Deana J. Driver's Blog, page 20

Happy Valentine's Day - and a video too!

My husband (and DriverWorks Ink partner) Al and I have been known to wear several silly costumes and fun get-ups over the years - usually connected to a Halloween party. (Picture a male Dorothy and a female Scarecrow, a six-foot-tall bumblebee and an adult baby, etc.) For the past two and a half years, I have dressed up at times to support and spend some time with seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner and her wingman husband Graham during some of Dionne's chemo treatments. And Al has joined me in some of those adventures.

Since December 2009, Dionne has dressed herself and Graham in costume on her chemo treatment days - for 78 different themes - to bring joy, laughter and hope to other patients in the chemo treatment room of the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. (There are 32 pages of colour photos in our Never Leave Your Wingman book.) In January 2012, Dionne was told she was in remission from Stage IV liver, lung and bone cancer. Remarkable!

So the chemo treatments stopped, as did the costumes.

In August 2012, tests found cancer in her liver again (for the fourth time), so she went back to chemo but without the full-blown costume themes this time around. Instead, she and Graham invited friends, family, readers of our book and Earth Angel supporters in general to send them matching T-shirts and "Dress Us to a T", to keep hope alive during this round of treatments.

Which brings us to Valentine's Day 2013.

Every year on February 14, we celebrate the people we love (or hope to be loved by) with greeting cards, flowers, chocolates, gifts, hugs, kisses and well... you get the picture. Whether you view Valentine's Day as the pagan fertility festival to the Roman gods or the more modern Day of Love, it remains today as the latter... and that's what we're celebrating in this little blog post.

Here we are, ready to meet Dionne and Graham at the cancer clinic. As Graham so aptly wrote in his emailed My Beautiful Dionne Update #91 about that day's chemo treatment: "Me thinks someone leaked to the press what our theme was going to be. Oh well, Al and Deana ( NeverLeave Your Wingman publishers) get a big Attagirl and Attaboy for going all out!"



Don't you just love Al's tie?

And here's Dionne, all ready to go into the chemo treatment room:


You have to love the deely boppers on her head, and her 'foxy roxy' wig. Usually, this pretty lady sports the au naturel look...



...and ROCKS it!

'Ring for a hug', the bell says. Too bad you're all just looking at this now instead of being there in person, but the treatment room isn't that big. Oh, well. Can you feel the virtual hug coming to you from Dionne? ... 
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... There, doesn't that feel good? 

So Happy Valentine's Day - from me, Al, Graham and Dionne! No matter where you are and what your story is, somebody loves you. And we're sending out good vibes from our place to yours.

And as promised, here's a special wish for all of you from the inspiring eight-time cancer survivor and her special wingman Graham. Enjoy!

Sask's new Creative Industries Agency

You may have seen the recent announcement by the Government of Saskatchewan about a new Creative Industries Agency and a $1-million transition fund that will be available for all creative industries. There has been some confusion about what exactly constitutes a 'creative industry' and what the fund will do etc. Surprise, surprise. There's always confusion about new agencies and funding and it usually takes some time for the fog to lift and reality to surface.

As a writer and publisher in Saskatchewan, I have a vested interest in this announcement. As a small publisher who also does self-publishing, DriverWorks Ink does not qualify for the majority of grants out there (which are few in number across Canada anyway) - so we look forward to anything that can help us publish more quality work by Prairie authors.We are hopeful that some new program will arise that can assist Saskatchewan publishers in producing books based on the quality of the product and not on whether it is self-published or not.

As a publisher, I was disappointed by the absence of representation from our publishing sector in the media coverage of the government's announcement. As a journalist, I get it. You can't talk to everyone in every industry about every announcement, and the film industry's recent loss of a provincial tax credit has drawn a lot of attention and is worthy of follow-up. Still, it would have helped the general public to better understand some of the impact of the fund if book publishers had added a few words to the discussion... and it's a reminder to us as publishers in Saskatchewan to speak up a little more about our work, our great books and what we contribute to the province and its culture.

With that in mind, here's a blog that caught my attention for its knowledgeable explanation of Creative Industry versus Arts in Saskatchewan and what the new announcement might actually mean. I can't say I agree with everything the writer says because I'm still struggling to understand it all myself, but I particularly like the explanation of the Arts Continuum and how the Creative Industries are the producers of artistic products."Writing is an artistic endeavor. Publishing is a creative industry." 

Nicely said. I'm just going to print off that blog and keep it handy to remind me of who we are and where we might go with this in the future.

