Elizabeth Marx's Blog, page 9

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Wednesday Walking Tour: GUTHRIES & A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

            Guthries is a neighborhood tavern located at Lakewood and Addison on the western edge of Wrigleyville. If you know anything about Chicago you know that corner bars are a dime a dozen, but you won’t find any crusty patrons that you suspect have been saddled up along the bar since first call at Guthries. The local establishment served as a grocery store during prohibition but has been a bar since 1933. Gutheries is named for J.B. Guthrie, a prominent developer in Lakeview in the late 1800’s. The two-story, gabled building features a beige-painted brick and wooden façade with "Tavern" tastefully stenciled in red on both of its large picture windows overlooking the sidewalk. There are free pretzels, beers that range from Chimay to the blue collared Old Style and a bookcase of board games to play in the relaxed atmosphere.             I lived about two blocks from Guthries when I lived in Wrigleyville, so I’ve been there more than a few times. I picked it as the place where Libby and Aidan have their initial showdown in BINDING ARBITRATION, one, because of the location near the ballpark; two, because it’s a place where people “play games” and three, because it holds a special place in my heart. It’s not a fancy place but it holds a certain kind of rustic charm. I lived with my boyfriend and on the afternoon of the day I got engaged he called me and told me to meet him at 5 p.m. at Guthries. I had a feeling that we were going to get engaged and I didn’t think he’d do it in Guthries, but it was one of the first places we’d ever gone to together so I was like, “okay”.
             I got to the bar to find it fairly empty on an early Saturday evening the week before Christmas. My boyfriend told me to wear something nice, so I was way overdressed, sitting at the bar alone. Of course a guy approached me. Let me say that I think this was the first and only time I’d ever walked into a bar alone. Bar guy sat down next to me and kept trying to have a conversation with me. I was giving him one syllable answers and watching the door.              Finally he said, “What’s your problem?”
            “I’m not interested,” I retorted.
            He was good looking and I’m sure he wasn’t used to rejection. “Why not?”
            “Because my boyfriend’s coming and I’m going to get engaged tonight!”
            “Sure you are.” He grinned.
            Next thing I know, my boyfriend, all six-foot-five inches of him, walks through the door. I smiled at him and then I looked back at bar guy. He chuckled and slinked away as my boyfriend approached. Then I patted-down my boyfriend and his trench coat. No ring!
            My boyfriend raised an eyebrow and nodded toward bar guy. “What did he want?”
            I giggled demurely and said, “Your fiancée.”
            My boyfriend sat down, ordered a beer, looked me in the eye and said, “I don’t have a fiancée.”
            I clinked my highball glass into his bottle and said, “The night's still young!”
            So the next time you go to a Cubs game, stop by Guthries for a beer, a game of Life and maybe a memory or two.

Happy Hump Day,          Elizabeth Marx

Guthries 1300 West Addison, Chicago, Illlinois was voted Top 10 Chicago, Neighborhood Bars, Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides!

TUESDAY TIP #2--GO INTERNATIONAL BABY

Have you listed your titles in all the available Amazon markets in France, UK, Germany, Spain and Italy? This seems like a complicated process if you don’t read the language, but Amazon sets up every site identically so if you’re familiar with Amazon.com you should be able to navigate this. To list your titles on the foreign sites all you have to find is the login information, which is in the upper right hand corner, before the shopping cart symbol. When the drop down login appears, put in your Amazon.com email & password, the same login you use to login to your Amazon.com account. THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO. Shortly (mine showed up by the next day) all of your titles that are on Amazon.com will be displayed on the foreign site. The links for the international sites are listed below. Now some of the international sites won’t sell your eBook but anyone who clicks through to the purchase page is directed to Amazon.com where they can make their purchase, and you’ve opened up your books potential readership to people across the globe.
FRANCE:   http://www.amazon.fr/UK : http://www.amazon.co.uk/

GERMANY: http://www.amazon.de/

SPAIN: http://www.amazon.es/ ITALY: http://www.amazon.it/

Happy Marketing, Elizabeth Marx

TUESDAY TIP #1-- Read My Book App

Have you installed the Read My Book app on your FB author page? Simple steps: sign into you FB account and then go to the link below. Cheat sheet: you don't have to add the all the info for each title just insert the ASIN# where it says ISBN# and it should work. You might have to tidy up your excerpt a bit so make sure you check all the information and pricing.

Let me know how it works ;)

 https://apps.facebook.com/authorapp

Happy Marketing,
Elizabeth Marx

Wednesday Walking Tour: NAVY PIER TOP TEN LIST

When I was a kid growing up in Chicago Navy Pier was a dilapidated Navy Base on Lake Michigan. When it was built in 1916 it was the largest pier in the world, this is probably when our Chicago desire to have the biggest, tallest edifices started. Today, Navy Pier is a year round child and adult play ground, drawing 900 million visitors to the number one attraction in Chicago.  Here’s my top ten list of what to do on Navy Pier.

