Hello,
I did an event at the Antioch Public Library on Saturday, May 16. It was great. The staff were fabulous. Greta, Kathy, Todd and several others made me feel right at home.
I did a little presentation, a reading, then signed books at the "Pizza with Paul" after party. We had such a fun time. I really enjoyed meeting the teens who came. They were so smart! and I loved seeing old friends and family. I'd list them all here, but I'm afraid I'd forget someone. Seeing my aunt Darlene and getting to hang out with her was awesome. Then my aunt Marlene came in as well, which blew me away. I haven't seen her in like 22 years. Having my mom there was great too. I have an amazing mom. My friend, MarLeiece came as well, which was unexpected. I loved seeing her. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.
I'll have to add to this post later, as I'm too tired to continue.
The main point is this: I love my family and the people of Antioch are number one in my book!
Love you all,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Monday, May 19, 2008
Arcade Fundamental Middle School
Arcadian Anarchy!
Well, my visit to Aracde Fundamental Middle School in Sacramento was one to remember. I gave two speeches to the kids. The first one was to the eighth graders and some sixth graders. About 300 of them, I think. It was Friday afternoon, it was hot and the kids were going crazy--from the heat--not me. Okay, it was a little me.
Anyway, I received a rock star welcome and the kids were loud. REALLY LOUD! They stayed loud the whole time, despite requests from me and the teachers to quiet down. The speech went well and I really liked the crowd. I enjoyed talking with some of the cool kids in the front row: DeShawn and two cool girls--you know who you are--who I teased by telling the crowd that they were looking for dates for the dance that night and that the boys still had time to grow a pair of (cencored) and ask them out. I sure hope DeShawn makes it as singer. He seems to be a kid with big dreams and I hope all of the kids will follow theirs.
The speech went well, despite the loud crowd and I hope they got a lot out of it. I sure did. I'm always learning when I give speeches.
The second speech was harder to give. The 300 7th graders were even louder and crazier. They were talking and murmuring during the speech and students who were asking questions couldn't be heard. They would not quiet down, until a teacher named Mr. Strange, chewed on them and asked them to chill out. I could not handle them on my own.
It was a Friday, and they wanted out of there, but it was pretty rude. I've received email from a student who apologized for the incident. The student was very nice. Their initials are D.R. and I appreciate them very much.
Then I went to the book signing at the Borders Express. I met Susan, the assistant manager and loved her. The signing went well, I sold out of all the copies of The Golden Cord, and signed copies of Fellowship Fantastic to be sold later. I met some cool guys and gals during the signing. It was great and my cousin Joanna V. was with me lending support the entire time. I just love her and her husband, Ed. He's a neat guy.
My Sacrament trip was wonderful because I got to meet some great kids at the school, and some excellent teachers and the best librarian: Sandy Sowa. I'm very impressed with her.
The really cool thing was that I got to hang out with my long lost cousins, who came to dinner at Joanna's. It was so special to meet them all.
Life is good and the book is selling really well nationwide. The online stores have more copies now!
Best wishes to you all.
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
They quieted down and it went pretty well.
Well, my visit to Aracde Fundamental Middle School in Sacramento was one to remember. I gave two speeches to the kids. The first one was to the eighth graders and some sixth graders. About 300 of them, I think. It was Friday afternoon, it was hot and the kids were going crazy--from the heat--not me. Okay, it was a little me.
Anyway, I received a rock star welcome and the kids were loud. REALLY LOUD! They stayed loud the whole time, despite requests from me and the teachers to quiet down. The speech went well and I really liked the crowd. I enjoyed talking with some of the cool kids in the front row: DeShawn and two cool girls--you know who you are--who I teased by telling the crowd that they were looking for dates for the dance that night and that the boys still had time to grow a pair of (cencored) and ask them out. I sure hope DeShawn makes it as singer. He seems to be a kid with big dreams and I hope all of the kids will follow theirs.
