The Trouble with Money

Good news! I have the preliminary mock up for my new financial book, The Trouble with Money. It may change a bit from this but it will be very similar. (the swirl is a watermark that will not be on the final)

The book is basically a look at what hang ups people have about money and why. Then I discuss how these money habits or erroneous beliefs can get them in really deep S*** financially and what to do about it.

It is interesting that I receive a certain amount of criticism for discussing money and financial issues so openly. Most people know that I have a strong background in finance, experience in the financial industry, and an MBA. But because my main source of income is writing they seem to believe that I'm not supposed to be interested in, or know anything about, money.

I'm sure all the business people out there are reading this thinking, "WHAT??" Exactly. Everything I do, whether that is writing, consulting, selling on the Internet, or playing poker is done from a business mindset. This does not mean that I only think about money, but it does play a part in what choices I make and where I choose to spend my time.

Often people just think about money as the amount in their bank account and they judge how they are doing in life by that amount. What they don't think about is money in relation to time. If you run out of money, screw up your credit score, or blow your retirement account on jet skis and tequila, it can be fixed, repaired or sold on Ebay (except for the used Tequila). But if you run out of time, that's it. There is no more and no second chance.

Time is and always will be your only non-renewable resource and as such, is the most valuable thing you have. This is why I am such an advocate about everything that I do bringing in the maximum dollar amount possible while taking the least amount of time. I know time is infinitely more valuable than money and spending time stressing over financial crises is a waste of life's most valuable commodity - especially when you could spend that time DOING something about it.

When I look back and think of all the time I wasted in endeavors that didn't serve me in the long run, it made me very conscious of how easily it could have been avoided and the financial issues in my life smoothed out. With the economy in a bit a slump there are millions of people living on the edge of that same financial chaos having no idea how to help themselves. I hope some of them will use some of their most valuable asset (their time) to read this book and understand that there is no financial crisis you can face that is hopeless. The release is set for fall and I hope you all will check it out.

WPT Ladies Event....

As many of you know, I'm currently in Vegas indulging my poker playing. It is sort of my 'secret life' that isn't really secret. Last night was the WPT Ladies event and I placed 26th (or 27th I'm not sure which) out of a field of 150. Not bad, but not in the money. It is really interesting how you can feel irritated when you play bad (even if you cash) but feel good when you don't get into the money because you played well. Part of the psychology of poker I suppose.

Speaking of which, I pulled up Travis' blog this morning and he had a post about Amarillo Slim (http://traviserwin.blogspot.com/). One line really caught my attention - he said : "Gamblers tend to be motivated by one of two things, cold hard cash, or fame. " Ummm....no....most of the time it's neither. Of course I'm speaking of poker players specifically but I can tell you that for the vast majority it's not about the money or getting your face on TV.

It has been said that playing poker is a hard way to make an easy living. Very few individuals make enough money over the long term to gamble full time as a profession - so why do they do it? Interestingly enough, the motivation of a gambler and of writers are virtually identical. They both work in industries that 'look' easy to outsiders. The population at large assumes they have fortune and fame at their fingertips and want for nothing. In reality, most have traveled a very hard road filled with years of hard work, trial and error, and massive rejection or failure.

The motivation of both of these professions is not money. It is not fame. It is the desire to be good enough. The desire to be the best. For the writer, the years of struggle that culminate in a book finally being published are deemed 'worth it' when their book is placed on a shelf shoulder to shoulder with Nora Roberts, John Grisham, or Tom Clancy. Does it matter that they made almost nothing in the transaction? Does it matter that 35 agents once rejected the manuscript? Does it matter that they probably don't have a prayer to hit a list? NO. What matters is that they were good enough. They competed and were recognized. Their emotions wouldn't be more intense if they'd made a million, what matters is that they won the race.

Poker feeds these same emotional needs. Like writing, it is one of the few arenas where anyone can play, but only the best win. It doesn't matter if you're a millionaire or a reject from white trash land, you stand equally side by side with the best in the world and you compete. You sit down shoulder to shoulder, as I did last night, with individuals who have literally won millions playing the game and you try your hardest. I sat at a table last night with Kathy Leibert, a woman who has won millions playing poker and just last week got second at the WPT event at Foxwoods. We played, we talked and we enjoyed the event. In the end, I was 26th and Kathy was 20th.

I am good enough, I can compete, and I will win the race - that's what matters.

New books plus Vegas.....

