 4 -- What is a press release?


The Story Is You!

         This is the last in the series about getting press coverage (it's about time some of you may be thinking).  Once I got started on the topic though I began to realize that this is a very important topic for any of us who have, or expect to one day have, something to promote.  Even if we have someone doing our promotion for us, it's still not a bad idea to know the ins and outs of how publicity works.

         The promotion challenge that I extended a few posts ago was to try to get something in the media telling about the A to Z Challenge and what your role in the Challenge is.   Blogging from A to Z can be looked at as an international story since hundreds of bloggers from over twenty countries are participating.  Every one of you represent a link in a chain of interconnecting communication that extends around the globe.  In my eyes that can be seen as a story that is news.

         A story can certainly be written from the international perspective, however I am suggesting that if you choose to try my publicity challenge that you make the story about you.  You are a part of this larger challenge that is in its second year and has grown five-fold so far.  Think big!  And in the process see yourself as someone who has a story to tell.


What is your story?

       Each of you has a unique story to tell about who you are and what you do.  Your ulterior motive should be to gain a foothold in your future, or if you already have something to promote, in the present.  Your story should have a broad appeal that speaks to many.    In other words, it's not just about your book or whatever you are promoting, but also about how you are connected to your world and to those who read your story.

         In the context of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2011, let me offer some of the following ideas that you could apply to your own blogging story:

1)   Your personal journey--the story of your book, product, blog, or what have you and how you will tie it in to the A to Z Challenge.   If you did the Challenge last year, how did it affect you?  Where are you going in the future?  This is a human interest story.

2)   Your art and your life as an artist -- Yvonne from Welcome to My World of Poetry  or Vinay from I Rhyme Without Reason  both gave us a poem everyday of the challenge last year and will be doing the same this year.  Others of you may be presenting your arts or crafts.  We are all artists in some form or another.  Perhaps this can be part of your story--your creations presented on the world stage via the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

3)  Your cause or charity -- Perhaps you might be blogging in April using topics related to a charity or a health issue.  Something like this can offer great opportunities for publicity.  For example, if you were planning a series of articles about "Diabetes from A to Z" you might contact the local branch of a Diabetes Awareness group.  You could let them know what you plan to do, get their endorsement, and maybe some quotes from a spokesperson and put it all in a press release.  This approach could be taken with any group that has a cause to promote.

4)   Your knowledge or expertise -- If you are going to do your A to Z series on a particular field of knowledge such as science, social studies, literature, etc, you might arrange to give a presentation to a school class, at a library, or to some other group about your field of knowledge. Notify the paper about this and tell your blogging story as part of the news release about the presentation you have given or are scheduled to give.

5)  Your ties with the community -- Are you going to blog about the area where you live--the history, the people, the sights?  Ally yourself with a local museum, chamber of commerce, tourist bureau, or another local group and get some publicity for the A to Z Challenge tied in with the group you are with.

6)  Book, music, or other reviews --  Contact the entertainment editor of the local paper or find some of those free entertainment publications that you often see outside of restaurants, music stores, etc and try to get a story about your month of reviews.  Who knows--you might end up with a job reviewing. 

Use Your Imagination!

         Above, I have offered just a few ideas to stimulate your thinking.  In a publicity story you need to find that which is unique to you and how you integrate your uniqueness into your community.  Ask yourself what makes you special, what your unique talents are, and why people would be interested in your talents.   Then you want to tell where and when readers can find out more about you, which in this case is the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April.

        If your story is written in an intriguing manner and tells a good story, readers will be interested in you and in the Challenge.   With the publication of an article you will have expanded your presence in the public eye.  Done right, your story will leave the readers wanting more and the next time they hear your name they might remember it.

Seeing Is Believing!

        I have put forth the challenge and we have the first article.   The amazing Nicki Elson, author of the novel Three Daves, got her first article on an online news site affiliated with the Chicago Tribune and you've got to read it cause it's darn good. 
Check it out:   Nicki's news story

        As you can see Nicki did it right.  She got information about herself, her book, and the A to Z Challenge all tied together in the story.   And her topics for April sound pretty cool too!  So let's give Nicki a big hand and then drop by her blog, follow her, and let her know what you thought of her article.   She hasn't stopped there either--she said she will be submitting the press release to other papers in the Chicago area including print media.

       Nicki's story is proof that it can be done.  Now who's next--we're anxious to read your stories.

***********************

If you've been trying to figure out what to write about in April, be sure to check out Jeffrey Beesler's World of the Scribe today (3/17).   He will be offering some ideas about picking a topic--a helpful post not only for the A to Z Challenge, but for anytime.

