Writing and Publishing News from

Today I’m going to promote Catscapades, True Cat Tales. Amazon has already placed an order for this book, along with 5 other books. How cool is that?

Check out the book at my brand new Catscapades page at http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

What is Catscapades? This is a 130-page perfect-bound print book filled with over 40 full-length stories and vignettes depicting many of the cats and kittens I’ve known throughout my life. And it is illustrated with 46 charming photographs of cats and kittens, such as Lily, the adorable kitten on the cover.

If you like cats, you’ll love this book. As you will notice at my website, I’m offering a prepublication discount. Order the book prior to March 15, 2010 and I’ll pay the shipping. I’ll also tuck in a free gift you can use for each book purchased.

I often talk about seasonal promotion. Wouldn’t this charming book make a great Easter gift? And also think Mother’s Day! Do you know a cat person who has a birthday coming up? Or how about presenting your cat sitter, thoughtful neighbor, hairdresser, or your children’s teacher a book as a thank you for something nice they did for you.

Visit my website and see what you think of the new book cover (photo taken by Ruth Miller, a professional photographer friend of mine and cat person). This is actually a revision of my original Catscapades ebook, so I have collected quite a list of testimonials from readers, including professionals. Be sure to check out my testimonials page.

And let me know if you have questions—for example, do you have a bookstore and you’d like to purchase books on consignment? Do you have a large list of friends you’d like to present with copies and you want bulk order price?

If you or your friends love true stories about real cats, you’ll enjoy this book. You’ll meet cats that remind you of those you’ve known and some whose stories will leave you shaking your head. Have you ever known a cat to be catnapped, for example? How many kittens have you scooped up off of the streets or out of a woodpile and socialized? Oh what baggage some of them come with. Have you ever had the challenge of finding homes for 15 kittens at one time? Have you dealt with a cat who received a head injury in a horrific accident? (This story, too, has a happy ending.) Within the pages of this book, you’ll meet cats who stubbornly choose where they wanted to live, a spayed cat who showed up with a newborn kitten, a reluctant babysitting cat, a cat who responded to mind-talk and two kittens who responded to a spiritual healing.

Order your copy of Catscapades today and be sure to buys copies for your friends during the prepublication discount days (through March 15, 2010). http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

Why You Should Join SPAWN NOW
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we’re raising the SPAWN dues. If you have been thinking about joining, join now at $45/year. As of January 1, dues will be $65. It’s the first raise in almost 14 years. To learn more about SPAWN and what’s in it for you as an author, freelance writer or artist, go to http://www.spawn.org.

I’m Traveling Again
My blog posts will be hit and miss this weekend. I’ll be out of town to a family wedding.

Want to Speak to Authors in Atlanta
In the meantime, I’m looking for some opportunities to speak about authorship in the Atlanta area in late February/early March. A friend is presenting her play, Who’s There in the Atlanta area and I want to go. When I travel, I always look for opportunities to meet other authors and share with them. So if you know of any groups that meet in that area or community programs seeking speakers on topics of interest to authors, let me know ASAP.

I already have one invitation to a small writers group in the Griffin area. Yeah! I’d like to meet up with one or two others while I’m there.

Give Books for Christmas
Are you giving books for Christmas? How about purchasing them from the authors you know from your writers’ group, through your publishing organization, from the writing conference you attended or that you meet throughout the course of your busy days. I’m giving books to seven people on my list from four authors I know—a spiritual story, a novel, a book of cat stories and a children’s book.

Support authors just like you want to be supported in your writing/publishing efforts.

If you know a budding author, present him or her with my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

What do you do when some sort of flu bug finds you despite the fact that you got your shot, take your vitamins, eat right, get plenty of rest and sunshine and exercise regularly? Well, I’m going to hunker down with a friend’s book, in between welcome periods of sleep.

I have one editing project and another on the way. I have SPAWN business to take care of. I have a book to write, a speech to develop, piles of paperwork/receipts, etc. to file, but that’s all going to have to wait while I go into recovery mode.

This affliction began toying with me Friday morning. I fought against it Saturday and Sunday, finally submitting to over the counter stuff to make me feel better—it didn’t. And today, I feel as though I am losing the battle the flu has launched on my poor body. Today, I reluctantly call a sick day.

What is liable to happen if I take a sick day? Will my business fall apart? I guess not, but we sure can convince ourselves that we are needed and that without us, things won’t go as smoothly. What if my book is delayed another one or even two days? What if the filing doesn’t get done until next week? What if I take a day off from the editing on my client’s manuscript? Will my business fail? Will the world fail? And in 100 years (20 years or even a week) will it matter that Patricia Fry succumbed to the dreaded flu for one day?

