Elevation by Sheilah Vance

Booksigning Tues., 9/22, Borders, Wynnewood, 7-9pm

Hope to see you at my booksigning tomorrow at Borders, 80 E. Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, PA., 7-9pm.  I'll be signing my novels Land Mines and Chasing the 400.

My booksigning, Tues. 9/22, 7-9pm, Borders, Wynnewood, PA

Please join me at a booksigning/reading of Land Mines and my other books on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7 - 9pm, at Borders, 80 E. Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, PA.  Can't wait, and look forward to seeing you there.  Peace--SV

3 free review books to book clubs in August

August Special: 

For the month of August, while supplies last, we will send a review copy of our award-winning books, “Land Mines“ by Sheilah Vance, and/or  “A Christian Woman’s Journal to Weight Loss” by Patricia Thomas to any book club that would like to consider these books for their club’s reading.  And, we will give you access to a digital review copy of our October 2009 fiction release, “Heads Deacon, Tails Devil” by P. J. McCalla.  We only ask that the person reading the book please post a review on www.borders.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.Amazon.com, and another review site such as www.Shelfari.com, www.Goodreads.com, or www.AuthorsDen.com.  To obtain your free copy, please send an email to info@TheElevatorGroup.com with the name of your book club and your name and address. 

  

 

Ever wonder why some writers write and what to write about?

...from famed Argentine author, Jorge Luis Borges:  “All things have been given to us for a purpose, and an artist must feel this more intensely.  All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art.”  Couldn’t have said it better myself.  So, when life gives me lemons, I pick up my pen and make lemonade.  And it tastes wonderful!

In Memory of Princess Diana, born today, July 1...

Princess Diana had such an impact on me as she did on many other people, especially women, around the world.  On today, her birthday, I'm posting a link to my novel, Land Mines, which honors her memory and impact on the first two pages. Diana was the inspiration for the title, the cover, the whole book, which is about a woman who keeps a journal to help her navigate the land mines of separation, divorce and dating again and how she rebuilds her life through self-reflection, self-help, and the grace of God. It begins, " Land Mines. I picture Princess Diana, the patron saint of women in bad marriages, head and face helmeted behind indestructible plexiglass, walking on a field, trying to find and destroy land mines before they blow up in her face or the face of some innocent, shattering them, maiming them, changing their lives forever. For I was like Diana, no, am like Diana...."
Read about it at www.TheElevatorGroup.com. Read an excerpt at http://www.theelevatorgroup.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/landmines_freedownload.pdf.
It's available at bookstores & online everywhere.

I'm also releasing Land Mine's companion journal, Journaling Through the Land Mines, in July (official release date July 15) in honor of Princess Diana.  Details to come...

Happy Birthday, Diana.

Peace--SV

See Publishers Weekly article on new Elevator Group author John Presta and his book, "Mr. & Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, Two Bookstore Owners & 300 Volunteers Did It"

Publishers Weekly.com ran an article today 6/16 at http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6665528.html&&&&&&&&, on the new Elevator Group author John Presta, former owner of Reading on Walden bookstore in Chicago, and his new book,coming out in Jan. 2010,  "Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots:  How Barack Obama, Two Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers Did It."  It's a unique and fabulous book.  Here's a description: 

Chicago community activists John Presta and his wife Michelle were running their small, popular independent bookstore, Reading on Walden, when Barack Obama’s campaign asked them to help in his 2000 race for Congress. Instantly impressed after meeting Obama, the Presta’s came on board and stayed on board after his loss. An engaging, detailed, first person account of the Presta’s personal interactions with Obama and how they, together with Obama and his early campaign workers, slowly and steadily built a grassroots organization around a highly committed group of some 300 volunteers. This book peels the layers off the early years of Obama’s political career, detailing how he and individual grassroots and "netroots" organizers built a successful campaign despite the Chicago political machine and won the 2004 Senate race, causing immediate speculation about Obama for President. With great insight into a younger Barack Obama’s character, vision, self-confidence and determination, Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots shows how change comes slowly, gradually, incrementally, and suddenly, and how one person—or two-- can make a difference that changes the world.

It will be released in a Limited Edition Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and Ebook.  Details to come.

Peace--SV

Please buy our books from Barnes & Noble by 6/15!

Dear Friends--

I hope that you can help with this important matter and share this with your friends and encourage them to help as well.

