Youth Tour Contest

When I returned to my native home town recently for the Tatianna tour, I was open to any and all surprises. It didn’t take long!  While there, I read the Rural Missouri—a publication my mother always has.  An article about the 2008 Youth Tour essay contest sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and a picture of the previous year’s Clark County winner brought back a flood of wonderful memories for me. I was scheduled to speak to 300 students at my local high school during the tour.  So I added comments about the contest.

I asked if last year’s winner was in the audience, and she was there—beaming with pride. I asked who was writing an essay, and several students raised their hands. I mentioned I was the 1967 winner and what a wonderful writing and travel opportunity this was– a seven day all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. I encouraged students to contact me at a library book signing the next day for editing help.

When I returned to Florida, I found my original hand scribbled essay and the original typed and edited essay (typed on a manual typewriter and edited in pencil) in a scrapbook along with a journal. I saved every Washington D.C. souvenir including a letter from President Johnson.

Here is one of my entries:“When I read in the paper about the REA essay contest with a free trip to Washington, I made up my mind right then to try to the best of my ability to write a winning essay. It took me a while to decipher the essay title—Electric Cooperatives: Pacemakers of Progress for Rural America. Then I began collecting material on this subject and attempted to write something original and different.” 

I smile at how the contest  put my writing dream in motion.  Forty years later I tracked Tatianna’s editorial changes in different colors on the computer.  The Catnip Connection blog is composed at the keyboard. What hasn’t changed is my love of words and connecting with my readers with something original and different!

Bountiful Blessings!

Back in Time

To my readers who have asked what it is like to go on a book tour–this blog is for you! The entire week and all the planning leading up to it was a blast. Many thanks to each and every person who played a part in the week! Here is how my trip unfolded.

Sunday

• Flew from West Palm Beach to St. Louis, then rented a car and drove three hours to my native home town, Kahoka, MO

Tuesday

• Delivered books to Dollar General for advanced selling prior to book signing
• Had feature in Home Town Journal newspaper promoting my book along with library column promoting library event
• Recorded KMEM radio commercial to air the rest of the week

Wednesday

• Had feature in The Media newspaper promoting my book along with library column promoting library event

Thursday

• Went to CCR-1 High School to meet with principal and finalize school assembly
• Delivered books to editors at The Media and Hometown Journal

Friday

• Made presentation at assembly at CCR-1 High School, my alma mater
• Distributed Tatianna bookmarks to each assembly attendee
• Taught marketing class at CCR-1 High School
• Did book signing event at Dollar General
• Had dinner out with family

Saturday

• Did book signing event at H.E.Sever Library
• Had picture taken at library event by The Media editor for next week’s paper
• Signed books to leave with my mother for future orders
• Celebrated at the Hotel Nauvoo with my mother

Sunday

• Returned to Palm Beach County

Best Part: Having my mother attend events with me and visiting with guests including neighbors, friends, teachers, and classmates from grade school and high school

Biggest Challenge: Having to ask everyone who are you?

Biggest Surprise:  Interest of children

Biggest Shock: Temperature swings from 70 degrees to 7 degrees and driving on country roads

Would I do it again? In a New York minute!!

Bountiful Blessings!

The Pink Goblet

I was in Missouri recently for my hometown book tour. What a blast connecting with people in Kahoka that I had not seen for decades. One of them was my favorite teacher, Mrs. June Kice.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

 Henry Brooks Adams

I attended Ashton School, a three-room country school instead of the common one-room country school. The first, second, and third graders met together. The fourth, fifth, and sixth graders were also on the same floor with a wall dividing us from the little ones.  When I graduated to the seventh grade in 1962, classes were held in the lower level of the school house. I really thought I had made it! Our large classroom which also included the eighth graders opened into the lunchroom. We were fortunate to have daily hot lunches prepared by a wonderful cook. I still remember the scrumptious peanut butter cookies that Mamie made for us. I liked to play ciphering matches and challenging my opponent to a multiplication problem was my favorite competition.Mrs. Kice was my seventh and eighth grade teacher, and I adored her. She made it fun to learn yet at the same time she was challenging and made me think. She was motivating and encouraging and smiled a lot. You would find her on the playground cheering us on in our baseball games.