A quick update since its Saturday and I have so much to do that I don't know where to start...so I'm starting with a blog to get the creativity flowing. There is so much going on that I divided it into sections:

My books:

I have several in the works as always. The one that will be coming out in a couple of months is a book called: IRAs & IRA Investing. It's for Atlantic Publishing and will be great info for those of you who are interested in retirement investing. It was my specialty when I was at Prudential and I sure don't want to let that knowledge base go to waste. The cover is a little bland but I'm sure they are trying to convey a 'serious' tone. I think a cute little piggy bank would sell better though. Here's a preview -


We are also doing "I'll Start Monday" which is a diet and health book to support UC Fit. We have partnered with a guy who is starting the program and the book will be part of the launch in the fall. It is being done by TAG Publishing and will be available by August. As soon as I have the cover I'll post it and see what you all think.

I'm also doing another book called "The Trouble with Money" It is a book about the hang ups people have with money that keep them from making more money or that encourage them to make poor financial decisions. Its how to move from financial chaos to an investor mindset to turn your financial life around - and it WILL have a cute cover that is less intimidating and more about helping real people with real problems. This one is also being published by TAG Publishing.

On the ghostwriting front:

We have a conference call with five new writers(new to us anyway) that will be coming on with our group this summer. They come from a variety of writing backgrounds but all have strengths in various areas so we're looking forward to them coming on. We are just now hitting the busy season and so we want to be as prepared as we possibly can to handle the volume. We expect to top 100 projects by the end of the season and so will at least double our output from last year. We are still looking for more writers, but are being very choosy.

Vegas:

Off to Vegas again this week (Thurs-Tues) to play with the big boys. On Friday I'm playing a satellite into the Five Diamond Classic at the Bellagio and on Sunday I'm playing in the WPT Ladies event. Wish me luck!

Good Books

Hard to believe two posts in one week! Its like the end of the world or something. During all my recent travels I had lots of time on planes to read. I haven't posted a list of current favorites in a while so I figured I'd catch you up on my current ones in no particular order:

Twisted Creek by Jodi Thomas

I got to read an advanced copy and actually teared up at the end!! The flight attendant kept saying, "Ma'am are you alright?" So that's like the best compliment I can give that it actually brought some emotion out in me. It's due out in April so don't forget to pick up your copy.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I know its been on the bestseller list forever but I like it anyway (I don't usually like the ones that make the list for some reason). I think I like it because it's a framed story and I have a particular affinity for that particular concept which includes works such as Forrest Gump, Fried Green Tomatoes, Amadeus, Interview with a Vampire. And its about the circus - who didn't dream about running away with the circus after getting your mouth washed out with soap for the thousandth time? Okay, maybe that was just me...

The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

This one centers on the Influenza epidemic in 1918 in a small town in rural Washington State and what happens when they try to keep the epidemic from coming to their town. The characters are really great though the subject matter is a bit dark. I have to admit it's really a page turner - I don't usually let my baggage take a free spin on the carousel in baggage claim just to finish a chapter!

Issac's Storm by Eric Larson

This one is actually nonfiction and is about the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Its pretty good as it intertwines the survivor accounts into a narrative. It contained a lot that I didn't know about the race between Houston and Galveston at the time and how they dealt with the aftermath of the storm. Unfortunately it had some similarities to Hurricane Katrina's aftermath which says we haven't come far in the last 100 years.

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

This is also nonfiction and is a National Book Award winner. I have to say it is spectacular!! And not just because I grew up in the areas and with the descendants of the people he talks about. It is just very well written and includes a lot about the people who endured the dirty thirties and the time they live in. I remember my grandma telling some of the same stories that the survivors in this account did so it brought their experience home to me. I highly recommend this one to any writer who is interested in this era. I would also recommend reading the one about the Galveston hurricane before this one as the stories are intertwined in some strange and unexpected ways though they were written by completely different writers.......

happy reading!

Canada is Freakin cold!!!!

Yes it is. I'm sitting in Toronto looking out over Lake Ontario with its floating ice cubes and wondering why anyone would come to Canada on purpose in the winter. Although it looks like it would be really nice in the summer, its cold and dreary right now. The people, however, have been stellar and the service fantastic. I met my new ghostwriting client at the Royal York this morning and it turned out to be a fabulous day. His name is Joe Vitale and he is another of The Secret gurus but his expertise is in the marketing arena so we got along great. I also learned he lives in the hill country which begs the question, why are two Texans meeting in Canada?

