Issue 4 Arizona Authors’ Association July / August 2017

Arizona Authors’ Association Website - NEW & Amazing! https://www.AzAuthors.com/

Table of Contents Newsletter Release Dates & Submission Rules ………... page 02 Arizona Authors’ Association Service Ambassadors …... page 02 Treasurer’s Report ...... page 02 A Word from the Association President …...….….…… page 03 2018 Tucson Festival of Exhibitor NOTICE ….. page 04 2017 Payson Festival …………………………… page 05 Sales 2016 Report ……………...…...... page 06 5 Core Concepts of Success Advertisement ..…...... page 06 Member News - Marlene Baird OLLI Instructor …….... page 07 Member News - Author Peter Bernhardt ……………... page 08 Member News - Carrie Morgan Nonfiction Authors Assoc. Silver Award Winner ………………………….... page 09 Member News - Barbara Renner Purple Dragonfly Award Recipient …………….……………...………….. page 10 Member News - Author Rodo Sofranac Update .…….... page 11 Member News - Author Mark Walker Book Signings ..... page 12 Get Your Indie Book into the Phoenix Public by Jane Ruby ………………………………….... page 13 Janson Literary Services Advertisement ……...... ….…... page 14 WriteNow! 2017 Annual Conference …………………. page 15 NEW BOOK RELEASES ……………...….…..... pages 16-21 Dual Therapy by Elvis Bray …………..…………...…. page 16 Brie’s Story by Caroline Clemens ……..….…………... page 17 Tracks by Lala Corriere ………………...…………….. page 18 Horn Section All Day Everyday by Additional Membership Benefits are now being Poet Cynthia Schwartzberg Edlow …..………pages 19-20 designed by your Board. Check back Fall 2017.

Unfinished Business by John Hansen ………………. page 21 Why You Need to Care About Learning? by Author Donald Allen Williams ……..…………... page 22 Waking the Dream Advertisement ……………………. page 23 The Authors Show Radio Opportunity ….……………. page 24

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Newsletter Release Dates 2017—2019

Note: Association Newsletters are generally released the first day of the first month listed for the bi-monthly publication.

2017, 2018 and 2019 Jan/Feb Mar/April May/June July/August Sept/Oct Nov/December – Christmas / Holiday issue

OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS Members have the opportunity to apply to have their Association membership annual dues waived by meeting these requirements: Arizona Authors’ Service Ambassadors Five Feature Articles for calendar year 2018 (to President ..………………………………….… Lisa Aquilina apply to have dues waived in 2019) . Vice-President / Literary Contest Director .. Drew Aquilina Article and newsworthy event write-up material is Secretary ………………………..……………. Ronald Tobin also welcome from the general public. Treasurer ……………………………….…… Russell Azbill Membership Team …….…….……….... Board of Directors Northern Arizona Liaison …….……..……... Nancy Brehm Program Director ……………………….… Debbie Weiland Social Media Director ..…...…………...….… Casey Thorne Submissions Newsletter Editor ……………...………..…... Lorenza Birra Newsletter Proofreader ………..…….………. Elljay Boston

Important Newsletter Submission Guidelines ******************************************* WORD documents only, please, for text content. Arizona Authors’ Association publishes a bimonthly Write in third person in professional prose style. newsletter for its membership and the national literary community. Unless expressly stated, neither Arizona “Member News” features must be fewer than 600 Authors’ Association nor its editors endorse or accept words. responsibility for the opinions expressed in the arti- “Feature Article” submissions should be between cles printed. Submitted articles may/will be edited for 900-1500 words. content or otherwise at the sole discretion of Associa- Please use primary font and point size consistent tion staff. with the newsletter: Editorial correspondence and submissions may be mailed to:

TEXT: Times New Roman 10pt. Newsletter Editor, 6939 East Chaparral Road TITLES: Times New Roman 12pt. or 14pt. Paradise Valley, AZ 85253-7000

Written title of all books (new releases, previous Or sent via Email to: works, cited references) should be italicized. [email protected]

All pictures, images and other graphics may be All other correspondence should be mailed to the address above attached to the email submission. attention: Arizona Authors’ Association Board Thumbnail JPG, TIFF, GIF, PDF files of book 602-554-8101 (message line) covers, author portrait, company logo, etc. no larger [email protected] than 5 MB. https://www.AzAuthors.com