10. Smith Museum of Stained-Glass Windows. 150 pieces of fine stained-glass line the interior corridors of the pier, including 13 pieces from Louis Comfort Tiffany. It it the first stained-glass museum in the US.

9.  Wave Swinger. Colorful old-fashioned thrill ride that raises passenger 14ft in the air and spins them until the skyline is a blur. 8. Musical Carousel. 36 hand-painted horses and chariots fill this merry-go-round with laughter and excitement for all ages.

7. Chicago’s Shakespeare Theatre. This highly renowned theatre has a series of Shakespeare’s plays every season. I saw King Lear here and it physically rained on stage when King Lear’s madness took hime to the forest, it was one of the most captivating performances I’ve ever seen. The 510 courtyard style theatre in the round would make the bard proud with its annual summer kid’s adaptations. 6. Boat Cruise: Boats from tall schooners to high powered motored boats line the docks along the pier. You can enjoy dinner, dancing and cocktails on the Odyssey or in the summer you can sail out onto the lake in a four-masted schooner and come away with another perspective of the city.

5. Children’s Museum. Kid’s love this hands on museum that educates through interactive play. 4. Dinner at Riva’s.  Riva’s is a steak and seafood restaurant on Navy Pier that offers breathtaking views of the skyline and lakefront and was recently named one of the top scenic views restaurants in the U.S by OpenTable Diners. Bon Appetite, but save your pennies, it’s pricey.

3. Fireworks at Navy Pier. Every Wednesday evening at 9:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10:15 p.m. there is a spectacular fireworks display that is synchronized with music at the pier overlooking Lake Michigan. 2. Riding the Ferris Wheel: The ten story Ferris wheel offers a fine view of both the city skyline and the lake. The 7 minute ride in the gondola cars is the Piers most visible attraction. The 40 gondola’s hold six passengers each and the Ferris Wheel is a replica of the original Ferris Wheel designed for the 1893 Chicago’s World Colombia’s Exposition.

1.Riding the Ferris Wheel during the fireworks display. In order to make this happen, you would have to time you’re getting in a gondola precisely and there is usually a long line for the Ferris Wheel. So get in line early.  Also, the 7 minute ride time is if you rode a complete circuit without stopping, keep in mind that the conductor stops and starts to let riders off which makes the ride considerably longer, especially on a busy evening. The photo above is the view from the Ferris Wheel looking back at the skyline.
I've been off for a few weeks traveling. But thanks for visiting my Wednesday Walking Tour. I hope you'll come visit me in Chicago soon. Let me know when you're coming and I'll roll out the red carpet.Elizabeth Marx

LOVE AN AUTHOR??? WRITE THEM A REVIEW...

Besides sending us a personal note about how our book touched you, the nicest thing you can do for an author is write us a review. Many people have no idea how to do this, myself included. I’ve been a booklover my entire life, but I was never a reviewer. So this is my simple approach to writing a book review.  You need to supply some basic information: title, author, genre and short plot synopsis. Next, we want to know your personal reactions and connections to the story. Basically, this is how you feel about the story. Did it keep you up until all hours of the night? Make you laugh out loud? Prevent you from going to work because you had to know what happened or couldn’t stop crying? Then close out your review with your recommendations and the value and quality of the writing. What you liked about the style and prose of the novel. Simple right? So take a few minutes to write a review for your favorite author.   

FREE!!! The Seer's 7 Deadly Fairy Tales

BEST EBOOK READER


Okay, let’s start out by saying this book is a compendium, not a novel. I had no idea what a compendium was until my good friend Merriam Webster informed me. Compendium: 1) a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge; 2) A collection or compilation. This is all the ExtraOrdinary knowledge I’ve collected and written down in the little black book Ilithyia gave me as a death-day present. The same night she gave me the spiel about the important purpose I’d serve as The Seer. I have more questions about the Order than I have answers for, but I’ve decided to serve my higher purpose by constructing this encyclopedia for the Ordinary world.

The Seer’s 7 Deadly Fairy Tales also includes a truthful account of what happened to me, and a peek into what transpired while Locke and I were sent away to Blessingston. It’s full of definitions, cool illustrations, and the first of seven fairy tales that will be told over the course of the series. If you’re dying to know what goes on behind the veil of secrecy Salem is shrouded in, feel free to read this compendium.

But beware, the Order has one rule about recording ExtraOrdinary events--it’s strictly forbidden. So just to be on the safe side, you might want to destroy this after reading it. But don’t worry about me getting in trouble, I’m already dead!