The answer is that the publisher is shooting a TV special on Joe tomorrow and he was going to be here anyway, so it was convenient. But we both agreed we'd rather be in Houston than in the great white North.

In other news, the Virginia trip last week was informative and I think LSP is heading for a good future on the distribution side. The jury's still out the project management piece and I'm still working with the writers to address their concerns. Its given me a great chance to talk to everyone at length again, as we get so used to communicating by email, and its been a great reconnect.

The feature story I did for CU Business is due out this month and I can't wait to see it. It will have part of the interview I did with John Maxwell and I'm anxious to get it out there and see what the feedback is. I'm crossing my fingers. I'll post the PDF on this site as soon as the mag comes out (don't want to steal the editor's thunder!)

I finished up the Pilates book this week, but am still working on the geese parable. I think I have the characters down a bit more now so its flowing easier. I'm also still working on the IRA Investment book and the editor has been kind enough to extend the deadline to accommodate my travel schedule, although it really chapped me to have to ask - I hate not meeting any deadline and this is a first book wise for me. However she's been pretty understanding so I'm sure I'll make it up to her.

getting ready for VEGAS!!

so we're off to vegas next week for the credit union convention that I'm speaking at. I did land the Maxwell interveiw and it went incredibly well. I spent a day rewriting my kickoff article for the leadership series for CU BUSINESS with the stuff from the interview and the editor loved it! He even gave me a bonus!!! Dr. Maxwell also sent me a galley copy of his new book Leadership Gold and I told him that I'm more than thrilled to promote it during my talk in vegas. He really is very nice. It was an exciting week!

I also finished up the parable for Bob. It took forever!! I've gotten so used to doing non-fiction that I forget how creatively draining fiction is. I'm still not all that excited about the last two chapters, but we'll see what they think. I'm finally finishing up the wheelchair book - I feel really bad that I had to put it aside for the Bob thing, but I'm hoping she'll understand.

Lots of little stuff to do before Vegas, and one big thing - TAXES....ewweeee. This year has been crazy and I'm still getting 1099s from aritcles and stuff I wrote that I totally forgot about! I have a big pile of them on my desk and haven't even started gathering our business tax stuff....gotta get that done this week and over to our accountant dude......

squirrels eat cars....

OH YES THEY DO!!!.. so I'm just this unassuming little writer person and Gumbai the squirrel tries to make an example of me. I don' t know if I am just working for the man, buying into the reality of republican life as we know it, or hoping for the best when I turn that little piece of metal hoping my car will start. Which ever, the road kill that was previously destined to be on Larry King live has now made my formerly fine KIA ride a four door paperweight.

Yes its true. I hopped in the KIA to run up to market street to get my rotisserie chicken and the whole vehicle started shaking like a meth addict in lock up!!! I was real scared until we opened the hood. Hidden inside was a little nest that some squirrel had decided to make his home. On top of which he'd also decide that the main wires to my engine were incredibly tasty.

I thought that this was a big deal. But according to the D&K guys, it's really common. Our tow truck driver said his sister had it happen to her. Go figure. It was totally new to us and really it wouldn't be that big a deal, but the squirrels at our house constantly throw acorns at all visitors and generally make our lives miserable. So now I dont' feel the least bit bad if I squish one. They are horrible little rodents and I don't care...so there. Report me to PETA already....I dare you!

hooterville - the sequel.......

so...just when you think our hooterness has dissipated.....the amityville.....al la squirrel and plumber... commences......

so the first thing was that we had a plumbing issue....not unusual.....its an old house! But the plumber they send....Lupe....was totally unfamiliar with the house. We know to ask for Paul...he's been our plumber for more than ten years. He knows the pipes....he knows that Curly and Moe put this house together....but do they send Paul????? NO....they send Lupe....who piddles around for two hours figuring out what Paul already knows. Then he snakes the drain for 15 minutes and charges me $120 bucks. Of course while he was wasting time he finds out that I'm a writer and he ASSUMES that I make big bucks....which granted I do, but hey what does that have to do with my pipes???? So he overcharges me (Paul never does) and I'm totally fuming....but I figure, as long as he fixed the issue its not that big a deal - right?

So then this guy sits out in the drive for freaking ever...and then finally he rings the bell again. Come to find out he has no clue where the key to his van is - and he thinks he lost in underneath the house!! So I'm of course laughing as the guy spends the next 45 minutes searching under my house for the key to his van - serves him right for over charging me.... which still would have been fine if the problem was fixed.