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A Word from the Association President

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2018 Tucson Festival of Books NOTICE

The Association’s 2017 Tucson Festival of Final exhibition space, the number of authors per Books (TFOB) Booth 138 had an estimated 1,100 table, the number of exhibition shifts, etc. will be book lovers and visitors over two days, including determined once the number of participating over 20 exhibiting published authors with total authors is known. onsite and post-event book sales of over 175 units. For a fraction of the cost to exhibit on your Although it is only July, it is time to start own, you can be a part of the 10th Anniversary organizing the Arizona Author’s presence at the celebration at Tucson Festival of Books! This is a 10th Annual TFOB in 2018. The Festival will be great, value-added opportunity for authors who do held Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11, 2018 - not have the budget to pay for for-profit space of 9:30 am to 5:30 pm each day - on the University of at least* $700.00 for interior booths or $860.00 for Arizona campus mall. corner booths (*includes power / 2017 booth Arizona Authors’, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rental rates – 2018 rates reportedly will be higher). literary and educational Association, cannot advance the total costs involved in reserving a 2018 Exhibition payment is due to booth by September 15, 2017 (tentative deadline Arizona Authors’ on or before for 2018 sign-up and payment requirement as prescribed by TFOB organizers). However, your Friday, August 4th Board of Directors is committed to providing this exemplary and important marketing platform to Check or PayPal remittance is acceptable. its members. By that date, we must receive commitment by and As a result, the Association has decided to payment from at least 20 authors. If fewer authors once again pursue reserving a 2018 exhibition commit, the Board will discuss with those authors TFOB booth. The goal is to reserve another prior to August 25th the possibility of proceeding identical 10’ x 30’ corner booth space. with a smaller booth (10’ x 10’ or 10’ x 20’). If not enough interest is received, the Association will New in 2018 not exhibit at TFOB in 2018. In that event, any TFOB exhibit donations received will be refunded Your Board is requesting individual upon request. exhibit fee donations to our nonprofit of $100.00 Questions? Please email Lisa Aquilina per author/per day. The Association donation at [email protected] or call her at includes full booth décor and royal blue linens, (602) 510-8076. author exhibit advertising, sales license permit with tax returns to be prepared by Arizona Authors’, water and snacks and more! (The Asso- ciation donation may be fully tax deductible; seek advice from your financial advisor.)

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Audiobook Sales Up Again in 2016, Posting Double-Digit Gains

By Jim Milliot | Publishers Weekly | Reprinted by Permission

A new report issued by the Audio Publishers Association found that 2016 was another good year for . The findings show double-digit growth for both audiobook sales and title output. Total sales rose 18.2% over 2015, to an estimated $2.1 billion, while unit sales did even better. According to the report, unit sales rose 33.9%, to 89.5 million. Sales are based on reports from about 20 audiobook publishers. The APA then extrapo- lates from those figures, to derive an estimate for the entire market. The title output from reporting companies was 50,937 in 2016, a 43.1% increase over 2015. The sales increase was driven by digital downloads, which accounted for 82.4% of sales. In 2015, digital downloads accounted for 76.8% of sales. Sales of physical audio, mean- while, declined. Last year, sales of physical audio repre- Learn the 5 Core Concepts of Success To sented 16.2% of total audio sales, down from 21.8% in 2015. Improve your Health, Wealth & Relationships! While sales of physical audio dropped again last year, the rate of decline has slowed slightly. Do you want to be in control of your life A study by Edison Research found that 24% of Americans on your terms and live an easier life? Everyone has challenges, problems, and listened to at least one audiobook in 2016, an increase of 22% deals with adversity. Life seems so com- over 2015. Other demographic findings showed that almost plicated but it need not be. What if there half of audio listeners are under the age of 35, and that were a different way to deal with all of audiobook listeners either read or listened to an average of those crazy circumstances that never seem 15 books in the last year. to go away or just seem to be getting worse? Are you open to trying something Smartphones increased in popularity as the device of choice completely revolutionary and radically different that never for audiobook listening, capturing 29% of the audiobook fails to work? Do you want to discover clarity to eliminate all audience. According to the survey, the top reasons people of that uncertainty, confusion, and frustration? Do you want to chose audiobooks is that they can do other things while lis- develop confidence that lasts as long as you need it to? Do you want to overcome the looming shadow of doubt that constantly tening, and the portability of the content. The most popular seems to be getting in your way? genres last year were mysteries/thrillers/suspense, science fiction/fantasy and romance If you said “Yes!,” then the Human Instruction Manual , short self-study courses, and related classes are exactly “It’s another banner year for audiobooks,” said Anthony what you have been looking and searching for. Take action Goff, senior v-p, publisher at Hachette Audio and research now and “Get On 2 it” at GetOn2it.com committee chair for the APA. “It has been exhilarating for everyone involved in audio to see such healthy growth main- Contact: Donald Allen Williams at (216) 496-9494, email tained, year in and year out." He added: "Learning more [email protected]. Available for Personal Mentoring and about audiobook listeners by digging deeper into the met- Guidance, Speaking Events, Interviews, and Charity Fund Raisers. Ask about the amazing “80/20-DEAL” and learn what rics of consumer behavior is one of the key ways we can help it takes to help people & get paid extremely well while doing it that growth continue.” honestly!

