We Have a Winner!

As promised, we have a winner in the "Win Cowboy & Wills Contest!" Thanks to everyone who left a comment.

Just to walk you through the process: I wrote the names of each contestant on the back of old business cards, then folded them twice so they'd be consistent in size.

Lacking a Stormy Kromer, I instead used this hat to draw from. It's kind of an Indiana Jones-type fedora. When my husband departed for work this morning he left behind both this hat and his bullwhip, which was thoughtful, since I needed the hat for the drawing.

I'm not sure what I'll use the bullwhip for, but you may not want to cross me.


I dropped in the names, stirred them around, and without looking, reached in.....

And drew Jess's name! Yay, Jess, you won a free book! I'll make every effort to get it to you before Christmas, so if you want to use it as a gift, you'll be covered.

Jess, please email me your mailing address and I'll get it out as soon as possible. Thanks, everyone!

Cowboy & Wills / Win a book!

Finally, a blog entry that's not all about me. Will wonders never cease?

This post is long overdue. Several weeks ago I received an email asking if I'd like to receive a copy of a memoir titled Cowboy & Wills to review on my blog. The person who contacted me was part of the book's promotional team. She thought I'd enjoy it since I'd previously blogged about a similar book.

Cowboy & Wills did sound like my kind of book. I love a well written memoir. And one about a smart, adorable little boy, an energetic golden retriever, and a devoted mother who would not give up on her child? A winning combination in my opinion.

In the interest of full disclosure, copies of this book were sent to me for free, for the purpose of reading and reviewing, and for use as promotional giveaways. I was clear that I would not review it if I didn't like it.

I agreed to do this at the end of October, and as promised the books arrived promptly. And then I didn't read the book for ages because (fill in lame excuses here). After awhile it felt like unfinished homework. The box kept staring at me, making me feel guilty and I wondered why I agreed to do this.

And then I read it. In two days. And when I wasn't reading the book I was thinking about it. It was that good.

Cowboy and Wills by Monica Holloway

They say it takes a village to raise a child and Wills, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 3, had that village. He was surrounded by caring people--his parents, beloved aunt, therapist and teachers. All of them were devoted to helping him deal with his hypersensitivity to noise, crowds and new events. Heartbreakingly, the very things most children love--birthday parties, meeting new people, and playing with other kids--were overwhelmingly difficult for Wills. Despite the efforts of his village, life was still daunting for Wills.

Then when Wills turned six, puppy Cowboy Carol Lawrence joined the family changing their lives forever.

From the jacket flap: Like all dynamic duos, Cowboy and Wills complement each other perfectly. Wills is cautious, fastidious, and irresistibly tenderhearted. Cowboy, a rambunctious golden retriever, is overeager, affectionate, and impulsive. And from the moment Cowboy enters their lives, Monica see her son step a littler farther into the world.

This is a heartwarming story that was touching and funny. If you're looking for a Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend or relative, keep this book in mind.

And now, I get to look generous by passing on a copy to one of you. Some lucky reader of this blog will win Cowboy & Wills. And it's not the copy I read either--this is a brand new hardcover.

~
Here's how you can win: Just leave a comment after this blog post. How easy is that? Any comment will do, even just a "hello." After a week I will throw all the names into a hat and pick a winner. Then, and this is the tricky part, check back one week from today, which will be Monday, December 14th, to see if that person is you. At that point I'll need the chosen one to email me their address so I can mail the package to their house. If you're not willing to give me your address, it's probably not a good idea to enter.

If you're related to me, you can't enter. Sorry, family of mine. Anyone else is eligible, even if you live outside of the United States.

Good luck!

Karen

Entertainment Weekly!

I promise my next blog post will not be all about me. Seriously, I promise. I'm starting to feel very self-absorbed with all this good news lately.

Luckily, my family brings me down to earth when I get a little too thrilled with myself. There's nothing like a fifteen-year-old asking, "Why do you always wear that coat?" to put a person in their place.