As an independent publisher, we strive to have our books available everywhere books are available  by the major New York publishers.  And, we strive to bring to the public quality books.  We know that our books are quality because of the feedback that we get from you and the awards that our books have won (recently two books, my novel Land Mines and Patricia Thomas' book, A Christian Woman's Journal to Weight Loss were finalists is five categories--Multicultural Fiction, Best Cover Design Fiction; Inspirational, Spirtuality & Motivational--in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, which are open to all book publishers except the top six New York houses, so quite a large group).

Yet, we still are trying to climb that major hurdle of having our books on the shelves, not just available in their systems and on-line, at the major chains, such as Barnes  & Noble and Borders.  It is important to have them on the shelves because we have been told that local Barnes & Nobles now are told not to schedule booksignings for authors unless the book has been purchased at the national level.

It has come to our attention that, in this economy,  Barnes & Noble is now looking at pre-orders for books in making a decision whether to buy books at the national level for stocking on the shelves in bookstores around the country. 

The national sales representative for our distributor is meeting with the buyer from Barnes & Noble on June 17/18.  We would like to show that there is broad support for our books by showing at least 50 orders for our fall titles.

I know that many of you will buy these books when they are released in September/October at various events that we will have.  And, because they have recently won awards, the sale rep is also finally presenting Land Mines and A Christian Woman's Journal to Weight Loss to Barnes & Noble.  So, if you have been intending to buy these two books, now is the time.

I am asking you to please buy your books by June 15, at www.BarnesandNoble.com or by placing a pre-order at a Barnes & Noble store!  We have a great line up of books for the fall, and we are all working very hard on promoting them, including using nationally known publicists.  But, we need to have the books in bookstores so people can walk in and buy and so when people ask, like many of you ask, "when are you going to have an event at Barnes & Noble?", we can give you a variety of dates and times.

Here's a brief description of some of our fall books, and I have attached a flyer with more detail on them all.  Also, please go to our website, www.TheElevatorGroup.com, for more information about the books, the authors, and to hear audio excerpts from the two poetry books we have.

Heads Deacon, Tails Devil by P. J. McCalla (October 2009) ISBN 978-0981971902; 246 pp., $27.95

Set in a small town in the early 1900's, the novel Heads Deacon Tails Devil is the story of Robert Grant, an elementary school teacher and long-standing deacon and spirit-stirring soloist at Nazarene Baptist Church, who shows his best side to his adoring, unsuspecting public, but is the devil incarnate at home. Rachel Grant, who, as a young woman, married Robert against her mother's advice and was sorry for it from her wedding night on, tries her best to shield herself and her five children from Robert's devil side. But, Rachel's strong and wise mother, Mom Maggie, has to step in. With her prophetic gifts, cunning and mother-wit, Mom Maggie fights Robert every step of the way and tries to give her daughter and grandchildren a happy, normal life. As he becomes increasingly frustrated with his ability to control his family and his life, Robert's devil side grows stronger, and Rachel and the children suffer horribly because of it. Blaming Rachel, the children and Mom Maggie for anything he doesn't like about his life, Robert turns to other women to ease his mental and physical needs. As Robert tries to destroy one life in hopes that another will satisfy him, Mom Maggie and Rachel plan to show Robert that the devil is a liar.

Obamatyme:  Election Poetry by Melodye Micere Van Putten (October 2009); ISBN 978-0981971957 ;  65 pp.; $15.95

In honor of the one year anniversary of the historic election of President Barack Obama, Melodye Micere Van Putten offers this collection of poetry that chronicles her feelings from the intense campaign season starting in September 2008 and through the early days of the Obama administration in 2009. Van Putten never believed that she would live to witness the election of an African American man to the Presidency of the United States and, like millions, she worked the campaign with time and money. Her poetry chronicles the roller coaster feelings machine of disbelief and pride, rage and inspiration, and despair and hope that she felt leading up to the election. When negative campaign tactics agitated her, Van Putten, who has long used poetry as a favored medium for therapeutic and emotional release, began writing these poems to get the feelings out of her aching head, hurting heart and agitated body. The poems are dated, arrange chronologically, and indexed by subject. Obamatyme: Election Poetry is offered for you to read, laugh, shake your head, agree or disagree, but most of all--to enjoy.

Also see at www.TheElevatorGroup.com info about these titles:

 

Soul Poems:  Life as Fertile Ground by Melodye Micere VanPutten (September 2009); ISBN 978-0978685461; 60 pp.; $15.95

This collection of women's poetry represents slices of the large pie of the author's life experiences, from the sacred to the defiant to the challenges we all live daily.