As you can see, I plan to be back tomorrow. Surely, if I give in for one day, that’s all it’s going to take, right? I’m not bull-headed. I just don’t do “sick person” very well.

Oh, I stay away from other people. I do not go to out shopping when I am, most likely, contagious, even though someone else probably did—or I wouldn’t be in this sick mess. I cancel face-to-face meetings. I do my best to keep these things to myself. (I wish everyone would be as conscientious, don’t you?)

So I’m headed to the sofa with my 3 cats and the book, “Thrift Me Deadly” by Wendy Dager. I hope to be with you again tomorrow with something more worth your while. In the meantime, stay well. Wash your hands a lot (something else I do religiously—but some germ wriggled through the barrier), eat right, sleep well. And if you do get dragged down by some evil affliction, stay home and take care of yourself. No one needs you in the office enough to risk everyone getting sick. Be a good citizen. Keep your germs to yourself.

Have you visited the SPAWN website, lately? SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network. http://www.spawn.org .

For a good part of this year, we’ve been working to re-organize SPAWN and we’ve managed to create a whole new look as well as a whole new structure. We also plan to offer members more of the things they need in order to succeed with their creative projects. You can help us to determine that that is. Join SPAWN today and fill out our member survey. Be a part of SPAWN’s future.

Susan Daffron of Logical Expressions (President of SPAWN) has spent months redesigning the SPAWN website. This weekend, she put the finishing touches on the ecommerce aspect of it and we are now able to accept credit cards in our ebook store as well as for membership. Join SPAWN for $45/year at: http://www.spawn.org/blog/?page_id=694

What will you get?
• A free book or ebook upon joining. (Choose from 6.)

• The opportunity to network with other authors, freelance writers, artists, publishers, etc. through our lively email discussion group, SPAWNDiscuss.

• Access to the most amazing publishing newsletter out there. A new edition of the SPAWN Market Update is posted in the member area of the SPAWN site each month. It features industry news and trends as well as scads of opportunities for authors, freelance writers, publishers, artists, photographers, scriptwriters, and so forth. It has been proven that the resources and opportunities in just one edition of this meaty monthly newsletter can earn (or save) a serious writer, author or artists several times the membership fee. (Archives with a search feature also available.)

• Listings in the SPAWN Catalog of Members’ Books and Services, which is online year round and distributed at book festivals. (There is an additional fee.)

• Participation in book festivals where SPAWN has a booth, such as the Los Angeles Times Book Festival. (Additional fee required.)

• Discounts offered by printers, editors and other professionals.

• Discounts on membership in certain other professional publishing organizations.
Join SPAWN and be in on the ground floor of new offerings through SPAWN. Now that the web construction dust has settled, we will be implementing some new programs.

Be a part of our future. Join now and fill out the member survey.

If you’d like to get a sense of this organization before joining, sign up for our FREE enewsletter, SPAWNews. And receive a FREE booklet, Promote Yourself! 25 Ways to Promote Your Work, Whether You’re an Artists, Author, or Small Publisher.” (Available ONLY through SPAWN.)

Questions? Email Patricia@spawn.org or Susan@spawn.org.

Perhaps you recall my blog post several weeks ago in which I nagged you about updating your website. And I told you that I would be doing this and that I would have an open house once the updates and revisions were completed.

Well, my webmaster finally got the rather large job done. And I invite you to take a tour and view the updates and changes. We have new articles posted, updated information with regard to most of the pages, with the largest revisions and updates on the 16-page Writers and Authors Resources Pages. I’ve added 7 new categories to the list of 34 and we’ve added over 50 new resources in “Books for Freelance Writers and Authors,” “Magazines, Ezines and Newsletters for Writers and Authors,” “Writer’s Conferences and Book Festivals,” “Publicists,” “Distributors and Wholesalers,” “Christian Writing Sites,” “Sites for Poets,” “Travel Writer’s Sites,” “Writing Jobs,” “General Research Sites,” “Legal Help for Authors,” “Publishing Resources” and more.

Take a look at the Matilija Press website where we offer books and services for authors and writers, as well as an enormous amount of FREE information, advice and resources. http://www.matilijapress.com.

Visit the incredibly rich updated Resource List at http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/resources.html.

The only thing missing at this very special open house is someone greeting you at the door with a tall glass of lemonade and a plate of cookies. Believe me, if I could, I would.

Let me know how you like my site by leaving your comment here.