Gerri Russell's Blog, page 6
September 26, 2011
Flowers and Friendship
Some days the world just knows what you need.
I came into work this morning after a long weekend of working overtime to find my desk covered in flowers. It was a lovely surprise and kept me smiling all day. I felt very loved…Thank you Andrea and Dawn. You’re both so wonderful!
–Gerri
August 25, 2011
The Warrior Trainer Debuts as an E-book
I’m so excited to share that The Warrior Trainer makes its debut this week as an e-book! There’s a great new cover and a fabulous new book trailer to help launch the occasion. You can view the video here. The Warrior Trainer is available on all reading devices at Amazon and Smashwords.
The Warrior Trainer was the first book I published, and was a result of winning the American Title contest sponsored in part by RT Book Reviews Magazine. This book is very near and dear to my heart. I wrote it at a time that was very difficult for me personally: shortly after my father died and while my mother was battling cancer. Scotia and Ian (the heroine and hero of The Warrior Trainer) kept me company as I drove the three-hour round trip each day to help my mom. It has been several years since that time, and I’m thankful my mother is a cancer survivor. I learned how to be a survivor, too, during that time. And that’s exactly what Scotia represents to me now, women facing tough situations in their lives with dignity and grace.
I really enjoyed writing The Warrior Trainer. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it, too!
To celebrate the release of The Warrior Trainer as well as the last few days of summer, I’m giving away a tote bag packed full of goodies! One randomly drawn commenter will receive an assortment of Scottish goodies, a signed copy of The Warrior Trainer, a Starbucks gift card and other reader goodies. Want a chance to win? Talk to me! Leave a comment about a great book you’ve read this summer, somewhere you travelled recently, or anything at all. I’ll draw a winner after Labor Day.
Hope you are all having a great August!
August 8, 2011
Artful Moxie Radio Show
One of the best things about technology is that it makes the world smaller. In my little corner of the world today I had fun interviewing two fabulous authors as the guest host on the Artful Moxie radio show.
Gina Robinson, author of the fun and sexy romantic suspense The Spy Who Left Me, and Cynthia Nims, the super creative cookbook author of Gourmet Game Night. We talked about creativity, following your passion, and making a living doing what you love! If you missed the show you can listen to it here:
Have a great week in your little corner of the world!
~Gerri
July 17, 2011
New York: Where Art Meets Fashion
When I was in New York a few weeks ago, I walked everywhere! One of my favorite walking spots was along 5th Avenue where I could window shop day or night. One store’s window displays were both entertaining and artistic. This window was a nod to the in-town museums. It reminded me of the Mona Lisa.
What store’s windows was I browsing? Bergdorf Goodman of course! Bergdorf Goodman is a famous luxury goods department store in Midtown Manhattan. This next window was just crazy, fun!
Bergdorf Goodman has found its way into a variety of movies and television shows over the years. In the 1962 movie That Touch of Mink, Doris Day is feted by Cary Grant with a shopping spree at Bergdorf Goodman’s. I can see Doris Day in this dress. Can’t you?
In the 1966 film, Penelope, the main character, played by Natalie Wood, uses the proceeds of a bank robbery to purchase her disguise at Bergdorf Goodman’s. However, she wouldn’t be wearing these shoes to “get away”.
In the 1981 film Arthur, Dudley Moore shops for sweaters at Bergdorf’s when he sees Linda (Liza Minnelli) shoplifting a tie there.
Bergdorf Goodman was a favorite shopping spot for Sex And The City’s main character, Carrie Bradshaw. It was featured in the opening to Sex and the City 2, with the girls meeting at the entrance of the store and buy wedding gifts there.
No matter what the film, television show, or the occasion, Bergdorf Goodman’s is just plain fun! What’s your favorite place to window shop?