Tomorrow (3/18) on Jen Daiker's blog Nicki Elson will be a featured guest.  If you missed Jen's post on Monday she had some A to Z tips that might be of help to you.

Also tomorrow Alex J Cavanaugh will be delivering another interesting post with tips for the A to Z Challenge.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, last night we hit 500 participants signed up to the Challenge.  That magic entry was submitted by L..Diane Wolf at Spunk on a Stick.  Drop by and tell her hello and while you're at it check out her Monday post, Finding and Pitching to the Media--WHAT A GREAT POST!  This is the perfect accompaniment to what I've been talking about this week.  She provides some super useful links so do not miss this post.


Happy St Patrick's Day!


*****************

A Visit by L. Diane Wolfe

L. Diane Wolfe "Spunk On A Stick"
Professional Speaker & Author

http://www.spunkonastick.net/
http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/


       L. Diane Wolfe is probably already recognizable to many of my readers.  Her wonderfully eclectic blog is informative and entertaining.  Her blog offers advice on writing, speaking, and motivation; reviews; stories; links to other informational blogs; and even photos.  Diane is an amazingly talented individual who does public speaking and authors books.  Currently she is on her book tour promoting her newest release in her young adult literature CIRCLE OF FRIENDS series.  She has already visited numerous other blogsites on her virtual book tour and if you are interested in checking out some of those other visits she has them listed on her site.

          Today on Tossing It Out I had a few questions for Diane about speaking in public.  Many of us have a mortal fear of standing in front of people and giving a speech.  However, speaking is often part of the promotional job of an author.  Part of Diane's business is helping to motivate people, but also she instructs people like writers how to promote themselves and their writing.  So with that in mind I have some questions for our spunky expert.

 How did you start? Do you do anything in particular to prepare (classes in school, clubs, church)?

I was involved with a motivational training program for ten years, and that’s where I learned public speaking.


I remember the first time I stood on stage in front of several thousand people. I only had to say a couple lines, but I was so nervous! Microphone in hand, I scanned the crowd and located a familiar face in the audience. That person’s smiling face gave me the confidence I needed and I survived my first ordeal without incident.


I’m a member of the National Speakers Association and they offer many opportunities to grow as a speaker. I always want to continue to improve my craft!

 How do you overcome nervousness (if you become nervous)? Do you do anything special before an engagement to connect with your audience that helps you feel more comfortable?

I’m really only nervous when I give a talk for the first time or if I haven’t done a particular seminar in a while. There’s a little anxiety going on, but I tend to funnel my nervousness into enthusiastic energy. I may feel uneasy, but my audience only sees ‘Spunky.”


When speaking to an organization or business, I try to learn about the group before the event. What’s their focus? What will rock their world?


For my seminars, I keep in mind those people have come to learn. It may be old news to me, but for many, it’s the first time they’ve ever heard the information. I focus on how I can help them. They don’t care about me! They want to know how I can enrich their lives.

 Why would improving one's speaking skills be important to a writer who might not feel particularly comfortable with speaking? Seems obvious to me, but I repeatedly read about authors who just want to write and not promote or speak in public.

*Chuckle* Besides the obvious?


Yes, the Internet is a powerful tool, but authors cannot rely just on the Web.


As authors, we’re gonna have to talk to people! We’ll need to speak at book signings and library events. We’ll speak to book clubs and writer’s groups. And we can’t forget the media! If we’re on TV or the radio, we are speaking.


Speaking makes us more marketable as an author. All of the possibilities I mentioned above revolve around speaking about our book. However, those opportunities expand ten-fold when we are able to speak professionally on a given topic. (And those venues appreciate us more when we talk about something other than our book. In fact, the media will demand it!)


Think of all the businesses, organizations, and events that need speakers. We open ourselves up to new audiences, ones we might not reach on our own. Many of these venues pay us to speak as well.


And a strange thing happens when we speak - more people buy our books!
Need I say more?
                              #############

     As far as I'm concerned that just about puts it in a nutshell.  And in my book Diane's exactly right, but we're not here to talk about my book, today this is about L. Diane Wolfe's book.  So thanks to Diane for some good advice and here's some information about her book which is now available:

                                THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
                                    BOOK V … HEATHER
                                     BY L. DIANE WOLFE

                          When confidence turns to frustration…

         A new beginning awaits Heather Jennings. The position at Clemson means she will finally realize her dream of coaching basketball. Heather is ready to focus on her duties, using sheer force if necessary to prove her independence.
  