Random Acts of Niceness - 1

You might call it a 'New Year's Resolution'. I'll just call it 'a split-second decision to do something nice for someone I don't know if the moment appears and I can actually brighten their day a bit'. Or more simply - 'Paying It Forward'.

One of those moments occurred the other day... and it got me to thinking...

When Al and I were in college, we benefited many times from the generosity of strangers. One of the most important events was when an elderly gentleman - whom I had just introduced myself to at a city bus stop - kindly agreed to tell me about his war experiences so I could complete my first assignment in my News Writing class in college. If he'd said 'No' to my question, I doubt if I would have continued on my quest to be a journalist - which led to me being an author, editor and book publisher.

While working on the college's newspaper, we were rewarded by the institution with a FREE MEAL at the college cafeteria on the nights we finished the paper's layout. We didn't know the people who had made the decision to feed us lowly students, but it was a much-appreciated HUGE gift to any struggling college or university student, let me tell you!

Men routinely stood up from their seats on city buses to allow me to sit down if I was carrying parcels or groceries. Call it chivalry if you will, but it was still a kind act from which I benefited.

There are probably dozens more of these incidents, but those are enough for now.

I have been trying to do similar kind acts for most of my life but every now and then, a strange situation occurs that demands a little extra step outside of the comfort zone to help out a fellow human.

The other day, we were in a fast-food restaurant waiting for our food order to be delivered. On the way to our seat, I walked past a young man and woman and overheard them literally counting out their pennies to see what they could afford to purchase.

I thought to myself, 'Been there, done that', which is what I said to them quietly a couple minutes later as I approached them. I gave them some extra coupons we had as well as a toonie I found in my always-cash-bare change purse. It wasn't much but I knew it would help them a little and wouldn't make them feel totally uncomfortable and embarrassed.

They were surprised but thankful as they reconsidered their menu options. As they agreed (because I felt I should leave them with some dignity), they handed me the coupon book back after they'd ordered and we all carried on into a much nicer evening.

I'm not telling you this to pat myself on the back. I was actually a little nervous at the thought of approaching these university students, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Besides, my trusty and trusting husband was right there supporting my whim and handing me the coupons.

It feels good to give - even a little bit.

Here's hoping I can keep up with this new 'resolution' in 2013.

Have you had any similar experiences - as the recipient or the giver of a random act of niceness?

Happy To Be Me

One of the marvels of the Internet is the increased accessibility to all kinds of quotes and advice from a wide variety of individuals - some who are clever, some not so much.

In the old days, you had to open a book and go searching for similar bits of wisdom or strange chunks of randomness. What once took days or longer is now at your fingertips within seconds and a few keystrokes - even if you don't know how to spell the author's name correctly.

For example, this quote cropped up on my radar today:

"It's never too late to be who you might have been." ~ George Eliot, British author, born 1819

Hmmm...

Nope. Doesn't apply to me.

I am one of those blessed individuals who loves their work, looks forward to every day and doesn't have any regrets about who 'I could have been'. Frankly, I've accomplished much more than I ever dreamed of - and I'm a pretty big dreamer.

So thank you, world, for opening the doors to allow my writing desire to flourish. Thank you, readers, for encouraging me to keep on writing and for embracing this little publishing venture we've embarked on called DriverWorks Ink.

But if you are someone who wishes that your life would turn in a different, better direction - George Eliot was a pretty clever writer. Here's another one of her (see the P.S.) quotes:

"Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another." ~ George Eliot
Here's to more dreams coming true in 2013!
P.S.  George Eliot was the pen name of Victorian-era writer Mary Anne Evans. She used a male pen name so her work would be taken seriously. My, how far we have come since then.

Serving Our Audience

When I began freelance writing almost 30 years ago, I travelled to all corners of Saskatchewan to conduct interviews for my writing in various Canadian magazines and newspapers. I spoke with funeral directors, farmers, ambulance drivers, doctors, lawyers, housewives, miners, church ministers, business owners, ranchers, politicians, children and more.

It was a wonderful way to find out who lived in this province, what their interests were and what they were doing that I could share with others who might want to know.

Today, as a book author and publisher, I still believe in the need to know your audience. We can't effectively serve our readers unless we find out who they are, what they care about and what they think of our efforts to serve them.

Often, I am pleasantly surprised by the people we meet in our work as publishers. I am also pleased but not necessarily surprised by the personal connections we have that we did not know existed. In November, for example, I answered a telephone call from a woman in Alberta. We began chatting.