BUT the problem is that it was not fixed. The washer is draining, but the dishwasher is not....so I try to remain calm...a tough thing for me. I don't hear from them most of the next day. So by 5, I'm speed dialing everyone and their mama. Finally the owner calls me back...they are swamped and he is going to send over Paul...so excited!!!!! That's what we wanted in the first place!!! woo hoo...Paul is the bomb! So sure enough he pops over....fixes the problem in less than fifteen minutes.....teases me that my xmas tree is still up and leaves...he's just the most fab plumber ever!!! more on the squirrel thing in the next post.

catching up

So I haven't blogged in a really long time...been busy...also have been working from my laptop a lot because I had surgery in Dec. Not the kind of surgery you dread, but the kind you look forward to after the birth of that first tax deduction. I had a tummy tuck. All went well but the downtime was a bit of a bummer. However the results are great! Its really fabulous that you can just write a check and they make you beautiful...I can see why some women get addicted to it.

The ghostwriting is now moving back into full swing after the xmas lull. More projects coming in from our main publisher. Two other publishers contacted us this week and we now have projects from them - so its is going very well indeed. My feature for CU Business magazine was due today, but I also heard back on the contact info for John Maxwell's office - I've been trying to get an interview with him to kick off the series so hopefully that will happen by Monday or Tuesday. I called the editor and he was excited so we're putting it on ice for a few days to see if the interview happens. It would be great to get to promote an interview with him as well as the series in Vegas.

Plans for Vegas are all secure and we're staying at the Paris where the credit union conference will be held. Kevin made reservations for the restaurant at the top of the hotel, but I'm pretty sure he's not going to like French food - at least we'll have a nice view.

I also got word that I'll be flying to Toronto in March to interview another guru that I'll be ghostwriting for so that's on the schedule too. We're also making the plans to attend Ryan's graduation in Memphis in mid-May. The family cruise will be coming up shortly thereafter in June and I think that will be great fun for everyone.

So far nothing on the schedule after June, but its early yet.

I live in hooterville.....

That's right folks........our hooterness is definitely showing as it often does in the fall. Just today I'm buzzing down the block in my little car, and what doth my wandering eyes behold, but three guys in flannel shirts skinning Bambi in the drive way. Only in Texas could they wield long knives in the middle of a decent neighborhood while skinning and chopping up a deer that they have hanging from a tree - in front of the house.

Of course, a couple of years ago when I worked for a financial firm that processes debit cards, my boss drove to work with a dead deer in his truck which dripped blood for several hours before he took it to the processor. Interesting thing was, people would just walk by the truck and say, "Hmmm, guess Dave got 'im a deer this year." And keep right on walking.

As far as other goings on, I got to see Leanna Ellis this weekend as she flew in to talk to the local writers' group. Her new book is called Elvis Takes a Back Seat and comes out in Jan just in time for the King's Bday. It was great to reconnect with old friends again - I don't get to do much of that these days.

On the writing front, I'm finalizing the leadership series for CU Business magazine. It will be a feature to introduce the series and then 10 article on various aspects of leadership. I think it will be a fun and informative series, and if I can piggyback a book deal, all the better. As for the ghostwriting, our group is expanding and growing tremendously. We're now rotating 50 book projects at a time and its amazing to look back at the volume we've produced over the last year. It's also exciting to think where we're headed as we become more involved in the process everyday.

Not bad for a bunch of writers from hooterville, TX.......

plotting, scheming, and other pursuits...

The busier I get the worse of a blogger I become. Natural I suppose. After returning from the wonderful trip to CA(see last post) I was home almost two whole weeks! Then it was off to West Palm in FL. Work again but still it was nice to get to go somewhere warm as its starting to really cool off at home.

In FL I got to meet several of our clients that TAG has been ghostwriting for. It was great to see some of the covers and media they had received as well! Most of the time, we finish the book and are pretty much out of the process so it was neat to see the end result. We are also going to be very busy as we have even more projects in the pipeline. Good thing we found more writers and editors this last month. While they're twiddling their thumbs right now, the flood is soon to come!