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Get Your Indie Book into the Phoenix Public Library By Jane Ruby

Here are dos and don’ts on getting your indie book DO NOT generically mail information flyers or other accepted for circulation at the Phoenix Public Library. marketing materials to the Development Department. They do not have time to look through DO NOT just send your book to the library. It will be everyone’s (big or small publishers, agents, etc.) mail. placed on the “Donated Books for Sale” shelf. They streamline the acceptance process, which is usually the closest trash receptacle. DO call ahead for an appointment with the Collection Development Librarian or the person who selects DO get your book reviewed, if possible, by journals books in your genre. You want the person who selects such as Library Journal, School Library Journal (for chil- for the entire library system (this applies for Phoenix dren’s books), Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, or the local or any public system with multiple branches). Jot down newspaper. their name, and if they request info by mail, write “Attention: (librarian’s name).” DO NOT just drop in to the Collections Development Department. Call ahead for an appointment, and have When you meet with the Collection Development all your vital information ready. librarian, be prepared to present your book and have printed information (nothing more than a standard If you think your indie book is worth larger circulation brochure) containing: and possibly better book sales, this is a good route to go. Good luck! *A brief description of what the book is about. Emphasize why they want to purchase your book. Phoenix Public Library is a system of 16 branch *Who your target audience is (adults, teens, children)? and Burton Barr Central Library. With a collection of nearly *What your qualifications are (knock their socks off 2 million books, DVDs, CDs and a wide variety of digital with your credentials). Have you written other works? resources, the Library is your key to exploring the world - for Won any past awards? Are you an expert in the field? *Complete bibliographic data, including publication school, work or fun. https://www.phoenix.gov/library date, price (mention any discount if purchased in large amounts), ISBN, info, type of binding. *How the library can purchase your book. The Phoenix Public Library system is under contract with many wholesale vendors such as Baker & Taylor. If you are a licensed vendor, they can purchase directly from you, you wait for payment (they don’t use credit cards or Paypal accounts) with a city-issued check. Library administration rather go through established vendors, unless you can provide ‘a compelling reason’ for them to purchase from you directly.

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Arizona Authors’ Association July / August 2017 22 Why You Need to Care About Learning: Self-Understanding and Compound-Ignorance By Donald Allen Williams