The speech went well, despite the loud crowd and I hope they got a lot out of it. I sure did. I'm always learning when I give speeches.
The second speech was harder to give. The 300 7th graders were even louder and crazier. They were talking and murmuring during the speech and students who were asking questions couldn't be heard. They would not quiet down, until a teacher named Mr. Strange, chewed on them and asked them to chill out. I could not handle them on my own.
It was a Friday, and they wanted out of there, but it was pretty rude. I've received email from a student who apologized for the incident. The student was very nice. Their initials are D.R. and I appreciate them very much.
Then I went to the book signing at the Borders Express. I met Susan, the assistant manager and loved her. The signing went well, I sold out of all the copies of The Golden Cord, and signed copies of Fellowship Fantastic to be sold later. I met some cool guys and gals during the signing. It was great and my cousin Joanna V. was with me lending support the entire time. I just love her and her husband, Ed. He's a neat guy.
My Sacrament trip was wonderful because I got to meet some great kids at the school, and some excellent teachers and the best librarian: Sandy Sowa. I'm very impressed with her.
The really cool thing was that I got to hang out with my long lost cousins, who came to dinner at Joanna's. It was so special to meet them all.
Life is good and the book is selling really well nationwide. The online stores have more copies now!
Best wishes to you all.
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
They quieted down and it went pretty well.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Wild Foxes, Librarians, and Really Tall Trees
I had no idea that two of my biggest fans would want me to sign their foreheads at my book signing today. I just couldn't do it, but I did sign their arms. The signature will be seen for quite some time, I believe, as it was permanent ink . . . (grin)
I was very flattered and one of them gave me an extremely cool fan letter. Both of the young girls go to Miller Creek Middle School. They were funny and very pretty, and of course had the endearing giggle that girls of that age often have. If I was a 13 year old boy they would definitely be on my list to ask out on a date. (Yes, that's a hint to the guys at Miller Creek. Both of them are ones to watch). However, I'm married and not interested in jail anytime soon.
Now, above you'll see a picture of me with the coolest librarian in the entire universe. You'll have to ask the two girls for the funny pictures they took with me.
Her name is Eddie van Rossum Daum, say it like Ed-eee. She stayed up late last night making thank you cards for me. Then all the kids signed them and wrote me notes. The cards are hand made and of a quality that is second to none. She did artwork and lots of amazing stamping on all the cards. I'm going to keep them forever in a scrap book. The cards were so wonderful. I'm so thankful to Eddie and the kids of Miller Creek. So, the book festival (at Miller Creek Middle School) went really well. Tons of kids and their parents dropped by and said hello. I sold a ton of books and I have only a few left now. It's a good problem to have, but I have so many other school visits to do. All the sales information that I have is showing that the book is doing really well. It's apparently on backorder at the publishers because of the demand, but you can still get it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. All the copies the publisher had have shipped out and more orders are coming in, but they can't keep up. Yep, life is good.
Okay, so at the signing, my friend, Lorrie Rey--the Volunteer of the Year at her son Parker's school--was named my official public relations manager for all of Marin county and the city of San Francisco. (wink)
Lorrie is amazing. She helps her younger son's school so much and they are lucky to have her. Having her in my corner helped so much. Her sister, Jackie, was also there and provided her bubbly enthusiasm and support the entire time. Yes, fellas, she's single. I'll get you in touch, just drop me a line with a real picture, income (as shown on your 2007 income tax form), job history, vital statistics from 2008--height, weight only, your contact information, and why you want to be her new boyfriend. All submissions must be under 200 words, single spaced in Times New Roman.
Keep in mind that Jackie is: foxy, funny, has a BMW, has Chinese ancestry, and is a blast to have dinner with. Her photo is above. She's the one sitting with me. Her brother, Glenn is sitting with Lorrie on the other side of the table. Glenn is such a great friend and provided security (though he did let the two young girls slip by for some reason?). Anyway, he acted as my driver and book carrier during the entire visit here. To him, I am forever grateful. I am so blessed to have friends like him.