She lives in Olds - the town where the child's Canadian Army-style coat in our best-selling book The Little Coat by Alan J. Buick resided for many years (at the Olds Legion. In fact, we held our Alberta launch for The Little Coat at the Olds Legion on Remembrance Day 2009). She and I have another interesting connection regarding Olds, Alberta. My brother attended Olds College some years ago and she once worked at Olds College. Wild, isn't it?

So after chatting for a couple of minutes about our interconnections, she said she was calling to order our  Prairie Pilot  book. It's 100 true short stories written by a man in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan who was an unofficial air ambulance pilot and flying taxi service in the 1950s. She told me that her husband was a pilot and she was sure he would enjoy the stories of Walter Williams and his adventures. We chatted a bit longer, then I hung up and we sent her the book.

It was great to talk with her that day and be assured once again that the books we publish are being appreciated by readers on the Prairies and beyond.

So to our readers, again I say thank you for your support and making an effort to tell us of our connections and shared stories. Please keep those calls and comments coming, and we look forward to reconnecting and meeting more of you in 2013.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Writing with a Cold

Never write when you're sick. You'll come off sounding grumpy and annoying. Unless, of course, you have a deadline to beat and you really need to get a story done or a manuscript finished to please your editors or publisher. Then you have to write. So here's what you do...

(Note: Details apply best to those who work in a home office, are self-employed or have a great boss who understands that sick workers are not the best people to have around the office.)


 
- Write down (type) your thoughts in the order they come to you or, in the case of a newspaper or magazine article, the order in which you recorded them.
  
- Take a break to make a cup of hot tea. Blow your nose while you're waiting for the water to boil.



- Put some honey in your tea. It's good for what ails you - or so I've been told. If nothing else, it tastes good.


- Have a cookie. One won't hurt, right? You're sick. You deserve it.
 
- Go back to your computer and read what you've typed. Spend the next while moving the points around (as best you can, given your slightly compromised condition) to create what could most logically be a sensible story. Example - try to find the most important point(s) in your article/text/story and single those out as the beginning. Line up the other pieces from there.



- Take another break to go to the bathroom and get rid of some of the tea you've been drinking all day.


- Go back to your office and... blow your nose again - as if you haven't been doing this constantly for the last 15 hours anyway.

Stupid cold/flu/sinus infection/whatever.

Yes, take a moment to grumble. It's good for the soul. Just don't do it in your story. No one likes a whiner.


- Go for a short walk.

Not outside!

It's winter and you're sick. What were you thinking?



- Walk around your office/desk/bathroom/wherever. Just STAY INDOORS, silly.


- Okay, now that you have cleared your head a bit more, you can tackle a little more of your story.


- Re-read what you have typed and change the order of the phrases and points again if needed. (It's almost always needed.)


- Add some segues between the points and move another two or three things around. Before you know it, you'll be sooo into your work that the story will be writing itself and you'll have forgotten all about being sick and ...





and ...







... AH CHOO!




Oh, well. At least the story's done.


Now go back to bed.

Tomorrow's a new day... and hopefully you'll feel better.

The amazing Children's Wish Foundation

We meet some of the most wonderful people through our work with various charities. And we always learn something we didn't know - that we are happy to share with others.

Today, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada - Saskatchewan Chapter invited author Dave Driver (who happens to be our son as well) to speak to a luncheon of health care workers at the Regina General Hospital. Dave is the author of SuperMom and the Big Baby  ... and DriverWorks Ink is donating a portion of the proceeds of each SuperMom book sold to Children's Wish Saskatchewan.



 The audience members were folks who care for pediatric patients, including those children who have life-threatening conditions and can be referred to Children's Wish to make a wish of theirs come true.  It's a pretty noble profession and a pretty amazing charity.

