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Monster and USA Today

December 4th, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Happy Thursday.

USA Today published Monster Needs a Christmas Tree in their holiday roundup article for best holiday children’s books.  Congrats to the publisher Scarletta, the author Paul Czajak and illustrator Wendy Grieb.

Here is the article.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2014/12/03/holiday-childrens-books-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer/70055698/

 

Hasbro to Buy DreamWorks?

November 13th, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

There is an article in USA Today this morning about Hasbro in talks to buy DreamWorks.  A price has not been released.  According to the article and Deadline.com, the company is engaging in game changing negotiations that could transform the company.  This includes forming an entertainment powerhouse with Hasbro and also with Hearst to turn their Awesomeness TV into a joint venture.

It seems every day the media landscape is changing.  From online streaming options to new platforms to read books and listen to music.  The entertaining and news media are changing and struggling to find their place.

More artists are leaving Spotify and authors are struggling to leave Amazon.

What does the future hold for the artist?

What do you think?

Publishing and Amazon

June 3rd, 2014 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Good afternoon all!

The following link is about publishing and Amazon.  This is a fascinating time in the book industry.  Michael Wolff is saying publishers are too late and they dug their own graves.  I don’t agree.  Times will continue to change put publishers must innovate and change.  Check out his article here:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/wolff/2014/06/01/the-battle-between-hachette-and-amazon/9761817/

“Josh Gad and Halloween Costumes”

November 7th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

On November 6, USA Today published a wonderful article by contributor Josh Gad.   Gad’s article was a commentary on Halloween costumes and the current state of conformity.  Gad did not dress his 2-year old daughter as a princess, a Disney character, or heaven forbid, Miley Cyrus.   He and she went as …. Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future!
The pictures are adorable.  However, Gad was stunned when no one recognized them!  Some thought she was Bruce Banner, others said she was a doctor!  He exclaimed, “I wanted to grab the mother by her Prada leg warmers and say:  ‘My daughter is not dressed as your damned pediatrician.  She’s Doc Brown.  The same Doctor Emmett Brown who sent McFly back to 1955 on October 26, 1985!’
Gad continues his commentary by summing up the current state of Halloween and how it relates to society.  “Uniformity has become the cool thing.  We all have the same phones.  We all dress the same way… . “  “I think the path is clear!” In order to reclaim our uniqueness, we must first reclaim Halloween
I loved it!
Conformity always made me angry.  In my opinion, social media represents the ultimate in conformity. People used to say me, “Why aren’t you on Facebook or Twitter?”  I have since conformed because of my business but rarely use is consistently.   I know the reason I do not use it… I prefer to swim away from the crowd and be myself.
People can always write me a letter or better yet, pick up the phone!

Every day I have two or three app I use.  They are go-to apps that make my life easier, others are where I receive my news and a few are just for fun.   

     Apps that make my life easier:  They help with weight loss, sleep and relaxation.

1.       Weight Watchers-I can’t say enough about this app.  It changed my life.  It helped me understand food and what is healthy. 

2.       Sleep Pillow-If I can’t sleep I turn on this app and I can hear birds, streams, thunderstorms or spa music.  I’m asleep in an instant.

3.       Hotel Tonight-If you need to find a hotel quickly, this app is the best.  They negotiate with hotels in your local area to get the best deals.

  News apps:  

1.       USA Today-Don’t ask me how they do it but this app is free and updated hourly.  I don’t need to actual paper and it is better than the newspaper because they have the latest information.

2.       TMZ-If I need a gossip update I go to TMZ.  Sometimes the stories are about obscure celebrities but sometimes they break major news like the death of Michael Jackson.

3.       AWS-This stands for All Women Stalk.  I discovered it a few months ago and am addicted.  It is basically lists of everything.  If one wants to know how to use coconut oil or how the best summer reads-just search and a list will pop up.

4.       Zite-This app is a newsroom.  One can list a topic and the app will search for stories having to do with that topic.

Other apps:

1.       Kindle-Download this for free on any ipad/iphone and read anything, anywhere.

2.       Urban Spoon-An app for finding the best local restaurants.

3.       Pandora-A free streaming music site.

4.       TiVo-Record a show from anywhere in your home with this app.

5.       Any library app-your local area library will have a free app to put any book on hold.

6.       Flixster-Find reviews for any movie in your area.

7.       Pop Sugar-News stories about topics such as Beauty, Celebrities, Fashion, Food and Home

8.       EW Must List- A list of Entertainment Weekly’s top 10 popular culture programs.

9.       Fast Food-Get listings of calorie counts for every popular fast food chain.

10.   Book Wall-a new app for me.  One can choose categories and get a new book you will love.