All kidding aside, my friends in the Lee family have been amazing. Glenn took me on a hike up on mount Tamalpais today and then we went into the Muir Woods. The redwoods were impressive the the view from the mountain was spectacular. We hung out with Helen, a volunteer at the West Point Inn and enjoyed the view of the entire Bay Area. It was hot, but it was a clear day and I loved it.
Tomorrow, Sacramento and a book signing at the Sunset Mall at the Borders Express in Citrus Heights from 4-6.
See you later,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Miller Creek Middle School
I visited Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, (Marin County) today. It was amazing. It's the school of a cool kid, Spenser Rey, who is the nephew of my buddy Glenn. I was accompanied by Glenn, Jackie (Spenser's aunt), and Lorrie--Spenser's mom. We had so much fun and I spoke to an assembly of three full classes in the gym. That went so well and the teachers were great, and the students were so bright. They asked such excellent questions and were a fabulous crowd. It was definitely the best speech that I've ever made to the kids. I'm learning and things are going well. The main point was that you are going to get knocked down, and you just have to get back up again.
Then I went to speak to Mr. Stein's English class. What brilliant and beautiful kids. They were 7th graders and I was so impressed with them. Mr. Sten is a great teacher as well. They have it very good. It's too bad that he's moving to Poland soon, but he has to heed his calling and go. A point I made to them was that we all have something inside of us that we want to do, and if we don't do it, we hurt our spirit. Mr. Stein is following his calling and I'm following mine.
After Mr. Stein's class I spoke to another assembly in the gym. I was daunted at making the same speech again and trying to recapture the magic, but it went really well. The kids and teachers were wonderful and it was awesome.
Then I was interviewd by the most amazing kid, aside from Spenser, at Miller Creek. Her name is Shannon Reed. She has already written a 250 page novel, and she just turned fourteen, I think. Anyway, Shannon interviewed me for the I-Panther pod cast show that her school has. She is an extremely brilliant girl and I see a lot of promise in her. She's about 20 years ahead of me, because when I was 14 I could never have written a book like she has.
So, the interview went well and I left the school feeling wonderful. Jackie, Glenn, and Lorrie were there to support me in the gym speeches and I was so thankful for their presence. I am truly blessed with wonderful friends.
I'll be at Miller Creek at their book fair doing a signing on Thursday, May 15 from 6-8 PM. Mrs. Van Rossun Daum (spelling?) is the librarian and she helped me so much during my speeches, introducing me and escorting me around. What a cool lady.
Miller Creek was such an amazing experience. I can't wait to go back soon for the book signing.
Bye for now,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Then I went to speak to Mr. Stein's English class. What brilliant and beautiful kids. They were 7th graders and I was so impressed with them. Mr. Sten is a great teacher as well. They have it very good. It's too bad that he's moving to Poland soon, but he has to heed his calling and go. A point I made to them was that we all have something inside of us that we want to do, and if we don't do it, we hurt our spirit. Mr. Stein is following his calling and I'm following mine.
After Mr. Stein's class I spoke to another assembly in the gym. I was daunted at making the same speech again and trying to recapture the magic, but it went really well. The kids and teachers were wonderful and it was awesome.
Then I was interviewd by the most amazing kid, aside from Spenser, at Miller Creek. Her name is Shannon Reed. She has already written a 250 page novel, and she just turned fourteen, I think. Anyway, Shannon interviewed me for the I-Panther pod cast show that her school has. She is an extremely brilliant girl and I see a lot of promise in her. She's about 20 years ahead of me, because when I was 14 I could never have written a book like she has.
So, the interview went well and I left the school feeling wonderful. Jackie, Glenn, and Lorrie were there to support me in the gym speeches and I was so thankful for their presence. I am truly blessed with wonderful friends.
