First Word

Rating: ** This movie got great reviews by both viewers and critics, but in my review I would give it a mediocre thumbs down. The primary problem with American Hustle is it's a story loaded with unlikeable characters. You couldn't root for any of them -- not the conman or women or the FBI agent. It's always okay to have villains or bad people, but someone in a film needs to have some redeeming traits to make you root for someone ... anyone. The story is about a con-couple whose crimes get them roped into Abs-cam to get them off the hook. They are forced to con politicians in an elaborate scheme that eventually involves the mafia. The central couple's love for each other is muddied in the casting. The comb-over head conman is unattractive, and the girlfriend is very pretty. It becomes unimaginable why this beautiful woman would get involved with a married, unattractive guy with a kid. Maybe that mirrors real life in some respects, but really if he had been likable...

Rating: ***1/2 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is about one simple theme: don't day dream about living life, live life. The movie is about a "negative review" guy named Walter Mitty who works in the photo archives of Life . The magazine is about to close and go strictly online, and Walter is charged with the keepsake of the final cover image. Walter, who has forged a bond with the photographer, is upended when he realizes that negative 25 has gone AWOL. With the threat of losing his job, Walter finally comes to that all-important fork in the road: are you going to do it or day dream about doing it? Realizing that he hasn't truly lived his life and wanting to impress his love interest, Walter embarks on an adventure across the globe to retrieve the photo. Since I never give away spoilers, all I will say is the movie takes a few interesting and unexpected twists. I saw the movie on Christmas Eve, and it was inspiring and a nice way to invite the new year. Walter...

Rating: ***** Another delightful film just in time for the holidays. Saving Mr. Banks was a wonderful distraction during the bustle of last-minute Christmas shopping. It is a must-go but mostly for adults. It's not really geared toward children so don't get that confused. The movie chronicles the 20-year "courtship" of Walt Disney to get the author of Mary Poppins to give him the film rights to her books. The prim, proper and uptight Mrs Traverse is so married to her books and story she won't budge an inch. It is only after her financial needs necessitate she sell the rights that she reluctantly gives in and flies to the U.S. to help write the script. Mrs. Traverse isn't an easy sell, and the movie depicts through flashback the psychology and reason why she won't give up her stubborn need to have the story produced down to her every specification. Sweet and endearing, it was fun to see the world of 1961 Disney and Disneyland back in its early era....

You want to hear the no. #1 complaint made by authors after working with my company 3L Publishing ? Authors have a seamless experience working with my team, and then when the book comes off press and it gets posted to Amazon and starts selling, the upset starts. So I thought I would take a moment to blog about the perils and realities of Amazon. Lesson no. #1: I don't own Amazon . Yes, tis true. If I owned Amazon I promise this blog post wouldn't be written. Amazon does what Amazon does. They are an enormous corporation. Think of me like an ant compared to a redwood tree. Ants have very little power or influence over the tree. They can walk along the bark and up the tree, but they can't make a dent in the wood. Lesson no. #2: If it's "Out of Stock" it's not 3L's fault . Amazon orders in metrics based on demand so that they don't keep a large on-hand inventory. This means they order "as necessary" with a few extra copies. Books that be...

Getting a nasty head cold after being four years of cold-free, I am quickly reminded why coughing is painful. You know when you wake up and don't feel well, and the day beckons anyway. Yes, I feel this way. The day is crying to be lived, and I feel like (excuse the profanity) shit. I am missing all the holiday festivities. I haven't left the house all week. Tissues all over my desk. I'm a sick sad sack. I am apparently a productive one though because I finished the first draft of my new book Body in the Trunk . I am working with my book coach novelist and screenwriter Scott D. Roberts to perfect it. He's been sending me notes, and per his instructions I am on revisions. I love the book coaching process -- it's collaborative on your own project. I used to enjoy working with a writing partner to bounce ideas around, but I also prefer to develop my own projects solo, too. A book coach gives you an opportunity to have someone dedicated to your project who can give yo...

A novelist friend of mind mentioned she had writer's block. So I thought it was time to once more explore how to overcome writer's block. Before I discuss the subject, I do want to say something about accepting the "blockage" versus battling the clog. I didn't write anything major for two years after suffering some major losses in my personal life. Writing is a creative, intellectual and mind-intensive process. If your emotional house has been emptied of the furniture, so to speak, maybe it's time for you to sit Zen-like in that house and accept it. I wanted to say this because writer's block due to a pure emotional depletion isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's your mind's way of saying, "Whoa! Wait sister or brother give me a vacation. I don't have anything left to give." I just couldn't write anything major simply because I lacked heart and motivation. My distraction and life re-build took front and center. I was focused o...