Wishes have included trips to Disney World, special vacations, meeting a favourite celebrity or sports hero, purchasing snowboards or hockey equipment or the latest in stereo and video games technology. Families are included in the wishes and that has to make everyone feel a lot better!   Saskatchewan Chapter Director Gay Oldhaver (above right) spoke to the group about some of the fundraisers held by the Foundation, including a golf tournament and the fun-based Exile Island, a new adventure/venture for Regina-area folks but one that has happened in Saskatoon for a few years and raised $203,000 in 2012! Good job, Saskatoon!( Here's a story by the Regina Leader-Post's Emma Graney about her involvement o-n the media team in Regina this year.)    Wish Co-ordinator Stacey Driedger (left) and Chapter Director Gay Oldhaver (seated centre) spoke to the group about the details of granting wishes. They also thanked them for their referrals of sick children and answered questions about the Children's Wish Foundation in general.  DID YOU KNOW?- The average wish costs $10,000.- The Saskatchewan Chapter is granting about 50 wishes a year but could double that amount if the funding was there. (Sadly, that's a lot of very sick children in a province of one million, isn't it?) Funding comes from corporate donations and fundraisers.  We watched a video produced by Children's Wish Foundation. In it, a physician who works with sick children said: "I can treat these children but I want to heal them ... take them beyond the pain to hope." Another health care worker in the video said she loves what she does for a living. "It gives you a perspective of what a bad day is." Here's an inspiring music video that I learned about today. It's the Saskatchewan group Foxx Worthee singing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah - raising money to help a little boy named Nixon get the health care help he needs. You'll be hearing more about their connection to Children's Wish Foundation in the coming months. And now back to our particular involvement with Children's Wish Foundation.... As mentioned, DriverWorks Ink donates to various charities from the sale of many of our books. When we asked Dave Driver, our son, if there was a particular charity that he would like us to consider with the publishing of his children's story SuperMom and the Big Baby , Dave chose The Children's Wish Foundation. Dave and his wife (SuperMom - the woman whose sleep-talking phrases appear in Dave's funny children's book) have a niece who has received a wish from the Foundation. This niece is a very special person. Dave and his wife have seen the joy she experiences every time she gets into the swimming pool that Children's Wish provided for her. Thank you, Children's Wish Foundation. We will do our best to repay the gift.    So Dave shared his book and the story of his niece with the health care workers at Regina General Hospital.  And then, after Dave was finished speaking, one of the workers came over and introduced herself to him.


She told us that she is the person who referred Dave's niece to Children's Wish Foundation.

We were speechless - which doesn't happen often.

She told us, 'You came here today for a reason. It was meant to be."

That happens a lot to us in what we do.

Pretty amazing.



Thanks again, Gay, for inviting Dave and me to the event today. It made our week... and more.
   

Need a Christmas gift for Grandpa? Grandma? Baby?

Hello! Our experiences selling directly to customers at craft and trade shows have given us an excellent insight into which of our books are purchased for and appreciated by specific audiences. So with that in mind, let us help you make some gift choices for the people on your Christmas list:  For Grandpa or Dad (& adults in general):
Prairie Pilot: Lady Luck Was On My Side by Walter D. Williams; Compiled and Edited by Deana J. DriverYes, this is definitely a man's book - although women like it, too. We can't count how many times we've been told that Grandpa or Dad or some other man really enjoyed this book of  100 short stories written by the late Walter Williams about his adventures as an unofficial air ambulance pilot in the 1950s in west central Saskatchewan and into Alberta. Walter landed in farmers' fields and picked up pregnant women and injured children and took them to the hospital. He also transported corpses, criminals, doctors, RCMP officers, wedding cakes, Sask Tel and Sask Power employees, shot coyotes from the air, etc. I tease men that they love Prairie Pilot because they live vicariously through Walter's fascinating, daring adventures. But we love this book, too. Walter was an unsung Prairie hero who helped a lot of people, and we are pleased to share this piece of Saskatchewan history.     
We at DriverWorks Ink have donated $1,500 from sales of Prairie Pilot to the KLD Wellness Foundation in Kerrobert, SK Men also particularly enjoy our books The Little Coat (below) and Ron Petrie's Running of the Buffalo humour columns (making light of everything from learning to drive on a Prairie farm to enjoying Grey Cup to raising 'triplets and one more on the bonus round').

