Your personal achievements and milestones! (1 Viewer)

I have a new book out called LETTERS TO LOST LOVED ONES. Be the first (and probably only) person not related to me or someone in the book to actually buy it.

Here's the cover art.

http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Lost-Loved-Ones-David/dp/1502905841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418849373&sr=8-1&keywords=letters+to+lost+loved+ones

If nothing else, the book was extremely fulfilling to write.

Carabimero said:

I have a new book out called LETTERS TO LOST LOVED ONES. Be the first (and probably only) person not related to me or someone in the book to actually buy it.

Click to expand...

Alan:

Congratulations!

That topic sounds fascinating. And I could certainly see how it would be a cathartic experience to write.

My wife is also an author. Your comment above reminded me of her favorite TV commercial right now (for the very reason you stated!):

Hey congrats Alan! One thing I'd like to note: Trying something a little 'out there' here. As you know HTF is a big target for spammers so the mods are going to be pretty vigilant about what gets posted in this thread, but Alan did the right thing and asked in advance if it would be ok, leading to this idea, so let's see how it works out. Stuff from first time posters looking for exposure won't be tolerated and commercial stuff is obviously right out.

We've got some really creative members here who have put out recognizable stuff, so go ahead and brag a little!

Thanks for your encouragement, and the video.

Funny how small things like this book can be the most fulfilling.

So far the book is doing respectable. Within its own category, Spirituality: Death & Loss, it's currently in the top fifty. And it dropped from about five million to under 250,000 over all. It's my twelfth book, so I do have bit of a reader base, but not being a science fiction novel, I doubt many of my previous readers will buy it.
I'm currently turning the book into a documentary using newspaper clips, photos, videos, and other sources to bring these lost souls to life on the small screen. Too bad we didn't have digital cameras back in the day. Would make my job as a documentary filmmaker a lot easier about now!

Alan, congratulations on the book! I really like the idea behind it - ever since I was a little kid, "put it in a letter" was one of the most constant pieces of advice I got from my parents for how to deal with challenging situations and from my point of view it's pretty cool to know I'm not the only one who's done it.

With Alan's permission I have changed the thread title to something a little bit more encouraging and wide ranging. Got a personal achievement you'd like your fellow HTFers to know about? This is the place. Mark something off your bucket list? Ditto. Doesn't need to be as big as a book launch or similar, just something you are proud of and want to share.

Josh Steinberg said:

Alan, congratulations on the book! I really like the idea behind it - ever since I was a little kid, "put it in a letter" was one of the most constant pieces of advice I got from my parents for how to deal with challenging situations and from my point of view it's pretty cool to know I'm not the only one who's done it.

Click to expand...

Josh, thanks. My wife is out of town for a few days, so I am turning our house into a movie studio and adapting the book for the small screen. The good news: I have complete creative freedom. The bad news: I'm breaking the number one rule in Hollywood: never spend your own money on a movie. But I have all the equipment already, and access to a post-production suite, so I think I have a shot at something decent. The dining room set (seen below) consists of a couple of soft boxes and my portable green screen. The living room set has a floor-to-ceiling green screen. My home office is the green room where interviewees doll themselves up. If people show up on time, I think I can shoot the whole thing in five days. Wish me luck. Adapting letters will be tricky, and I risk viewer tedium, but I'm going for a very fast, visual style. When I get a trailer stitched together, I'll post.

Congrats, Alan. You have every right to be proud.

Brian:

How's that coffee shop of yours doing? That falls into the personal achievement category.

Alan, bravo well done congratulations.

Congrats! Are they any plans for an audio version?

-Keith

Keith, thanks and funny you should ask. I am spending Dec 27th and 28th doing an unabridged audio reading for MP3 CDs. Some of those excerpts will be in the movie version.

The book continues to sell modestly. I have a signing at a local bookstore scheduled for January. I've been encouraged by the response to the subject matter and have received an email from a reader I've never met who wanted to tell me how they were affected by one of the letters.

Now if I could only get some positive Amazon reviews