Let us break down the meaning of the word to better help you understand what ‘understanding’ is all about. The foundation is the basis for anything in which anything is built upon. Mr. Carlin was correct. Life is not that complicated because it is extremely basic and logical. For to comprehend anything you must examine the base and stand underneath the base to grasp the complete and bigger picture. To build a bridge and connect a chasm the builder must shore up the underneath of the bridge to support the weight F of the bridge. or over the past three decades there has been an explosion in the area of ‘self-help’ books. As George Carlin the late, well- To stand underneath the foundation of a floor to build above or known comedian said best… “Why do so many people need ‘self- the underneath of a bridge is to ensure the proper support and is help?’ Life is not that complicated. You get up, go to work, eat a the act of under-standing. For building on your basic knowledge few times, and go back to bed. What is the mystery? Especially requires shoring up underneath what you think you know by ad- when you are looking for a book on ‘self-help’ that is written by mitting that there are things that you do not know. Seeking somebody else, because that is not ‘self-help;’ that is ‘help.’ There ‘understanding’ of any subject is being in a state of humbleness. is no such thing as ‘self-help,’ because if you did it yourself, you Thus ‘self-understanding’ or ‘understanding’ is the shoring up of did not need ‘help.’ You did it yourself. Try paying attention to what you think you know, by being humble enough to reconsider the language we have all agreed on here people.” the bigger picture you might be missing that you have been stand- ing on top of the whole time. You are unable to grow beyond Along those same lines as the term ‘self-help’ is another extremely your current limitations without taking the time to understand confusing and reversed concept called ‘self-development,’ because yourself. Self-understanding is the personal examination of figur- the human body naturally develops on its own, so of course the ing out why you are motivated or not motivated to do anything. body developed by itself. The human operator can work the body This is why you must learn ‘self-understanding.’ You need to learn but the body develops itself especially into strength. Lastly if you the big picture about you and where you fit in the biggest picture are making any progress towards anything that means you are we call Life. working on self-improvement. Who else could improve your life better than you can? As you well know, improvement can only be The first step in gaining ‘self-understanding’ requires being hum- done by one’s self for one’s self which is the concept of taking ble to how ignorant we truly are and about who we are as human responsibility of one’s self. beings. Sadly we have been taught more about the outside world than ourselves. Because of this detriment of our own ‘self- Likewise over this same time period there has been an extrava- understanding’ most people spend their entire life afraid of death ganza of ‘motivation’ gurus. The late George Carlin had a few and never really knowing themselves. The result is being dead to more choice words on this subject as well. “A similar mystery … our own life and the extreme value we offer ourselves and others. ‘motivation’ books and seminars. Why would anyone need to be Why dead? Because human society values dead lifeless objects motivated by someone else? If you lack ‘motivation,’ a seminar is over those values expressed in living human beings. If you do not not going to ‘help’ you. Being beaten several times on your body believe me, consider that our education system never teaches any- anywhere will give you enough ‘pain’ to ‘motivate’ you or at least one to think and question everything for themselves. Be honest. get you up and moving around the room.” Being motivated is Once you got out of school, you realized just about everything is, directly related to taking responsibility of one’s self. upside down, backwards, and completely the opposite of what you were told if you take the time to think for yourself. There is one reason why, you most likely felt a feeling of being left empty-handed in action and even lighter in the wallet by these so called ‘self-help’ books and ‘motivation’ gurus. The reason is based on the one powerful word –‘understanding.’ Continued on Page 23

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Continued from Page 22

Once again, our friend George Carlin had some wise advice. “We are the proud parents of an honor student that has attended one of the many indoctrination centers we call schools. Where our child has been sent to be stripped of their individuality and turned into an obedient soul dead conformist and member of the ‘American-Consumer-Culture.’ What empty people need to vali- date themselves through the achievements of their children with a bumper-sticker? Instead, we should see on the back of a car: ‘We are the proud parents of a child with high self-esteem who is so self-sufficient and thinks for themselves he does not need us pro- moting their minor meaningless scholastic achievements here.’

Perhaps this message is preferable: ‘We are the proud parents of a student who has resisted her teacher’s attempts to break her spirit and bend her to the will of their corporate masters who own the nearly meaningless education system.’

Generations of well-meaning parents and educators are constantly caught in the same never ending loop and suffer from ‘compounded-ignorance.’ The endless loop looks like this: Your parents tell you you have to go to school because that is what you do. Everyone who graduates and eventually has a title knows more than you. But when you closely examine that logic, the sys- tem always uses itself to validate itself. If you are not graduated by the system, your value and knowledge is meaningless to the sys- tem. It is compounded because there are layers upon layers of opinion and theory not based on real facts. The fact that you are told is, this is the ‘correct’ answer and anything else is and must be the ‘wrong’ answer keeps you narrowly focused with huge blind- ers on your thinking and feeling.

The compounded-ignorance actually makes you believe such thinking is valid, true, and the only answer possible. The fact is most things just are relative to everything else that just is. The answer is relative only to what is happening at this very exact mo- ment to you. You must to have self-understanding to combat the huge amounts of compounded-ignorance you have been spoon fed for most of your life.

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