It's done! The 3L Publishing website got a major facelift. You can see the new website by clicking here . I also wanted to show off the site. Most people don't realize that 3L Publishing also provides marketing and Web development services. Yes, we focus mostly on our core business, which is publishing, but the marketing programs designed to promote books are also available for individuals and small businesses to utilize. We are experts in marketing and PR. Our marketing programs include: Websites Media kits Brochures Branding and Logo Creation Newsletter Templates and Content Blog Design and Content Support Business Card Design Bookmark Design Signage We also write marketing strategic plans, which many companies should be considering creating their marketing plans for 2014. If you would like more information on these services, please contact us at 916-300-8012 or send an email to info@3LPublishing.com. 

Traditional thought on how to reduce high cholesterol is being challenged in the new book  So You Want to Live to be 100?  by John E. Bakos MD. In this exciting new book, medical doctor and author Bakos uses his years of experience studying and evaluating patients with high cholesterol to reveal this surprising information on how to reduce high cholesterol to ensure your heart and vascular system stays healthy and hopefully save you from very common causes of death and disability. Half of all Americans are dying from cholesterol- clogged arteries! According to WebMD, thirty-seven percent of Americans (about one in three, equating to over 110 million people) have cholesterol readings over 200mg. As a result, millions of Americans are at risk from suffering the effects of high cholesterol, namely its association with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, which includes coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Millions of Americans are essen...

I have a confession: I periodically get depressed. My cycle influences that depression, too. I am normally an upbeat, positive person, but I definitely get struck by sadness and uncertainty. I'm one of those people who likes to know where the road is going in life and when things start to as I put it yesterday "drift" along, I find hard to let go and just see where life is going to take me. So for all of you "control freaks" out there, here is what I've learned and let's see if it helps. Control is an illusion : you all know that don't you? As humans we think we're mighty and in control. Reality is control works like this: I can control my thoughts, actions and behavior. The rest ... strictly up to God or the other person. You can't make anybody do anything. The ideal is for that person to want to do things. You can set up conditions where the other person will want to do something, but that is all. Thinking that you can control everything ...

When writers go to self-publish and they don't have experience with actual publishing, I see so many common mistakes. I always encourage writers to use professional services vs. do-it-yourself attempts that visibly fail and make their products -- whether books or brochures -- look unprofessional. The following are some common mistakes I see with self-published books, brochures or anything that requires professional service to get it right. Poorly Trimmed Children's Books or Graphics --while an author may not be overly bothered about his or her illustration being cut off because of misaligned template specifications, this mistake jumps out every time. I will casually thumb through one of these children's books or graphic-intensive flyers, brochures, business cards, etc. and notice the graphics are cutoff. I've seen many children's books with these problems. Illustrations cutoff right along the edges. Print alignment is math. You need a graphic artist who knows prod...

Regional writer Scott D. Roberts, author of Vengeance is Now ( www.vengeanceisnow.com ) has been named a winner in the 2013 “50 Great Writers You Should be Reading” contest sponsored by the Authors Show ( www.theauthorsshow.com ). Roberts won for his first novel Vengeance is Now and will be featured in the book 50 Writers You Should be Reading . Roberts was selected as a finalist and winner after submitting his humorous essay “Russell Crowe is a Complete Jerk.” Vengeance is Now , an erotic-thriller, takes readers into the life of Tate Holloway, a disgraced former police detective and secret gigolo, who goes on the run after his arch nemesis and serial killer “The Eye” successfully frames him for murder. Roberts comes from the Hollywood film community where he wrote, produced, and co- directed the award-winning documentary, “Gas Hole,” narrated by Peter Gallagher. He has written several screenplays and has had projects optioned or bought by Paramount, Columbia, MGM, EUE/S...

I don't watch much television, but every now and then I catch a show. Well, the other day I was mindlessly sitting on the sofa when a commercial came on. It was an "Author's Kit": everything you need to be an author. Wow! My mouth dropped, and I wondered since when did my chosen profession become a Tinker Toy set? We ALL can be authors, and here' the kit. I imagined an engineering set: here is your Build a High Rise kit complete with concrete and hammer. You too can build a downtown high rise just use our handy kit. Dear friends and prospective authors if publishing has now come down to a KIT we're all in for a lot of really bad books. Do-it-yourself publishing kits do not replace professionals. Each part of publishing is a profession. Editing is a skill. Writing is a talent. Graphic art another profession. People go to college and attain degrees to perfect these skills. What I think happened is the eBook revolution has created a slippery slope. An area that...