The TAGsters have also been very responsive to the idea of doing their own books and are working on several good ideas. We'll see what comes of the plans. If I've learned anything from the gurus, it is that incremental change is the key to sustained success it's not about making it overnight. We are adding to our expertise incrementally both as contractors and as business owners and it is really building into something worthwhile. Speaking of stuff we've added, see our trailer on You Tube for Picks & Shovels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH0damLPvrg

post cruise update.....and then some

So, I've been reminded numerous times by those near and dear (and not so near, but still dear) that I haven't wrapped up the Cruise. We stopped in Tortola, but spent an AMAZING day on the boat cause we were too tired after Antigua to get off!!..Then on to the Bahamas... the scene of the "crime" as most of you are aware....when we got married on Cable Beach, they were building Atlantis - actually it was a giant hole in the ground - so it was exciting to see what they did. I have to admit that in the end, I was disappointed. I thought it would be a great 'Bahamian' experience but it's more like Vegas south with a Carribean theme. Since they have no competition, they have few table games with any kind of player advantage (this means NO poker!!!) so I was stuck playing black jack with a $15/bet minimum...forget the fact that I won a grand, it was still a bit on the 'less than great' side. If I were paying to go to Atlantis, I wouldn't - so there. The end of a cruise is always depressing, and the lightening storm in Orlando that soaked our suitcases was a cherry on the top. You don't really think about all those T shirts you buy that are bright red sitting in the suitcase with your precious whites....till you get home and they have somehow mutated into a pink melange......oh my!!!! What???? Were they mating and gyrating furiously during the storm??!!

So then I was home for 5 days........a short stretch in anyone's book. Then I was off to the ranch in northern CA once again for 9 days. Nothing is as serene as northern CA in fall....except for the deer (its mating season) and the mountain lion alerts (apparently mating deer are yummy to the local big kitty population) and the traffic!!! Who hits bumper to bumper at 85 miles an hour on the way to the airport at 4:30 in the morning!!!!????

It was still an incredible week. The highlights of which were hearing Bob Proctor, Gerry Roberts and Paul Martinelli speak. We've worked for these guys almost 2 years now and this was the first time live! I have to admit they were different than my perceptions which was very good. I also got to hear Mark Victor Hansen talk about their new E-book business and his goal of selling 1 Billion books this year (yes that's with a B). It was incredible that the idea that me and Liz have had for the last few months is exactly on target with his ideas. Not only was he very encouraging, he said our goal of $1 Million by Dec 31 this year was a piss ant goal!!! So we've raised it...as you all know....... and asked for a little help from our friends. We'll be in the US, Australia and India in just a few short weeks and our goal is to make millionaires out of every single TAG member that jumps in with us. Nothing like confirmation from the big guys to encourage you along the way!!!

Update from the Cruise #4

Antigua!!! I have to say I’ve looked forward to today as we booked a catamaran cruise so we’d know if we want to do one with the kiddies next year. I was a little concerned as I’m not a sun person and generally can’t spend more than ten minutes in the sun without getting toasted – and tropical sun is especially brutal. But we were on a large double decker catamaran with plenty of shade. Even though there were easily 60-70 people on the boat it didn’t seem crowded at all. The one we chose was a 6 ½ hour trip where they circumnavigate the whole island, drop you at a private beach to swim for a couple of hours, feed you lunch and then bring you back to the ship. Once they got the catamaran going, it was wonderful!!! The breeze was fabulous and the views stunning. They pointed out the great beaches, celebrity homes (I took a photo of Oprah’s new house) and other points of interest. It was a very fun ride as we hit the Atlantic side and the waves got bigger. Our cruise director was also on this excursion and it’s always a good thing if you see crew members from the ship as they know the best excursions. After a couple of hours, they pulled up to the private beach, lowered the stairs and we walked right out on the sand. They had snorkeling, or you could just soak in the beautiful water – which is what we did. Except Kevin forgot he had his wallet in his pocket so it got soaked. While we swam, the crew fired up the on board grill and grilled chicken and steamed red snapper for lunch. It was very good and was served on real china – no paper plates and plastic ware! And did I mention that it was an open bar? It was all included. They had beer and fruity drinks, then red and white wine was served with lunch. After lunch we got to swim a while longer as they cleaned up and then we were off again. We got back a bit early so they dropped us off at a second beach for a short swim before heading into the dock. All in all it was well worth the $99 each and definitely a “have to do” with the kids next year I think they will love it! We didn’t do any shopping and got back , went to dinner and hit the hay. John and Joella are doing the catamaran tour in Tortola tomorrow but we decided to have our own “Fun Day at Sea”. We’re too old to go go go everyday and I did get a bit sun burned and need a day to rest up so we’re sleeping in…..