      Sadly, her triumph is hampered as her father and greatest advocate lies dying of cancer. Battling her grief, she must also deal with a sister who appears incapable of responsibility or achievement. And once basketball season begins, a talented but cocky player who resembles her in every manner challenges all that remains of Heather’s patience.

         Heather’s life changes when she encounters a man capable of handling her bold and feisty attitude. Straightforward and smug, he entices her to date him, and despite his gruff nature shows a great capacity for compassion. However, the last thing Heather needs is a serious relationship with a man equally fixated on work and opposed to marriage…


Release date: March 16, 2010, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
$19.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 282 pages, Fiction/YA
ISBN 978-0-9816210-5-0 / 0-9816210-5-8


How about these reviews!>>>

“Heather deals with real life and real situations.” 5 Stars
- Teens Read Too


“Curl up onto your favorite reading spot and journey along with Heather as she seeks the balance of family and work relationships. Be prepared to be pulled into Heather’s world and you will find yourself cheering her on and wanting to scold her at the same time. L. Diane Wolfe has created amazing characters with believable attributes and flaws; making Book V in the Circle of Friends series a true gem.”
- Donna M. McDine, Write What Inspires You Book Reviews


“Even after reading the novel, I am haunted by these characters… These characters are real to me, living breathing people that I now feel like I’ve known for years. This is the power of Wolfe’s writing.”
- The Book Pedler



Described as “encouragement personified”, Wolfe’s five-book Southern-based series portrays love and friendship overcoming all obstacles. Known as “Spunk On A Stick” to her fans, Wolfe is also a professional speaker. Originally from Oregon, she now resides in North Carolina. “With a positive attitude, any goal can be achieved!” http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/      http://www.spunkonastick.net/



Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn7tSWQqdYc


Author Information:

                                  L. Diane Wolfe
                        Professional Speaker & Author
     http://www.spunkonastick.net/      http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/
           http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com/


Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association. “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting”, ties all of her goal-setting and leadership seminar’s information together into one complete, enthusiastic package. Her YA series, The Circle of Friends, features morally grounded, positive stories that appeal to both teens and concerned parents. Ten years associating with a motivation training system and experience as a foster parent gave her the in-depth knowledge of relationships, personality traits and success principles. Wolfe travels extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, manages an online writer’s group, and contributes to several other sites.


Links to purchase:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Circle-Friends-Book-V-Heather/dp/0981621058/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265066454&sr=1-12

Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Circle-of-Friends/L-Diane-Wolfe/e/9780981621050/?itm=12&usri=l++diane+wolfe

Dancing Lemur Press L.L.C. : http://www.dancinglemurpress.com/id18.html

Blogging to Remember

          I forgot to wish everybody a happy St. Paddy's day--and me being partly of Irish extraction.  I never knew that I actually had any Irish in me until about fifteen years ago when I started studying a family history book which my aunt Nancy Jackson had collaborated on.   Seems some of the ancestors came to the United States from Ireland back in the 1700s.  I always manage to wear some green, but I'm not hardcore about the whole Irish thing.

        I did fix up some fine corned beef Irish stew and ate it for three days in a row.  With just two of us in the house now dinners don't go as fast as they used to--there's almost always some leftovers.  Now until I get inspired to cook up another meal of real food I guess it's cereal for supper again--or cookies if we have them.

         This past week you readers have been very patient with me as I totally got off my schedule when my story on Wednesday got continued on Thursday and finished  yesterday.  Two days of scheduled blog topics got postponed, but I guess we have the right to do that if we feel like it.  I started telling my story on my Wednesday post and the memories kept coming.  That's a cool thing about blogging I guess.

         Last Monday I had a Blog Boggled post that turned into a love-fest for some of our fellow bloggers.   That's another nice thing about this blog community--the spirit of support and sharing.  This coming Monday's Blog Boggled post will recognize some other blog posts that deserve recognition and I will address a few things that bug me.   That is, if I don't get all lovey-dovey again and even if I do get bugged sometimes I still love you all.

          Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT was the topic last Tuesday.  The planned topic for this coming Tuesday will be Films of Ominous Premonitions of Cataclysm and Apocalypse.

           On Wednesday I'm going to be graced with a very special guest appearance by the Spunky one, L. Diane Wolfe.  You have probably seen her lately on other blogs as she's been making the rounds promoting a new book.  I'll have a few questions for Diane and I hope you'll join us.

           This coming Thursday and Friday I plan to go back to the topics intended for this past week:  A debate question about summer vacations and an article about mythical creatures--or are they real?