I'll be at Miller Creek at their book fair doing a signing on Thursday, May 15 from 6-8 PM. Mrs. Van Rossun Daum (spelling?) is the librarian and she helped me so much during my speeches, introducing me and escorting me around. What a cool lady.
Miller Creek was such an amazing experience. I can't wait to go back soon for the book signing.
Bye for now,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Borderlands Books
Hello There,
After my visit to Miller Creek Middle School I went with my friends, Glenn and Jackie and we went into San Francisco. We goofed around and then met up with Lily and Cary for a while and had lunch at the Sea Lion Cafe on Pier 39. That was so fun. The sea lions were cool to watch while we ate.
Then I met up with Shaun Duke, a cool guy who came all the way from Santa Cruz, taking buses, trains and even a donky! to get into San Fran to be at my book signing. We got to have some tea, Lily and I had tea with him, and we spoke about all sorts of things. I found out that Shaun had cancer and beat it. He's healthy now and is a very well adjusted guy. Lily's good friend has the same kind of cancer and I think the whole reason Shaun came to the city was to have that conversation with Lily. I believe in fate and this meeting happened for a reason.
It was great meeting Shaun and I gave him an autographed copy of The Golden Cord at the signing later. Then we went to my book signing together at Borderlands Books. I got to meet Kerrie (spelling?) who works at the store, and also met up with Jude, the manager, and Alan, the owner. I love Jude and Alan. They are great and we met in Salt Lake at the World Horror Con in March.
The signing/reading was on a Wednesday evening of a really hot day, so it wasn't well attended, but I met some new friends, and sold quite a few books, as Glenn and his gang: Cary, Lily, and Jackie were there and they bought books for their friends and family who couldn't make the signing/reading, but had told them to guy them books.
I aslo met a cool guy named, Mark, who serves in the Coast Guard. He was a neat fellow and I enjoyed meeting him.
I did a reading and actually read a whole chapter, (chapter 27), from The Golden Cord, then I read a little of The Pirate Witch, and a few pages of Almost Brothers. The reading went really well and that was fun for me.
Then we went out to dinner in SF and relaxed a bit. It was a long and wonderful day.
Best wishes,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
After my visit to Miller Creek Middle School I went with my friends, Glenn and Jackie and we went into San Francisco. We goofed around and then met up with Lily and Cary for a while and had lunch at the Sea Lion Cafe on Pier 39. That was so fun. The sea lions were cool to watch while we ate.
Then I met up with Shaun Duke, a cool guy who came all the way from Santa Cruz, taking buses, trains and even a donky! to get into San Fran to be at my book signing. We got to have some tea, Lily and I had tea with him, and we spoke about all sorts of things. I found out that Shaun had cancer and beat it. He's healthy now and is a very well adjusted guy. Lily's good friend has the same kind of cancer and I think the whole reason Shaun came to the city was to have that conversation with Lily. I believe in fate and this meeting happened for a reason.
It was great meeting Shaun and I gave him an autographed copy of The Golden Cord at the signing later. Then we went to my book signing together at Borderlands Books. I got to meet Kerrie (spelling?) who works at the store, and also met up with Jude, the manager, and Alan, the owner. I love Jude and Alan. They are great and we met in Salt Lake at the World Horror Con in March.
The signing/reading was on a Wednesday evening of a really hot day, so it wasn't well attended, but I met some new friends, and sold quite a few books, as Glenn and his gang: Cary, Lily, and Jackie were there and they bought books for their friends and family who couldn't make the signing/reading, but had told them to guy them books.
I aslo met a cool guy named, Mark, who serves in the Coast Guard. He was a neat fellow and I enjoyed meeting him.
I did a reading and actually read a whole chapter, (chapter 27), from The Golden Cord, then I read a little of The Pirate Witch, and a few pages of Almost Brothers. The reading went really well and that was fun for me.