Update from the Cruise #3

Today is the fabulous St. Thomas!!! Kevin bought tickets to the Sky Ride which is a tram that takes you up the Mountain…in the Caribbean that’s anything that approaches 800 ft. There was a little shop and bar at the top of course and we sat up there and enjoyed the beautiful views and the breeze. I also got a great little coral and turquoise necklace at the artists booth. There were three Carnival ships in port lined up and the ship we are taking next year with the kids was behind ours. It is the Triumph and sails out of Miami. After our Sky Ride, we decided to go to the other side of the island to Coral Cove. It is a really neat marine park where you can take pictures of sharks, pet the stingrays without getting wet and play in the tanks with the star fish, anemones and sea cucumber. They also have an undersea aquarium that you can walk down to and see out into the bay as if you were scuba diving which is pretty nifty. Everywhere we went there were iguana all over the place – they are kind of like squirrels at home just not as cute. But they were everywhere. We went back to the outdoor mall at the dock and decided to have lunch at a place called Delly’s bar where the specialty drink is the Bushwacker. It is a coffee, amaretto thing like liquid tiramisu. Anyway its very good and you don’t really realize how much liquor it has in it as you suck down the first one. So of course, I ordered another as our fish and chips arrived. The fish was hand battered mahi mahi and was wonderful. So by the time I finished lunch I was very glad we were within crawling distance of the ship….needless to say we took a short nap when we got back on board. We got up in time to see the ships pull out of port. It’s a very tight fit for three big cruise ships and I wondered how they were going to do it, but they backed it up and swung it around no problem missing the next ship by a mere 50 feet or so. I have to think it must be like trying to parallel park a foot ball field on water but they are very good at it. That night I went to the onboard watch sale and picked up a very sparkly fossil watch for next to nothing. We went to bed early as we have booked an all day catamaran excursion on Antigua tomorrow.

Update from the Cruise #2

Here is the second installment of news from the cruise….

Day 3- Sunday – Today is our first fun day at sea as we steam toward our first destination of Puerto Rico. I spent most of the day actually working. I plugged my little laptop into the bar and wrote, sipping on the fruity drink of the day and watching the waves roll by. I love that I can now work from literally anywhere in the world and enjoy myself tremendously. Oh, and BTW, after a few hours and several fruity drinks it sparks an incredible creative writing session where numerous new ideas burst forth – I didn’t say good ideas just ideas. Tonight is also the first formal night aboard ship and it was great fun. We stayed up for the midnight comedy show as is our usual habit – cruise ships usually have great comics. He was the guy that has cerebral palsy who won Last Comic Standing. He was very funny. We also attended the Broadway type show that was right before but ended up leaving. I have very little tolerance for so called culture. The seas were slightly choppy but quite fun in my opinion. Neither one of us suffers a bit of motion sickness so it works out well.

Day 4 – Monday – I again worked on my laptop at the bar most of the day. I did venture into the spa to get my teeth whitened. They offer it for $199 on the ship and its $500 at home. It really worked well and took that grey look off the enamel caused by an overindulgence in red wine. We didn’t get into Puerto Rico until 5 pm and we only had about 5 hours there. We didn’t stay that long. There are some wonderful historic sites that I wish we’d toured, but the sun went down so fast I don’t know that we would have seen much. Since we’re scoping all these ports for the cruise with the kids next year we want to know what to do and what not to do so we’re trying some new stuff. One of the things we tried was a local dish called Mofongo. It is basically a bowl of what I thought was potatoes, stuffed with meat and gravy. Turns out the bowl is mashed plantains – which are not sweet and act very much like potatoes. It was good, but not something you’d want to eat every night. Then, instead of a dinner mint, they brink you an after dinner drink called coquito – OMG it’s the best stuff every like cinnamon eggnog on crack!!! It comes in a tiny little glass of less than an ounce and is a wonderful blend of coconut cream, cinnamon, Puerto Rican rum, sugar, cream, and egg yolk – and it tastes as rich as it sounds. WE left Puerto Rico at midnight right about the time we were again in the midnight comedy club. This time we were listening to Happy Cole who was even better that they guy last night. I bought his CD to listen to when I get home.

Update From the Cruise #1

So we’re steaming along through the big blue ocean and here I am updating my blog…isn’t technology great?? So far its been pretty wonderful – as expected. So here’s the update.