However, if you'll just indulge me one more time, this latest bit of excitement is really cool. Entertainment Weekly online mentioned my film option.

And now I'm off to write out some bills and do some laundry, because the life of a writer is a very exciting one.

Later,


Karen

Self-Published Kindle Novel Optioned for Film!

Yesterday I went out to check the mail as the truck pulled up. The mail carrier told me he was just about to come up to my house. "I have something for you," he said. "Certified letter."

"I was waiting for this, " I said, taking the pen and clipboard from him.

As I was signing and printing my name on two different forms he made small talk. "It's from West Hollywood. Looks like you're going to be in the movies."

"Actually," I told him, "you're not too far off. It's a contract. One of my books is being optioned for film."

"Really?" he said. "That's great! Well now I know someone famous." He sounded really delighted for me.

And that is how my mail carrier heard the big news before nearly everyone else I know.

I have been sitting on this for several weeks, waiting until it was official to spill the beans, and now that I've cashed the check and have the signed contract in hand I don't have to hold back anymore.

At the end of last month, I got an email from the head of a production company inquiring about film rights for my self-published Kindle novel, A Scattered Life. I had oddly mixed feelings about this email. I wanted to believe it, but I was skeptical. I knew that even books published by Random House, Simon & Schuster etc. are rarely optioned for film, and if they are it's only because the author's agent sent the book to a film agent and THAT film agent shopped it around. I'd never heard of a self-published novel being optioned and I was fairly certain that a self-published Kindle novel had never been optioned.

So it seemed unlikely, but I investigated and found it was indeed a legitimate production company and a real offer. Then, in a weird twist of fate, I met someone whose son had co-written one of my favorite movies of 2008 and that kind lady connected us via email. Even though this man is a major player in the business, he was extremely generous with his time, explaining how movie options work and giving me his take on the terms offered.

I talked to the head of the production company by phone and we emailed back and forth several times and came to an agreement. At one point I asked how he came to find A Scattered Life, and he said that his job was finding stories that would translate well to film. In my case, he was searching Amazon and came across some posts on a message board talking up the book. I am endlessly grateful to those posters. He thought my story would adapt well as a quirky character-driven movie like Sunshine Cleaning and Little Miss Sunshine.

My son Jack, not wanting me to get too full of myself, made a point to tell me that statistically the film is unlikely to get made. I know this. Less than 1% of options result in movies, but you know what? I don't care. Right now, I am, to borrow my friend Linda's expression, "wallowing in happiness."

It's a good place to be.

Today I posted the information on Publishers Marketplace, under "Film rights."

~

Karen McQuestion's A SCATTERED LIFE, the first self-published Kindle novel to be optioned to film, to Hiding In Bed, with Eric Lake producing.

~

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May all your dreams come true.

~

Later,

Karen

Hey Mom, I'm on NPR!

Hello Everybody,

Yesterday my essay about becoming a Kindle author was featured on WUWM's Lake Effect show. I had posted this same piece earlier on my blog, but took it down when it was accepted for radio. At that time, I had titled it "Jeff Bezos Is My Hero." He's still my hero, but Lake Effect chose to call it How We Read Now.

It also was shortened somewhat, because apparently it sounded too much like an ad for Amazon's Kindle. What can I say? I'm grateful.

In other news, mystery author Deb Baker, gave my novel A Scattered Life, a mention on her blog. She likes it--she really, really likes it! Thanks Deb.

And since one good turn deserves another, I'd like to give Deb's book, Murder Passes the Buck, a shout-out. It's a cozy mystery set in the UP (that's the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, ya know) with quirky characters and lots of humor. If you have a Kindle you can't go wrong for $1.99 and if you prefer to read off dead trees, it also comes in paperback.

Have a great weekend,

Karen

No Kindle Required

Yesterday Amazon made available a free Kindle application for the PC. What does this mean, you ask? Well, it means that if you have a PC with Windows, and an Amazon account, you now have the means to download any Kindle book to read on your computer.