The Seer Visit me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheSeers7DeadlyFairyTales

Declaration of Independent Authors

When in the course of self-publishing it becomes necessary for an indie author to dissolve the old ideological bands which have contrived to separate books from our audience, and to assume among the powers of publishing, the separate and equal station to which our independent books are worthy of reading.  A respect for the opinions of booklovers everywhere requires that we should declare our books valuable, even as the big five try to create a distinction.            We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all books are created equal, and that they are endowed by their authors with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are voice, creative storytelling and the pursuit of readers. In order to secure these rights, new devices were invented and new platforms were created to allow the devotee of the written word to deem what is worthy to climb the New York Times Best Sellers List. That when any form of gatekeeper, be it agent, editor, copyeditor, publishing committee or retailer impedes the right of the reader to decide what is high-quality and praiseworthy of consumption, it is the right of those passionate about books to alter or abolish it, and to institute new ways of determining the next blockbuster. Prudence dictates that publishing long established should not be changed for light and transient causes, but when an extensive train of rejections by editors and agents, who invariably pursue the same “safe” content, reduces authors to doubt their talents and stories, it is their right and their duty to disregard the constraints of these gatekeepers and to seek new, respected opinion leaders to vet the future security of the most beloved book. Such has been the patient endeavor of independent authors, to throw off the old firewall and blaze a new trail.  The history of traditional publishing is the establishment of absolute tyranny over what is read in this country!
        Indie authors reject the assumption that anyone who can pen a shopping list can write a novel.
Indie authors reject the idea that because we are unknown we are untalented.Indie authors reject the traditional detachment between reader and author. Indie authors believe in the power of word of mouth recommendation.         Indie authors believe in climactic plots, strong heroes and heroines, and cringe worthy villains.
Indie authors believe in protecting our intellectual property.Indie authors do not work for free, nor will we suffer piracy, which is a romantic word for stealing.Indie authors believe we can manage our books’ marketing, public relations, pricing and distribution as well as any publisher.Indie authors believe that if we share, collaborate and exchange information we can grow our platforms and brands.Indie authors believe writing is a labor of love and books are created through talent, tenacity and team work.    We, therefore, the representatives of indie authors everywhere, assembled and appealing to the supreme judge, the reader, solemnly publish and declare, that we are free and independent writers, who will do our best to provide well written, expertly edited and perfectly packaged books worthy of your praise and accolades. That you will read, review and hold our work to a standard set by you, the esteemed booklover.Elizabeth Marx, IllinoisPlease add any ideas you think I missed in the comments & I'm looking for an indie author from every state and country to sign the declaration!!! Happy 4th of July and please accept this declaration in the spirit of independence that inspired it.

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY--Happy reading...

Giving away two signed copies of BINDING ARBITRATION follow the link below to enter and good luck!

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/28193-binding-arbitration




The prequel novella CUTTERS VS JOCKS is still a FREE download for NOOK & KINDLE!!!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064PJUWY

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cutters-vs-jocks-a-prequel-novella-to-binding-arbitration-chick-lit-elizabeth-marx/1107713701?ean=2940032855774&itm=1&usri=elizabeth+marx

Wednesday Walking Tour: LIONS, TIGERS & BREAK OUTS, OH MY!!!!

Admission is FREE, escape eminent….

Lincoln Park zoo is a wildlife Mecca situated among sprawling urban landscape on the North side of Chicago. It is one of the oldest zoos in the country and is home to a wide variety of animals. Chicago’s Lincoln Park zoo was opened in 1868 after New York City gifted us with a pair of swans from Central Park and remains one of only a handful of free zoos still in operation.  So getting in is easy, escaping, well that’s a whole other story. In 1874 a bear was the first animal purchased for the zoo for ten dollars, by 1879 he was adept at escaping his enclosure and would be found wandering Lincoln Park by street lamp. In 1899 several seals escaped and were located waddling in a restaurant on Clark Street, they were all rescued except for one who avoided capture by slipping into Lake Michigan. In 1931 the first lowland gorilla arrived at the zoo from Africa, his name was Bushman and he drew huge crowds and attempted escape many times.  In 1983, Otto, a 450-pound gorilla scaled a 10-foot glass barrier and was strolling around the zoo when a zookeeper shot him with a tranquilizer gun. Then in 1986, three gorillas got through a door someone left open, and one of them bit the keeper's hand!

Lincoln Park Zoo is an urban zoo set on 49 acres in the heart of Lincoln Park. Some of my favorite attractions are the Nature Boardwalk, Farm in the Zoo, which is a replica of a Midwestern operating farm and the Great Ape House. Admission is FREE and the zoo is open year round, hosting educational activities on a daily basis. The zoo's exhibits include big cats, polar bears, penguins, gorillas, reptiles, monkeys, and other species totaling nearly 1,250 animals. It is especially beautiful during the Zoo Lights holiday festivities.

So if you visit Lincoln Park Zoo don’t be surprised if you hear the cry of a big cat bouncing off a neighboring skyscraper. Getting in will be easy, but there are lions, tigers and break-outs, oh my.


Lincoln Park Zoo is located off Lake Shore Drive at the Fullerton Parkway exit, just minutes north of downtown Chicago. From I-94, exit at either Fullerton Parkway or North Avenue and go east.