   For Grandma or Mom (& anyone else ages 10 and up):
The Little Coat: The Bob and Sue Elliott Story by Alan J. BuickThis book is a beauty. It's a national bestseller that received an Honourable Mention in the Hollywood Book Festival for stories that should be made into movies or films.Bob Elliott was a young soldier in the Second World War, fighting the Nazis in the Netherlands when he met 10-year-old Sussie Cretier and her family. Sussie became a good-luck charm and sort of a little sister to the Canadians. They wanted to give her a Christmas present in December 1944, so they asked a seamstress in that little town to make a wool Army blanket into a coat for Sussie. It was the most precious gift Sue had ever received. Almost 40 years later, Bob and Sue reconnected as adults and fell in love. Sue still had her little coat. She brought it to Canada when she married Bob.       
DriverWorks Ink has donated $4,000 from sales of The Little Coat to the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command's Poppy Trust Fund. A donation from future sales will go to the  Canadian War Museum, where Sussie Cretier's little coat is now preserved - displayed on special occasions.   For Women and Men (& all who enjoy inspiring true stories): Never Leave Your Wingman: Dionne and Graham Warner's Story of Hope by Deana J. Driver
I'm kinda partial to this story - because I wrote it and I have special memories of using Dionne's story to help myself and my family through the difficult time of my mother's cancer diagnosis, which occurred while I was finishing the writing of this book.This book chronicles the inspiring true story of Dionne Warner, a seven-time cancer survivor from Ontario, and her fun-loving husband Graham, who wooed Dionne to Saskatchewan from Ontario with the statement that it never gets below minus 10 degrees in Saskatchewan. (He was joking, right?) Dionne was diagnosed with liver cancer shortly after arriving in Regina, SK. She told Graham he did not have to marry her - she would return to Ontario. A businessman and pilot, Graham replied, "You never leave your wingman." He and Dionne have dressed in costume and danced into her chemo treatments, bringing hope and laughter to everyone they meet. This is a love story full of laughter, hope and courage. As Dionne would say, "Live your life to the fullest. No regrets!"

DriverWorks Ink is donating $1 from every Never Leave Your Wingman book sold to various cancer programs.


Here are some proven perfect gifts for children - from Toddlers to Teens 
(Click on the book cover images & go to our web page for more details.)

 Perfect for children ages 2 and up: SuperMom and the Big Baby by Dave Driver; Illustrated by Guy LairdWhen an 18-month-old becomes a giant baby, only SuperMom can save him!     Perfect for children ages 7 and up, adults & seniors: The Sailor and the Christmas Trees by Deana Driver; Illustrated by Catherine FolnovicThis is the true story of how a Canadian sailor surprised his fellow crewmates and some small children while at sea on Christmas Day 1944.    Perfect for children ages 10 and up, adults & seniors: Letters to Jennifer From Maudie & Oliver by Sharon GrayThese are funny, tender and clever letters written by two lovable Siamese cats. 

Happy Shopping!
  

Self-Publishers - Easy Doesn't Make It Right

Argh!

As a trained professional who has been writing, editing and publishing for many years, my stomach ties in knots when I see some of the self-published books being printed these days. Don't get me wrong. There are some great self-published books out there - and we have helped add to the pile of great ones - but there are some that could have used a lot more 'fixing' before they were printed. And that's being polite.

With advances in technology and ever-expanding options for printing books (and thus self-publishing any old thing or just printing whatever is written or compiled), it is now easier than ever for anyone to self-publish - often without any idea of what's right and what's wrong, what's legal and not, what's better and what should never be done.

It concerns me.

Without even going into the dos and don'ts of actual content and storylines, I sometimes see these errors in self-published books: incorrect spelling; improper capitalizations; incorrect use of hyphens; quotes and excerpts and photos and maps that are not accredited to their originators; inconsistent layout styles throughout a book; the use of unreadable fonts; images with no identification at all or the names in the wrong order for the photo. Sadly, the list goes on.

While it is wonderful that you are so passionate about your story that you are taking steps to self-publish it - which I have been doing as well, by the way - this is my plea to aspiring self-publishers:

Please, please, PLEASE hire a trained, knowledgeable, experienced editor who can advise you on the rules, help you fix your mistakes (we all make them) and polish your book so it imparts your message in the best way.

There are ever-changing rules and ideas on: grammar and spelling, attribution and copyright, libel (written work) and slander (spoken about your work), fonts, text, photograph resolution and placement, use of colour, layout strategies and more. Some of these apply to an editor. Some are for the layout designer. If you're a self-publisher, you need to know it all.

Find an editor who keeps up with the industry, sits with a dictionary at her or his side, and can work closely with you to make sure your message gets out there in the most positive way possible.

Just because you love to write doesn't make you a writer ready to be published. It's not that simple. It can take years to hone writing skills and it's not wise to self-publish without a trained editor examining your work. A good editor can make suggestions on how to improve your writing both in general and in the piece you are intending to self-publish. An editor can also help you avoid legal pitfalls with your work - which should be an item on the agenda for every writer of every genre. Do it right the first time.

Now I'm not saying all editors are perfect. We know that's not possible. But we try. And we editors would really like to help you as best we can. Please find one of us and get our help before you self-publish.

You'll be glad you did.

Okay. Now get back to your project.

We're wishing you well in putting out a great book!