Mrs. Kice and her husband, Burdette, attended my Kahoka book signing, and I was thrilled to see them. She greeted me with the familiar engaging smile that I always remembered.  We reminisced about our days at the Ashton School. She recounted a spectacular catch I made at third base. I joked that it was probably the only ball I ever caught since I did not inherit my father’s baseball talent.She brought me a surprise. “I have something for you,” she mysteriously said. “Oh, a photo?” I asked as she reached into her handbag.Instead, she pulled out a glass. “You gave this to me for Christmas when you were an eighth grader. It’s been on my desk all these years!” The six inch clear goblet on a short footed pedestal was decorated with pink and white hearts around the rim along with three sets of pink and white cloverleaves above the pedestal. I recognized it as one of my craft projects.“You saved it all this time!” I exclaimed.

“I think it’s time to return it to you.”

“I am honored to have the gift back. I am remodeling my office, and this will have a special spot on my desk always,” I proudly said.

Thank you Mrs. Kice for having a profound influence on my life and being a part of my book! Your effect on the world will continue to ripple with each person who reads Tatianna.

Bountiful Blessings!

Tatianna’s Team Looking for Feisty Felines

Last week I invited you to become a member of Tatianna’s Team. We are looking for:

• Meowleaders who cheer us on with support
• Chatty Cats who talk about us any chance they get
• Feisty Felines who promote us with spirited courage

Here are seven more ways you can become involved with Tatianna.

• Give gift copies to anyone who would enjoy this book (order directly from me for a personalized and autographed copy)
• Ask bookstores and gift shops to have the book for sale and libraries to have the book on loan
• Arrange for a book club to read the book (I am available for a phone-in during the meeting)
• Recommend the book in a blog, in a chat room, on MySpace, or on other social networks
• If you know of an association, group, club, or class that is looking for a speaker, refer them to www.lindamohr.net/speaker.html for topics
• If you know writers for magazines, newspapers, newsletters, television or Internet, arrange for a complimentary copy if they will write a review or do a story (contact me for a book)
• If you know anyone in radio or television, refer them to www.lindamohr.net/media.html for my media kit (I am available for phone-in radio interviews anywhere)

So how will I know what you have done? All you have to do is email me at lindamohr7@bellsouth.net whenever you help in any of the ways listed this week or last week (or in ways I have not yet imagined). Then I can applaud your efforts in upcoming recognition events and celebrations. This Catnip Connection, will have ongoing updates about how Tatianna’s Team is contributing to the success of the book.

I know I am blessed to have each of you in my circle of life. One of the epigraphs in the Tatianna book is from Thomas Wolfe: “I am a part of all that I have touched and that has touched me.” Working together, we have the opportunity to make a heartfelt difference in the lives of people and pets around the world.

I thank you in advance for your help and support and look forward to the Meowleaders, Chatty Cats, and Feisty Felines joining Tatianna’s Team.

Bountiful Blessings!

Join Tatianna’s Team Today

Would you like to join Tatianna’s team?

What I learned while caring for Tatianna during her illness was that it took a team effort.  Be it medical expertise, love, caring, strength, bravery, faith or an energy force—all were necessary ingredients for our miracle. Then when I wrote and published Tatianna, I assembled a talented team including an artist, a graphic designer, a Web designer, a computer expert, a life coach, several editors and proofreaders as well as my heavenly helpers to guide me throughout the process.

Now I am calling on all of you to join Tatianna’s Team and to help publicize our creation. Although we have initiated a marketing campaign and Rita M. Reynolds, author of Blessing The Bridge:  What Animals Teach Us About Death, Dying and Beyond, has endorsed the book, we cannot do it alone.

Tatianna’s Team needs:

• Meowleaders who cheer us on with support
• Chatty Cats who talk about us any chance they get
• Feisty Felines who promote us with spirited courage

We need all of you to help create a “buzz” this year and to send Tatianna’s message out to the world. When you do, you will be honored at periodic recognition events. The more you contribute in 2008, the more I will find ways to honor you and to thank you.

There are ten ways you can help Tatianna and be recognized. Let’s look at three ways this week, and I will continue the list next week.

• Send an email book recommendation along with my Web site address, www.lindamohr.net  to anyone in your address book and ask them to do the same (you can design your own recommendation or email me for a paragraph to send)
• Send or pass out a postcard announcement to your contacts (email me for preprinted postcards and stamps)
• Post a (purr-fect!) review on www.amazon.com  and www.barnesandnoble.com  as well as a 5  Paw reader feedback on www.lindamohr.net  (the same review can be posted on all sites); the process is easy: Go to Amazon and type in Tatianna book, click on the stars, click on “create your own review.” For my Web site, just please email me your review.

Your help is sincerely appreciated.

Bountiful Blessings!