Then we went out to dinner in SF and relaxed a bit. It was a long and wonderful day.
Best wishes,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mendive Middle School and more
Hello,
I had a fun time at Mendive Middle School in Sparks, Nevada. Sparks is the sister city of Reno and they are practically indistinguishable cities. Anyway, I went to my cousin Bradley Miller's school and spoke to his 8th grade class, along with his whole team, which was around 180 kids, I think.
Anyway, the kids were made to sit on a hard floor first thing in the morning and I had to win them over. 8th graders are a tough crowd, but after a while, they warmed up and it was great. My cousin, Diana, Bradley's mom, was there helping me cart my stuff around and she whispered: read the book. So, I did, and read page one of The Golden Cord. Once I did the reading it was great and they were into it. I really wanted to see Bradley and he's a really cool guy. His mom, Diane, is my favorite cousin and I just love her. She was so nice to me while I was in town and I really want to visit her and her family again.
After the assembly, I spoke to some kids in the class of Mrs. Thomas. She's an excellent teacher and a wonderful person. Her first class was amazing. They were the higher reader kids and we had wonderful time as I taught them how to write a killer story. That was so much fun and we had a great time telling the story of Logan, a kid in the class, who had really horrible things happen to him--in our story . . .
They were a great bunch.
The next class was excellent in it's own way. I hate giving the same exact talk twice in a row, so I took a different approach and we talked about what they liked to read and why it is so important to read what you like, whether it is BMX magazines, Rollingstone, Guitar World, or whatever you like. The point is to read the things you love and don't let anyone tell you that you have to read certain books.
They were a lot of fun and we created a story about one of the kids, Gabino, who was the shortest, but toughest soccer gangster in the whole school. His soccer gang was the best until a rival got all of Gabino's posse kicked out of school leaving him alone. Then, when Gabino was cornered by a big guy about to get beat up, Gabino used a soccer ball and kicked the ball into the big guy's nuts!! Go Gabiino! That was the happy ending. The tragic ending was much more grim and Gabino was killed in a drive by.
The school visit was fun and my cousin Diane was wonderful. Then we visited my aunt Toni's house and spoke with Tom, her husband, and aunt Toni. I relived old memories and saw the house that I spent so much time in when I was growing up. It was great.
The visit was then over and I made the trip from Reno/Sparks to the Bay Area. It took five hours and went really well. Crossing the Sierra Nevada mountains is fun.
I went to visit my buddy Glenn Lee's place of business and met him there. He and his family own Pet Club, www.petclubstores.com. They built the business from nothing and now they have nine stores in Northern California. They are an amazing family. I got to meet Glenn's family: Jackie, Tam, Ryan, Calvin, and of course Cary, who I went on some trips with. I also got to meet Mr. Lee, Glenn's dad. He's an inspiration, as he'd had a stroke, but he keeps on moving no matter what. I love old guys who won't give up and keep fighting. He's also very open minded and I think that is great.
We went out to dinner that night at Skates on the Bay, watched the sunet on the water and had a wonderful meal, courtesy of Mr. Lee. I got to know Jackie--Glenn's sister, and got to reconnect with Lily, Cary's girlfriend. It was a wonderful day, filled with friends and great experiences.
The best thing about this book tour is getting to see my old friends and family and make new friends. As I told Mr. Lee and his family at dinner, I believe that when we meet people, a golden cord forms between us, connecting us for the rest of time, in this life and the next.
Best wishes,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
I had a fun time at Mendive Middle School in Sparks, Nevada. Sparks is the sister city of Reno and they are practically indistinguishable cities. Anyway, I went to my cousin Bradley Miller's school and spoke to his 8th grade class, along with his whole team, which was around 180 kids, I think.