July 6, 2011
New York: Bright lights, Big Stories
The Romance Writers of America Conference started today with a great keynote by New York Times bestsellers Steve Berry, Diana Gabaldon, and Tess Gerritson. They shared their experiences with publishing, offered insight into their daily lives, and offered tips for authors. The three of them were entertaining and hopeful about the changing face of the publishing industry.
As the day progressed, the message was heard many times over. The scope of publishing is changing—faster in the last two years than ever before. Editors, agents, publishers, and authors are all trying to figure out where they fit into those changes and what the future holds. E-books are still only 25 percent of the book market, but that number is growing daily as more people purchase e-readers and shift their reading habits. The overall feeling here at the conference is one of excitement and hope. Change is good, sometimes painful, but inevitable in all things. Authors have more options for publishing than ever before with the growth of the e-book market.
Along with those options come some pitfalls, however. It was wonderful to hear from the best in the industry what those pitfalls will be and how to avoid them. The e-book market is lucky in one sense: we are not the first market to make the transition to a digital form, and there are lessons we can learn from the other industries, such as the music industry, which have gone before us.
Another oft-repeated comment within the workshops was that no matter how easy it is for authors to publish their own work (and there are lots of authors doing just that) it is will still be hard to stand out in the crowd. Content will still be king in the new age of publishing. That means well-written and edited books with great covers.
Another message was that publishers are aware of the importance of an online presence these days. Not just with Twitter and Facebook, but a real promotional presence. Authors have to be their own publicity department. And if they don’t have the necessary skills, they must start building a team of professionals to help them out if they want to survive in the changing landscape of publishing.
How do you feel about the changing book market? How did you purchase your last book, from a store or digitally?
July 25, 2010
A Medieval Castle for Sale
Have you ever dreamed of owning your own medieval castle? I have. I watch the Internet for "for sale" notices for castles in Scotland, England, and France. They go up for sale more often than you'd think. This week I found a listing by James Rothaar at JustLuxe for the 11th century chateau de Montbrun t[image error]hat lists for a mere $25 million.
The chateau is fully remodeled yet still retains a historical flair. The grand Great Knight's Hall seats 100 people, there is a professional kitchen, a...
July 18, 2010
Medieval People and Their Pets
While most animals during the Middle Ages were service animals, our ancestors also enjoyed the company of domesticated pets. The evidence can be found in many different art forms such as literature, paintings, tapestries, stained glass windows, and stuatuary. Lords and ladies and peasants alike all enjo[image error]yed the company of domesticated animals. In the stained glass window pictured here from 1520 Cologne, the couple's pet dog is a sleepy symbol of wedded tranquillity.
In drawings of medieval...
July 11, 2010
The Black Death
The Black Death was one of the worst natural disasters in history. In 1347 an Italian merchant fleet docked at Messina in Sicily with sailors who appeared to be suffering from some strange disease. Terrified, the citizens of Messina drove the vessel back out to sea, but not before a number of the ships' rats had scurried down the mooring ropes tied to the docks. These flea-ridden vermin were the real carriers of the disease.
[image error]Within weeks, people all over Sicily were dying. Three months later, ...
July 4, 2010
Health and Healing in the Middle Ages
The people of the Middle Ages were afflicted with many of the same sicknesses, from cancer to nosebleeds, that exist today. But they also had to contend with a variety of skin lesions and other ailments that are no longer the scourges they once were. Diseases such as smallpox, leprosy, St. Anthony's fire, and St. Vitus's dance were products of the unsanitary living conditions, overcrowding, and malnutrition that characterized the lives of the majority of Europe's population.
[image error]At that time...
June 27, 2010
It's Playtime in a Medieval Child's World
Parents, preachers and philosophers all agreed with medieval author Philip Novare that "children should be allowed to play since nature demands it." And although parents were advised to use strict discipline and Christian morality to guide [image error]their children, most felt that children younger than seven were not really capable of learning lessons or telling good from evil. So the first years of a child's life were generally free from the burdens of formal education or hard work.
As always...
