The Highs of March

Say my name. Say my name.

As soon as we saw the first commercial air -- we knew Laurie's appearance on national TV was going to be big. On March 8 Anderson Cooper began his daytime talkshow with, "Today's show impacts everyone who has a kid..." He then quoted statistics of children taking meds and THEN said, "Today we have Laurie A.  Couture author of Instead of Medicating and Punishing..." I didn't hear what came next because I was squealing. He said the name of our book and author at the very top of the show...OMG. The next 60 minutes was an adrenalin-rush, to say the least, as Laurie went toe-to-toe with a Mayo Clinic expert and a mom who held different beliefs than hers on ADHD. She did amazing! I was so proud of how brave and eloquent Laurie was. Thousands of comments and social media posts shot round the world and Laurie fulfilled one of her missions of publishing this book back in 2008 — she affected international dialogue with her expertise and experience. 

Endorsement Elation

I am a huge fan of comedians, especially the really smart ones. When two sensational stand-ups -- one my ultimate favorite brilliant comedic hero -- endorsed one of our own this month, I danced around the office until I was breathless. 

Am I being Punk'd?

So it seems we've been a hot item on PublishersMarketplace -- I gasped when I took this screen capture on the home page...

The proposals that have been crossing my desk are unbelievable. And I admit, I feel like the ugly girl who the popular boy asked to the prom and then stood her up the night of the dance when he realized she wasn't as popular as he thought...these are major celebrities who deserve major publishing deals. I know it's wrong to talk about an agent pitch, but...I know I won't hear back from this one: Hollywood insider's 3-book fiction series about a beautiful gal swept off her feet by a big-name star, becomes an entertainment host and one of the most famous girlfriends, and then the break-up with a promised "big reveal" the rest of the world doesn't even know. WOW. As soon as I see the real deal she gets I'll share it, but until then I have to keep it a secret. Shhhh.

Shipping Next Month from Wyatt-MacKenzie

Our Spring Releases start shipping in April! A BETTER HIGH by Matt Bellace will be introduced at the Prevention Council's 30th Annual Leadership Conference at Skidmore College; DEAR DAD, IT'S OVER will be celebrated at M's hometown library; THIS ROCK IN MY HEART will have a musical, Hollywood extravaganza release party; and THE CHALK CIRCLE will have a multiple-author signing at Books Inc. in San Francisco, and has already been chosen for a featured review in the summer issue of Foreword Reviews Magazine. New out digitally is A SUBURBAN MOM, the very funny collection of essays from journalist Meredith O'Brien we published in 2007, now available on Kindle, Nook and iBook.

New Spring Imprints

Sandi Bell is an advocate for horses, she has a beautifully illustrated guide on horse care, BEFORE THE 'CROP' COMES OUT.

Dr. Pamela Jeanne focuses on rediscovering a new way to heal in HEALING MATTERS: CELEBRATING WOMEN'S INNATE HEALING NATURE.

Deborah Beasley has an important book to help parents adopt, SUCCESSFUL FOSTER CARE ADOPTIONS.

Kelly Estes is our youngest Imprint yet and she is an inspiration. At 17 she penned a novel honoring her Uncle who served in WW2 -- she will release THE COST OF COURAGE two days after she graduates from college.

This husband, wife, and grandmother team has created a powerful guidebook for parents with visually impaired children, LITTLE BEAR SEES.

Honored to be Nominated...

Finally, we were honored to learn today that THE BEAUTIFUL ONE HAS COME is on the long-list for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. And earlier this month we had 4 finalist nominations from Reader Views Literary Awards. These are the first announcements of the upcoming book award season...which is sure to be eventful!

Rest in Peace ~ Robert Ellis Gordon

 A note from Robert Gordon's Editor, Zac Hill

It is with tremendous sadness that I learned of the recent passing of Robert Ellis Gordon, my great friend and mentor.

For my entire life I have yearned to write. As a precocious kid however I had always been too quick to bask in the praise that well-meaning people heaped upon me. I became entitled. I became spoiled. I refused to learn. I refused to grow, instead defaulting to an unearned and alien superiority.

Robert saw through all that. My first meeting with him obliterated any pretenses I would dare bring to the table. He had zero tolerance for bullshit and made very clear that if I wanted to mature in my writing I must eradicate my pride. His patience with me over the course of that process has shaped the whole of me. I will owe him forever.

Gradually, we began to work together. For six months I sat with him on his coffee-stained carpet late into the night poring through every word of Humping Credenzas with the Late Bobby Kennedy, his seminal work. Through spasms of pain he would dictate sentences, pausing to gasp, and I would type a line, delete it, type a line again. Eventually there became a novel. We read every word aloud. When something was off, he fixed it. Only once we managed to read the entire book cover-to-cover without a single interjection could he allow himself to send it in. Let it never be said that the labors of the mind bespeak no toil.

From the beginning I knew Robert was fatally ill. The caprice of his lucidity and the intensity of his ire strained our relationship. Dealing with this is the burden of we who live. He wanted nothing more than to be free from the pain that consumed him, the flares that stormed his brain. At that he has now triumphed. He believed in heaven. I know he's there. I hope he's here.

2012 Media & Motorsports Divisions

We just took a family trip down to San Francisco to celebrate my birthday. It was a great getaway with lots and lots of laughs, and some plans for the future. I've always told Wyatt and MacKenzie, "You can do anything you are interested in for a career. Whatever you love to do." I continue to gently nudge them toward their talent and show them ways they can use it within the company I have built (for them!).

My challenge to them this week was for one small step forward...think about the logos for their own divisions of Wyatt-MacKenzie. So...

MacKenzie Media

Kenzie has been playing with video editing and sound composition. She helped me create this book trailer for one of our authors, and now she has adjusted the soundtrack and added a first draft of her logo to the end!

Wyatt-MacKenzie Motorsports

Wyatt and his dad have been building a Motorsports Division for a few years, racing our Rock Crawler called "The Timber Chicken." Here it is in Wyatt's first draft of his logo -- that's his dad scaling a culvert in a race they took second place.

We're excited to grow our Media Division and Motorsports Division over the next few years. We have a little high-tech, to keep up with the multi-media virtual-reality experience books are headed in, and a little redneck to not lose touch with real-world steel-rubbing adrenalin-pumping fun. That's Wyatt-MacKenzie, Deadwood, Oregon!

Video customers can contact media@wyattmackenzie.com and Racing Sponsors can contact motorsports@wyattmackenzie.com for more information! 

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For a laugh...here's video from our trip. A little company team-building in action. (Music by Colt Ford. Segways rented from Segways SF Bay -- ask for Charlie.)