"Joy," H.H.T.D.L.

That's all I remember he said, "Joy." I was told he said it over, and over, and over. It was his mantra. One that I have adopted, and mumbled often. It was 1992, the publishing company I was designing all of the packaging for had recorded His Holiness The Dalai Lama, and I designed the product:

My partner at the time, who was onsite doing the recording, brought back this prayer card, which H.H. The Dalai Lama had blessed for me!

That was a lifetime ago, but I keep the card in my memory box, and still mutter the mantra: "Joy. Joy." (With a "Happy. Happy." ala Stimpy thrown in.) My whole life makes me laugh — I went from The Dalai Lama to Tony Lama (If you've seen me in person, you've seen my boots... I met my cowboy, Wyatt and MacKenzie's dad, shortly after this package design.) 

This product for H.H.T.D.L. was part of my realization that I have the passion and the power to, figuratively and literally, package joy. This has moved me to build Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing from the inside out... helping each author experience joy throughout the publishing process while sharing joy with their readers through their books, talks, tweets, and blogs. 

Vacation... or Translation?

That's the choice before me, as Spring Break quickly approaches. Do I take the family on a fancy vacation (meaning we take a plane and stay in a hotel instead of taking the RV!) or do we simplify, so I can pay for translating one of our books? It seems I make this decision often – whether to invest in something extraordinary and memorable for the family, or in something for the family business (also extraordinary and memorable!). We'll have fun no matter what we do or where we do it, but I admit, some years I dream about Hawaii while I take that next step forward for Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing!

And who's to say this isn't living the life... =)

And... Book comes with us!

App seen 'round the world!

We're celebrating... our app PARENTING THE FUTURE has been downloaded in all of the countries below! (It's free) Experts featured on our app making national TV appearances: Dr. Laura Markham on The Joy Behar Show last week, and Monday, Feb.22 on The Doctors, Vanessa Van Petten will be discussing Teen Sex.

1. United States
2. Canada
3. Singapore
4. United Kingdom
5. Australia
6. Indonesia
7. Philippines
8. Hong Kong
9. Malaysia
10. China
11. Vietnam 
12. Japan
13. Netherlands
14. Ireland
15. United Arab Emirates
16. Belgium
17. Germany
18. Turkey
19. Saudi Arabia
20. New Zealand
21. Sweden
22. Switzerland
23. India
24. Korea
25. Romania
26. Guatemala
27. Thailand
28. Slovakia
29. Mexico
30. Taiwan
31. Portugal
32. France
33. Egypt
34. Spain
35. Denmark
36. Kuwait
37. Sri Lanka
38. Norway
39. Russia
40. Pakistan
41. Poland
42. South Africa
43. Slovenia
44. Italy
45. Israel
46. Austria
47. Greece
48. Hungary
49. Brazil

If you, or anyone you know, has an iPhone or iPod, get our app on iTunes, and review it!

Screen legend Patricia Neal endorses UNTHINKABLE

It's another “amazing author moment” — Dixie Coskie, author of UNTHINKABLE landed one of her dream endorsements! Legendary actress Patricia Neal whose son endured a traumatic brain injury, recently read Dixie’s memoir/caregiver’s handbook and wrote:

“I am someone who does not just believe in miracles, I depend on them. Miracles come in many forms. Some come at the speed of a lightning bolt... body healed... a life saved. But most miracles come about because of incredible hard work and determination, not only by the injured person fighting for his or her way back, but also by the often unsung heroes who do the world of the angels here on earth.

One of these angels is Dixie Fremont-Coskie, who has written UNTHINKABLE: A Mother’s Tragedy, Teror, and Triumph through a Child’s Traumatic Brain Injury. The book not only tells the remarkable story of her son Paul’s continuing recovery from a terrible cycling accident, she has also outlined her insights and experiences as a caregiver in the form of a practical handbook to help others who may face similar challenges. I highly recommend this book. As a woman who has had one of my own children triumph over a traumatic brain injury, I salute the author’s courage, faith, and most of all love.”

~ Patricia Neal, February 2010

Karin Piper on Colorado TV

"Open enrollment is underway for Colorado Schools... approximately 38,000 kids are waiting to get into Colorado Charter Schools...," begins the KWGN Channel 2 newscast introducing The Education Choice Expert Karin (pronounced kaRIN, not Karen) Piper, author of CHARTER SCHOOLS: The Ultimate Handbook for Parents!


I spoke with Karin yesterday after her first TV appearances and laughed so hard tears ran down my cheeks. Karin is from Sweden, and has the most endearing accent and sweetest turns-of-phrases I've ever heard. So, listening to her share the story of preparing for her appearances on Colorado's morning shows was sheer joy for me.