            For your weekly dose of the Bible join me tomorrow as I continue last week's topic about how the Bible can benefit us.   I hope that Ginny stops by again--Ginny, I really enjoyed your challenging comments last week.

         Have you written your memoir, another person's memoir, or do you plan to?    When you are writing, are ingrained memories ever brought to the surface that causes your writing to become sidetracked?   Do you like to plan blog posts ahead of time or do you prefer spontaneity?  Do you have any questions that you would like me to ask Diane?

Me, me, me, and you, you, you!

          This week may have seemed a lot about me, me, me, but it really wasn't.  Monday was about self-promotion so really it was about you too.  Maybe Wednesday and Friday was about me, but in all fairness all of our posts contain each of us--right?  We all put ourselves into our writing to some extent, unless we're plaigerizing someone else's work.  Right? 

            And don't forget that on Tuesday I talked about Stephen King, even if it was my opinion of UNDER THE DOME.  Then on Thursday I entered perilous waters with my opinion of the Roman Polanski controversy and actually it was supposed to be a debate so it was about you to.  That one was a sticky subject and you can still weigh in with your opinion if you like.

          But me, me, me?  I'm starting to sound like a self-centered egotist.  Everybody look at me!  Then to beat all I got an award from that lovely spunky redhead L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick .   Isn't she the sweetist blogger and if you're not following her blog now then you really should be.  So as I was saying Diane gave an award to ME!

          I received the You Are My Sunshine Award from L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick .  This award goes to bloggers who lovingly follow and comment upon other blogs to give relevant feedback and encouragement.  Most of know the labor of love we invest in our blogs and are thrilled when someone stops in to acknowledge our efforts.  I know I try to give meaningful and encouraging comments to other blogs and I hope you are glad when I do so with yours.  Why, sometimes my comments require as much effort as my posts.

          So now it's time for you, you, you!   I can't pass the award to everyone by name, but be assured that I love you all (well, excepting maybe those anonymous visitors that I've been helping with their college projects or other spammers that I've deleted).  The bloggers who are adding themselves as a followers or dropping by just to let us know there are people out there are special to all of us so please don't any of you stop commenting.

So I pass this You Are My Sunshine award on to the following 5 special commenters:

Yvonne at Welcome to My World Of Poetry  --- I can almost always count on finding a lovely comment from her first thing in the morning when I check my blog.  Of course, being in the UK she sees my daily post before most of those in the U.S. do.  And she composes some pretty nice verse on her site. 

Teresa at Journaling Woman -- She's been a standby for months with consistenly kind comments  I see her comments on a lot of other blogs as well.  Teresa seems like a really fine lady and she's real good about recognizing when someone leaves a comment on her blog as well.

Ron at The Old Geezer ---This guy's living proof that the more you leave comments, the faster you'll grow your following.  If he hasn't left a comment on your site yet, just wait--he will.  And he's left some very nice ones for me.  Folks seem to really enjoy his site as well.

Jemi at Just Jemi -- and it's not because she's way up north in Canada and doesn't have anything else to do--it's because she's just darn nice.  You want proof?  Look at how many comments she gets on her posts.  Why you'd think she was an agent or something!  The difference being that she comments back to almost everyone.  Thanks for all the nice comments you've been leaving on my site, Jemi.  Oh, did you get this award twice?  Well I guess you just comment twice as often.

Sig at Beadedbear's Nonsense and Complete Waste of Time  -- She doesn't comment eveyday, but when she comments you can usually count on a pretty long comment and she'll tell it like she sees it.  If you leave a comment on her site, she almost always responds.

Then I'll add this one more for controversy's sake:

Carrie at Heim Binas Fiction  --Many of you might follow her blog that is mostly about writing  and we can't disagree with much she has to say there.  My biggest gripe is that I wish she'd acknowledge more of the comments she receives.  Now I know that sometimes I get on some pretty wild topics and though Carrie doesn't comment on my blog as often as others, when she does it's often substantial. A lot of times we don't agree--usually on my Debate Day topics--but I sure respect the effort she puts into laying out her arguments and responding to me.  That takes some time, but that''s what my debate topics are really about.  Thanks, Carrie, for helping to make some of those debates really interesting.

          And I could just keep going on with my praises of all of you.  L. Diane Wolfe ("Spunky")--thanks for the award and you certainly deserved getting it because you are a great commenter.

         See all of you in the upcoming week.  I won't tell you what I'll be posting about because it's no longer about me --- it's about YOU!