Anyway, the kids were made to sit on a hard floor first thing in the morning and I had to win them over. 8th graders are a tough crowd, but after a while, they warmed up and it was great. My cousin, Diana, Bradley's mom, was there helping me cart my stuff around and she whispered: read the book. So, I did, and read page one of The Golden Cord. Once I did the reading it was great and they were into it. I really wanted to see Bradley and he's a really cool guy. His mom, Diane, is my favorite cousin and I just love her. She was so nice to me while I was in town and I really want to visit her and her family again.
After the assembly, I spoke to some kids in the class of Mrs. Thomas. She's an excellent teacher and a wonderful person. Her first class was amazing. They were the higher reader kids and we had wonderful time as I taught them how to write a killer story. That was so much fun and we had a great time telling the story of Logan, a kid in the class, who had really horrible things happen to him--in our story . . .
They were a great bunch.
The next class was excellent in it's own way. I hate giving the same exact talk twice in a row, so I took a different approach and we talked about what they liked to read and why it is so important to read what you like, whether it is BMX magazines, Rollingstone, Guitar World, or whatever you like. The point is to read the things you love and don't let anyone tell you that you have to read certain books.
They were a lot of fun and we created a story about one of the kids, Gabino, who was the shortest, but toughest soccer gangster in the whole school. His soccer gang was the best until a rival got all of Gabino's posse kicked out of school leaving him alone. Then, when Gabino was cornered by a big guy about to get beat up, Gabino used a soccer ball and kicked the ball into the big guy's nuts!! Go Gabiino! That was the happy ending. The tragic ending was much more grim and Gabino was killed in a drive by.
The school visit was fun and my cousin Diane was wonderful. Then we visited my aunt Toni's house and spoke with Tom, her husband, and aunt Toni. I relived old memories and saw the house that I spent so much time in when I was growing up. It was great.
The visit was then over and I made the trip from Reno/Sparks to the Bay Area. It took five hours and went really well. Crossing the Sierra Nevada mountains is fun.
I went to visit my buddy Glenn Lee's place of business and met him there. He and his family own Pet Club, www.petclubstores.com. They built the business from nothing and now they have nine stores in Northern California. They are an amazing family. I got to meet Glenn's family: Jackie, Tam, Ryan, Calvin, and of course Cary, who I went on some trips with. I also got to meet Mr. Lee, Glenn's dad. He's an inspiration, as he'd had a stroke, but he keeps on moving no matter what. I love old guys who won't give up and keep fighting. He's also very open minded and I think that is great.
We went out to dinner that night at Skates on the Bay, watched the sunet on the water and had a wonderful meal, courtesy of Mr. Lee. I got to know Jackie--Glenn's sister, and got to reconnect with Lily, Cary's girlfriend. It was a wonderful day, filled with friends and great experiences.
The best thing about this book tour is getting to see my old friends and family and make new friends. As I told Mr. Lee and his family at dinner, I believe that when we meet people, a golden cord forms between us, connecting us for the rest of time, in this life and the next.
Best wishes,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Monday, May 12, 2008
Marvin Moss Elementary School Rocks!
Hello,
What a great day I just had. I spoke at my cousin Anna's school. The kids were excellent and I spoke to a large group, then taught a mini-writing class to Anna's class. They were so smart and creative. We had a blast. I think there are many excellent little writers in her class.
My favorite part of the whole day was getting to hang out and talk with Anna and her family--my favorite cousin Diane, her husband Chris, and their son, Bradly. I love them so much and they are a great family. I can't wait to get to know them more.
The best part of my book tour is getting to reconnect with old friends and family. My old friend Bonnie Peacock came by my book signing at the Barnes and Noble. We had a great chat and it was so awesome to see her! I sold lots of books today, about 32, and life is good.
This is just the start of my trip, but it's going so well.
Best wishes to all of you out there, and to all of you writers out there: get writing. Start with a great first line, create a cool character, be really mean to that character, then throw in even worse problems, and end with a twist.
Best wishes,
Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord
Book One of the Iron Dragon Series
www.paulgenesse.com
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