Day 1 - Friday– We flew into Ft Lauderdale to spend the night. Probably unnecessary, but I always have that dream where we’re standing on the dock and the boat has left without me – so we always come in early to avoid the stress caused by flight delays and thunderstorms. Anyway we got a cheap room at a hotel which shall remain nameless and went down to the bar shortly after arrival to get our first drink of the trip (okay not first, but first out of an airport). The bar was a very small operation tended by a woman who apparently has a deep love for cats judging by the way she kept letting them into the back room and feeding them in between preparing drinks. We decided that we’d rather no eat there (go figure) and asked the cat woman for a recommendation to someplace “nice”. She said that the Rustic Inn was famous for its ambiance and was right on the water. Have I mentioned that it’s HOT in Florida?? I mean like HOT HOT HOT!!! Anyway we hop a cab to this well known local place where the specialty includes all types of crab….and the ambiance includes mallets that are used to crack said crab and splatter everyone including the diner with bits of seafood. The mallets also double as congratulatory instruments for when a birthday, anniversary, etc is announced - you are to pound them on the table mercilessly in celebration. This is proof that everyone has a different definition of “nice” and the word ambiance is used rather loosely these days.

Day 2 – Saturday - We, and many of our fellow cruise goers, piled onto a bus the next morning and were spirited off to our wonderful ship – the Liberty. Our room is very near where ours was last year with a balcony toward the back of the boat and its weird that many of the same crew on this boat were on the Conquest last year so it’s like old home week at the bar…go figure. The first evening we got to meet our dinner mates for the week who turned out to be a fabulously normal couple from Missouri named John and Joella. They have been a lot of fun.

5 days til the CRUISE!!

As I made my obligatory flip flop run today for the cruise, it occurred to me that I hadn't updated in a while...actually almost a MONTH! So here's what's up since I last shared with my fans (all two of you). We leave on 9/14 to fly to Florida to hop a boat to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.

I can't tell you how bad I need to get away for a while. Our group has produced so many books in the last two months that it boggles the mind - but we did it and so I think we have reached a whole nuther level of production capabilities. We've also had some contact with several people that have offered to help our little endeavor in one way or another which underscores the amazing generosity of people.

The covers are done for our first two fiction releases and our nonfiction release for fall is a short six weeks away. We'll be producing a video trailer for our books thanks to more help from amazing friends who happen to have offspring in the video production biz. I'll be doing some editing on the cruise, but I don't mind...its kind of funny that when you love what you do, you also consider it recreation.

Classes are well underway at AC again and we're teaching a critique class and the ghostwriting class. The novel class didn't make, but quite honestly I was so swamped I wouldn't have been at my best anyway - maybe it will make for spring.

The garden is winding down and somehow I still feel like I missed the whole summer. It's this whole working around the clock thing I guess. I have talked to several outstanding people in the last couple of weeks while doing some research so I'll be sending out more magazine queries before I leave on the cruise and we'll see what happens. Right now I'm looking very forward to fruity drinks and no phone for 8 days!

So here's what happened.....

You all know I quit my job...on a Thursday(July 26)....so on Friday I got a call from the publisher that we do ghostwriting for. They wanted me to fly to California to interview a person who is a personal friend of the guy who owns the company. And of course I said YES!!! So on Saturday I was on a plane to Sacramento....then drove north west about 70 miles to a place called Clearlake Oaks. Clearlake is a fabulous lake second only to Tahoe for beauty.....anyway..... stayed 2 days at one of their lake houses...then was moved up to a multi million dollar Casa for the next two days. Hills topped with vineyards.....great beef on the hoof in the valley (about 60 miles due north of Napa) like Texas only with no humidity....or wind.....or weather......just gorgeous......and this ranch had such a peace about it.....really fabulous. At first I was a little disoriented since I didn't have Internet access and cell phone reception was spotty....like being cut off for the first time in I don't remember when. So after the first day I decided to quit stressing and just go with it. I met the most amazing people and learned much about myself and the person I'd like to be. All while interviewing this woman who has gone through amazing and tragic events and yet run a company for 40 years that is on the cutting edge within the personal development industry. Her name is Jayne.

So after I got back, we were slammed with projects. Australians, Europeans, British (no apparently they are not European - who woulda guessed?) and we're trying to get everything finished before the Cruise in Oct. Not the birthday cruise my hubby and I are going on Sept 15, but a cruise on Oct 6 for business that many of our ghostwriting clients will be on. Sucks to be us right??? NOT!

Anyway we're hauling butt toward this cruise. So I got back from my respit in CA on a Wed. Then the most fabulous thing happened.....I got an email on Friday from a marketing person for the 26th Annual National Credit Union Convention. She had read an article of mine about creating Buzzzzz to increase your bottom line in Credit Union Business. AND SHE ASKED ME TO SPEAK AT THEIR NATIONAL CONVENTION!!! In Vegas! What a fabulous opportunity. So of course I'm going!