It's frozen outside -- the roofs and cars and grass all crystal white this morning. I felt inspired with Christmas upon us to review the 3L Publishing books I think would make marvelous Christmas gifts. Let's start with our latest children's book just released in time for Santa's sack: Princess Josie . This stunning children's book is perfect for little boys and girls between the ages of 4-10. Younger children will enjoy a parent reading it to them and older children can read aloud to parents. I took my little girl to the book launch, and she absolutely loved the Princess Josie bundle that includes a puppy dog and aptly scripted "Princess Josie" dog dish. The little plush toy looks exactly like the dog in the book. As the publisher, I was thrilled with the final product. What makes Princess Josie stand out is the impressionistic art style of the dog and family. I would go so far as to call the book a true work of art. The story about a puppy who think...

Ooops! I forgot to blog this morning. I am always bragging to people that I blog daily. But do you know how hard it is to keep the words going every single day? Sometimes like today I just have to start tapping away on the keyboard and come up with something meaningful to say about life, business or publishing. Today I thought I would answer the question: What is a book coach? I'll start by saying what a book coach is not ... a guy who stands on the sidelines and yells and screams, "Go get 'em boys!" Yes, not a book coach. A book coach is ... A knowledgable writing expert who guides your novel or even nonfiction book to be written in the correct storytelling or formatted structure. An expert who can tell you and provide advice on: Character development Good vs. bad dialog Story arc and development Ideas and comments on plots and sub-plots Someone simply to hold you accountable to meet your goals I am working with my own book coach, who is Scott D. ...

I've officially been single now a whole year LOL. Having ventured into the single world and experienced all its "colors" I felt compelled to share some advice for the guys who are trying to meet me on Facebook (in particular). Now buckle up because the advice I'm going to doll out is super hard, you know, like rocket science ;). I am really messing with you. But pay attention guys because if you're doing any of these things ... well, you aren't going to get a date very fast. Tip Numeral Uno -- Spelling! Punctuation! = Literacy First, I am a writer and publisher, and that largely known fact is splattered everywhere on my Wall. So, boys perhaps (and this is a big insight) you might dare to think I value literacy. Yes, when you send me a barely readable message where every word is misspelled and you don't know punctuation from adulation, I'm giving you a thumbs-down. Simple attention to detail goes a long ways. Like you would with a resume, your mess...

Many people propose niche books and mistakenly believe it might not sell. Here is what I've discovered about niche books. Unless the niche is super narrow (think of niche like only girls with authentic pink hair will read it), a niche book has long-term viability and typically enjoys a long sales cycle. Why? Because niche books usually have little if any competition. I'll give an example. The book Beyond the Iron by Wayne Kurtz has consistently sold a handful of books each month over the three-year period since its release. The book is about ultra-distance triathlons (we're talking thousands of miles of biking, cycling and swimming). How many people do you know who participate in these events? Except for Wayne I can't say anyone else. Wayne, on the other hand, flies all over the world to participate in these events, and he is constantly promoting his company Race Twitch . He meets plenty of these extreme endurance athletes all of the time. So when people want to know ...

Good or bad press is always good press. Attention is, after all, attention and a spotlight on anything calls attention to it. I was reading a book review of another author's book. Now I know this book very well (and I'm not going to say the book to avoid "insult to injury"). I got extremely annoyed when the book reviewer, who was slamming the book, started making specific statements about the content. What's worse, the statements and the examples were not from the actual book. I was aghast to read the reviewer say the writing was bad, and then show examples that didn't come from the book! How can you say a book is poorly written and then use examples of why that aren't even from the material? If you're going to criticize something try being accurate. You can't say something is poorly written and then write something poorly written as an example that doesn't come from the source. I wasn't sure whether to laugh, mock the reviewer with a ...

Rating: ***** I'm not a huge fan of animated film, but I take my nine-year-old daughter to the ones I think I can actually sit through and not get too bored. Frozen was one such film. My daughter begged for weeks in advance of its release, so I obliged. The misleading perception is that it's a film about a talking snowman named Olaf, but it's really about two princesses and their relationship. A friend of mine scoffed, "The snowman looked stupid so I didn't want to see it," and while the snowman is a part of the film he doesn't even show up until about halfway through it. The film opens with the two sisters playing together and enjoying the older girl's magic powers to create snow and ice through her hands. Upon an unfortunate accident that nearly kills her little sister, the older girl is moved into isolation (her powers are predicted to grow) to protect the other sister. This results in the older sister "colding" herself off from the...