So many Kindle books are free and I'm talking about books you've heard of and have been thinking you should read, but never have because you've been busy watching CSI reruns. Classics like Frankenstein, and The Count of Monte Cristo and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and a whole bunch by some guy named Shakespeare. Sure, you've seen the movies, but now you can experience them in their original state, just as the author intended. And for free! Just like the library, except you don't need to take them back.

And when you get sick of reading that old fashioned schlock, you could pay just a little bit of money and read my novels. If you want, I mean. No pressure here...





That's all I've got. Have a great day.

Later,

Karen

NPR and my Amazon Kindle piece

On Friday I visited the local NPR affiliate, WUWM, to record a piece I wrote about becoming a Kindle author. WUWM is located in downtown Milwaukee in a place originally christened "The Shops of Grand Avenue," although I have never heard it called anything but The Grand Avenue Mall. Funny how some things just refuse to stick.

At one time the mall was bustling with business, but the day I went it was pretty quiet, and I noticed a number of vacant stores. A sad reminder of our lackluster economy. On the plus side, I got an awesome parking space.

The mall was built in 1982, but was constructed around the former Plankinton Arcade (1916) with many of its features intact, according to Wikipedia.

Inside the mall, I approached a rotunda centered by a statue of John Plankinton, the founding father of the meat industry in Wisconsin. Again, I got this info from Wikipedia, because I had no idea who John Plankinton was. Apparently he was a very big deal in the 1800s, but last time I looked it was NOT the 1800s. Still his statue lives on.

JOHN PLANKINTON, non-vegetarian

~

I was about twenty minutes early for my appointment with Mitch Teich, the executive producer of Lake Effect, WUWM's locally-produced magazine program. To kill time, I approached the staircase slowly....





And went down, down, down, into the lower depths of the Grand Avenue Mall (not its real name) to the business area of the building. I did stop to admire the wrought iron railing, presumably the same since 1916.

COOL STAIRCASE

At the bottom of the staircase was a fountain filled with pennies. I opted not to make a wish. Like I said, I already got the good parking space, and was chosen to be on NPR, so I figured I was doing okay, and would leave the good luck for people who really needed it.

FOUNTAIN AT BOTTOM OF STAIRS

Below the stairs and through an archway, I found the offices of WUWM, shown below. A mall crew was putting up garland during my visit, which explains the box and green foliage in the photo. Despite appearances to the contrary, they were not decorating the floor, but laying it out before using it to decorate the staircase.

EXTERIOR OF WUWM, with floor greenery

I was early. Being early is my family curse. We hate being late, so we always factor in extra time for emergencies like train delays, getting lost, and natural disasters of Biblical proportions. This time I was annoyingly early, so I hung around trying not to look so suspicious I'd arouse mall security.

~

When it was about five minutes before the hour, I decided I was no longer freakishly early and went to my appointment. Mitch Teich led me into the only studio where they can see actual daylight. I loved talking to Mitch. He's so well read and has interviewed a bazillion fascinating people from all walks of life. You can see where someone who spends a lot of time in their basement would find this especially impressive.

~

I recorded my piece with only a dozen or so flubs, all of which radio magic will fix, and then we were done. I had taken a photo of the studio and Mitch generously offered to take one of me. When I told him I hated getting my picture taken he came up with this solution:

Clever, no?

I had no idea I looked like this from behind. The flash made my hair look glossy, which is good, but I think my back is going on a diet and soon.

~

All in all, a good experience and since the offices of WUWM are moving in January, I'm very glad I brought my camera to capture their current location.

~

My piece will air on Friday, November 13th. The same show will feature the author of a book explaining how web technology is revolutionizing education. I love how they pair similar things together, like little audio puzzle pieces.

~

I'll post a link when I have one.

~

In the meantime, someone had suggested I post links to my Kindle books on Amazon. So I'll put them below. Have a good day!

Karen


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAVORITE
~
EASILY AMUSED
~
A SCATTERED LIFE
~
LIES I TOLD MY CHILDREN