Journaling through the Land Mines by Sheilah Vance (July 2009) 

ISBN 978-0978685423; 215 pp.; $15.95 

Journaling Through the Land Mines is the companion journal to the novel, Land Mines. The journal includes 77 writing prompts and over 200 journaling pages with inspirational quotes and space for the reader to record her reflections, thoughts and feelings as she works through the land mines of separation, divorce and dating again.

A Student's Guide to Being Happy in Argentina by Hope Lewis (September 2009); ISBN  978-0-9786854-8-5; 80 pp.; $15.95

For any student you know who will be studying in Argentina.

Thanks in advance for your support.  Please also share with your friends and encourage them to support us as well.

Take care.

Sheilah Vance

Elevator Group scores big in 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

I am so pleased to report that two books published by my publishing company, The Elevator Group, scored big in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, which are open to  small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.

My novel  Land Mines was named a finalist in two categories:  1) Multicultural Fiction, and 2) Best Cover Design Fiction.  Patricia Thomas' book, A Christian Woman's Journal to Weight Loss, published by our Faith imprint, was named a finalist in three categories:  1) Spiritual, 2) Inspirational, and 3) Motivational.

As an author and independent publisher, this is wonderful affirmation.  In both instances, you put your work out there and wait and hope.  Work that you believe in and hope that others do, too.  Work that you put out there with a purpose and a reason that you hope that others understand. 

As I head off to Book Expo America, the book industry's major trade show, in New York City next week where The Elevator Group will introduce five new authors and eight new books scheduled for publication from now through March 2010, I feel like I am going with the wind at my back, pushing us on to bigger and better things.  Three of our authors, including myself, will be featured at autographing sessions.

I first self-published my novel Chasing the 400 after being turned down by over 20 New York agents and publishers.  It found its audience of happy readers and went on to be named the first selection of the African American Museum of Philadelphia Book Club out of all of the books that they could have choosen.  My novel Land Mines is different in format from most novels as it is written in journal style with very little dialogue.  I even call it a new genre--therapeutic fiction.  I wasn't looking for a major publisher for Land Mines, but I know that they are very wary of taking on books that are different.  But, I had a reason and a purpose for writing Land Mines and a target audience that I knew would understand and appreciate the book.

Now, with publishing other authors, I know that there are alot of talented people out there with wonderful stories to tell who just need a chance to tell them and get their stories out into the public.  I am happy to provide that vehicle, and I hope that I can continue to do so for many years to come.

You can read more information about all of our authors at www.TheElevatorGroup.com.

Peace--SV

 

Booksigning Sat. 5/9 Borders, Largo, MD, 2-4pm

Just a reminder that I'll be doing a booksigning/reading of my novel, Land Mines, at Borders,931A Capital Center Blvd., Largo, MD on Saturday, May 9 from 2-4pm. 
Give this gift of reading to a Mom on Mother's day--especially if she's ever been separated, divorced, or raising children by herself and holding it down!  She will relate.
Hope to see you Saturday.  Come on out and bring a friend.
Peace--SV

Sheilah leading Journaling workshop/reading at Artmosphere Cafe, Mt. Ranier, MD, 3/2009

Loving the next generation (photos from Howard U. booksigning)

Yes, I'm loving the next generation.  Last week (4/21) at my booksigning at Howard University, my alma mater, I had a great time hanging out with, sharing my thoughts with, answering questions from, and reading to the next generation.  My son, Vance, who's a sophomore there in the School of Business, came out with about 10 of his friends to cheer me on, as did my nephew, Ehren, who's also a sophomore there.  I can't tell you how great that made me feel.  As Mother's Day is just around the corner, I am thrilled with my son's everlasting support and with the good and supportive friends that he has made.  And, seeing my nephew, who's like a son to me as he is only a week older than my son, gave me the same feeling.  They didn't have to do it.  They could have blown off the event, especially their friends.  But they didn't.  And I so appreciate that.  They came with thoughtful questions and open and listening spirits.  I feel so confident that our future is secure when these young people take over with the heart, the brains, and the compassion to move our world forward.  So, thanks to them all:  Vance Lewis, Ehren Vance, Shanel Tate, Nicolas Mitchell, Gary Nelson, Jr.; Jacob Fitzgerald, Jared Mason, Chantel Bennett, Kristopher Brash, Dwayne Arcenaux, and Morgan Venzant.  From one Bison to another...Peace!