Funny Title, Wonderful Stories...

My Hero, My Ding by Lisa A. Tortorello…might be a funny name, but the story is a sweet, endearing walk down memory lane. This is a collection of stories about a girl and her grandfather and the fun and special bond they shared. Lisa brings her memories to life and lets you enjoy the love, camaraderie and zaniness she shared with her grandfather. The Dings share a special bond that made sense only to them, and that’s exactly how they liked it. I encourage anyone that had a special bond with a grandparent, aunt, uncle…to pick up a copy of My Hero, My Ding. Not only will you find Lisa’s story genuine but it just might bring back fond memories of your own life…Plus, you’ll get to find out what a Ding is…
Reviewed by: Ursula Gorman, author of ‘Old Acquaintances’

Things are coming together!

It is Sunday, Dec. 12th, and National Book Release is just around the corner. I signed my contract for publishing my book on Dec. 16th, 2009...on my birthday. Now, almost one year to the day, my book is about to be released. I'm amazed at how it's all come together.
It seemed to take forever from the time I was offered the contract to when I signed it and, finally, the initial contact with my editor. From there it was, 'hurry up and wait' during each and every step. There was enough time between contact that I was about to go stir crazy, but just before I reached that point, I had contact with the publishers again and had a renewed sense of purpose.
So each and every step seemed to be excruciatingly slow, but exciting nonetheless. An oxymoron if there ever was one! So each step brought me closer and closer to being done with the publication process...
The final step has been the editing of the audio book, but I have mixed emotions about that. That's a whole other subject...So now, here we are, two days before National Release and I'm surprised it's here already...hahaha...too funny that time seemed to drag only to be here already!
So, check out Old Acquaintances reviews on Barnes and Noble.com and on Goodreads. There should be some going up on Amazon.com as soon as they are able to put them on there. The reviews have been really good and it's an encouraging beginning to what's hopefully, a long career in writing!
If you've already read Old Acquaintances, thank you for your support and I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven't...well, I might be biased, but it's a good, fast paced and entertaining read...

Book Signing...a bust!

I attended the LR PTA Christmas Bazaar yesterday. There were two gyms filled with approx. 80 vendors, or so I'm told. I set up my table and never left it, so I didn't go into the other gym. I was told the other gym was bigger and had more vendors in it.
21 days before Christmas, you'd think a craft bazaar would bring out a lot of shoppers. The booths around me all had great gift ideas...handmade wooden boxes for men and women...beautiful craftsmanship...Handmade silver/gemstone jewelry, ornaments, baked goods, handmade aprons, potholders, Christmas decorations...etc...If I'd had the time and money, I could have gotten a lot of buying done in the room I was in. But, alas, the people didn't come. I was really surprised. Usually when I attend such events as a shopper, I have to fight the crowds. There were probably a couple of hundred shoppers during the 7 hour event but very few of them seemed to be buying. I'm not sure if it's the economy, the mall or if we just didn't have what the people were looking for...
The lady in the booth beside me, an older woman that handmade her own dresses/aprons/potholders, and did a fantastic job, actually fell asleep. I mean, head back and mouth wide open type of sleep. The first time she did, a customer had to wake her up to purchase a potholder...the women woke up, took the money and promptly went back to sleep. LOL It might not have been the best customer service, but I doubt she missed many sales. She packed up and was ready to leave before the event was over. She said she wouldn't be back the next year...
I think I'm not that set on judging this particular event after just one chance...who knows why we didn't see the crowds that I expected...I had a great table, had a few people stop and talk to me...but the sales just weren't there. I didn't even make my money back for the fee I had to pay to attend...but, you never know unless you try.
I will not give up! I will be back out there again. I only hope for better success! Next weekend is a regular book signing at the Library Center in Springfield Mo...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.