So I emailed the publisher of the magazine to let them know the good news and he requested a call the next Tues to discuss future issues. So on Tues, while we're talking about the possible ideas, I tell him about Jayne and the work she is doing. He loved it! In fact he will be featuring her on the cover of the January issue and I will be interviewing her for the cover story. I will also be writing a monthly column for them next year on the field of human development/human potential. How fab is that???? And that was just this week. Stay tuned folks cause it's looking like a wild ride to the end of 2007!!! And BTW I will be speaking in Vegas on Feb 19-22 if any of you want to drop by!!!

hehehehehehehehehehehehehehhe

59 days to my next CRUISE

Gee time flies!! This year on our birthday cruise we'll be off to the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. I remember the Bahamas like it was yesterday but its actually been nine years! My husband calls it a "return to the scene of the crime" since we were married there. On the beach. In our swimsuits. Not sure exactly what day - those fruity drinks were free you know.

I'm now working full time at the writing, my stint in corporate America finished for good. It's weird to finally get to do something you've wanted to do for twenty years - and fabulous. Speaking of which, I am swamped with Projects but I am also deferring more to our other writers as they are able to handle more projects. I can't even tell you how great its been to have so much good help from the writers and editors. They take a huge load off of me.

Tomorrow Liz and I will be speaking at the PPW meeting on ghostwriting and answering questions about how The Amarillo Group (TAG) works. From a conceptual standpoint its very different than most other freelance or writing associations and sooooo many people are interested!

My friend, Jodi Thomas is back from her hop across the pond and did a little promoting of our ghostwriting book at a conference in England. There seems to be just as much interest over there as here. I also had lunch today with a Brit who is interested in being our UK connection and I think the arrangement shows promise since we have so many UK clients and their needs are so specific.

On the home front, our garden is nuts this year. We're actually giving away tomatoes and it's only mid July! Everything is producing abundantly and keeping up with it is quite a chore - but worth fresh veggies.

The collegiates will be home the second week in August so that will be fun. They so rarely get to come home anymore. We decided that since all four kids were getting older, we need to take one big family vacation before the are all gone for good. Jen's already a grown up, Ryan graduates college next spring, Kaci graduates high school and Kayla will be 17. The only vacation that makes sense to us at this point of course is a cruise. The kids can run amuck on the boat all day and we can still do our thing. We also decided that we'd invite both sides of the family and if they want to join us, they are welcome to. We're calling it the Virden-Burks family cruise (like a Chevy Chase movie with sharks instead of a dead granny). We're planning a tour of the Caribbean (without Jamaica if we can avoid it) but don't know if we'll go out of Ft. Lauderdale or Tampa at this point.

That's all the news for now, must get back to the writing that actually pays!!

Is it summer?

I hear it is, but haven't really looked out lately to see! Busy as always. Since Austin, I've written three (almost four) books, been chewed out by two clients, loved by two more. Pretty average I'd say. I've been amazed at my ability to ramp up and meet the increasing management demand for TAG even to the point of engaging in administrative overkill (long story). We've taken on two new writers, and are talking to two more next week. Our project load has doubled in the past two weeks and I have to say I'm really proud and encouraged that our existing writers have stepped up production and are handling everything that comes their way.

The last freelance/ghostwriting class is next Wed and as busy as I've been I almost hate to see it end. There are several promising writers who I think you will be seeing in print shortly. I really enjoy the class although more and more people are asking why I do it with all the projects we have. I must admit part of it is just being able to spend a few hours talking to writers who are serious and want to get into the business. I remember when that was me and it has completely changed my life for the better and I hope it does the same for them.

I read a short essay a while back about finding your purpose. That purpose being what you were put on the earth to do. I have to say writing is it. It's something I do into the wee hours, not realizing the time has slipped away. Something I think about constantly and can't wait to get back to. I wish I could describe it better, but it's an acknowledgement that what I've know about myself since I first picked up a pencil in grade school was right. I was born to put words on the page. It is truly who I am whether I am helping someone else complete their book, or working on my own i know that people world wide will read words I've written and hopefully take them to heart.

A recent event reminded me of how short life is and how sad it would be if I didn't spend my time doing what I love. So I've decided to let the weeds grow, ignore the dust bunnies and spend my time immortalizing thoughts and dreams by putting words on a page.