Karin has been receiving platform-building and publicity advice and training from fellow Wyatt-MacKenzie author and Promote U Guru, Lisa Orrell. Karin shares, "Lisa told me everyone has a tick and I need to practice to find out what I do that's tickish. Well, my husband had just left for Zurich, so I had to practice in the mirror. I never did find my tick, but trying to not do 'it' resulting in my not breathing throughout the entire first interview, I do believe I went pretty blue."


Continuing through my laughter, Karin says, "Lisa also told me, 'Don't wear white, it'll wash you out.' I looked in my closet, everything was white. Everything!"


More laughter. "Lisa also told me to cake on the make-up. I looked in the mirror and thought, Oh My God I look like a hooker! Well, I wasn't hookerish enough, when I saw myself on TV I thought, where did my eyes go?"


Karin did a fantastic job for her first time on local TV... watch for her to go national very soon! Here's Karin on KWGN, see her also on FOX Good Day Colorado.

New Book about Conscious Parenting

Let me introduce Annie Burnside, Soul Nurturer and the author of SOUL TO SOUL PARENTING: A GUIDE TO RAISING A SPIRITUALLY CONSCIOUS FAMILY due out Summer 2010 from Wyatt-MacKenzie!

Many parents today are searching for an updated model of family spirituality, Annie has created it. Here's some raw footage from the book trailer in progress:

This book is a guide for parents who desire a fresh, non-denominational, universal model for bringing spiritual consciousness to their family. 

SOUL TO SOUL PARENTING integrates a mother’s personal spiritual journey into a comprehensive guidebook to be shared with the whole family. It's amazing, and we're thrilled to bring this book to market.


On a side note... Annie's agent, William Gladstone is the author of the cool book THE TWELVE  and also represents Eckhart Tolle. In my opinion, Annie's book takes the essence of Eckhart Tolle's teachings and applies it to parenting in a clear, applicable way to build the consciousness of a family.  

It's Eckhart meets Avatar in a family-friendly guidebook form!

A View of Deadwood, Oregon

Book (my chocolate lab) and I got out of the office this weekend... I thought I'd share a bit of Deadwood with you all.

Look at the background of my website, see the mountain in the distance? This video is shot from the top, looking back on our valley. 



In this one you can see the white specks at the bottom of the valley - those are the offices of Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing.



And this is the ride down!!!!!!! 

Out my window...

This morning I caught a glimpse of our local herd of Elk and shot a photo of the Bull (not an easy feat!) out my window. Gotta love it.

¡Nuevos Libros en Español!

I'm thrilled to announce the upcoming Spring 2010 SPANISH EDITIONS from Wyatt-MacKenzie...

Karin Piper's CHARTER SCHOOLS is currently being translated into Spanish by Laura Hercha and will be available mid-May 2010. We are excited to be reaching Spanish-speaking families that are facing school choice decisions and are seeking an informative guide from the perspective of a parent. Learn more about public charter schools from Karin's informative blog. 


Danielle Rocheford's MOMMY I FEEL FUNNY! A Child's Experience with Epilepsy has been translated into Spanish and will be available mid-March 2010. This book has been embraced by the Epilepsy Foundation and we're thrilled to put it into the hands of Spanish-speaking children who have epilepsy. Learn more, and find great epilepsy resources, at Danielle's site mommyifeelfunny.com.
  
¡Celebre!

The Soundtrack to the Logging Industry

When we first launched Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing in 1998 we helped some local musicians record a concert and package it on CD. Wyatt and MacKenzie's dad was a logger, dropping out of high school at 14 to work at the logging camps in Alaska. For 25 years he worked in the woods, crippling his body and leaving him tense at the end of every day. It's a grueling career. 

I was finally able to make the music available as MP3 downloads – if you're a logger, you'll love it. If you know a logger, let him know, and he'll love you for it. Take a listen on amazon: http://tinyurl.com/craig-terry

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Deemed "the most well-known and successful band dedicated to the woodsman and his family" - Craig (Jenkins) & Terry (McKinnis), and their band are talented musical loggers who have entertained the logging industry for three decades. 

Their songs are about the logger's life, all written by men who have been there. A sampling of the titles tell it all: "The Snag Fallers Ball," "Gypo Crummy," and "Two Moonlight Rides," words and music by Don Beck. The introduction to "Two Moonlight Rides" explains that back in the days of his youth, when Don went to work for an old logger he was promised two things: two moonlight rides, and a picnic in the woods every day. "Spenders and Jeans" by Craig Jenkins tells of the conflict between a logger and his wife when he wants to wear his suspenders to town.