Watch the video ALPHABET WOOF!

http://oneboredmommy.blogspot.com/2010/07/this-book-had-my-son-giggling-from-get.html

In Hurricane Mia, Mia’s world is falling apart. First she learns that her mom is sick. Then she and her younger brother are whisked away to their grandparents’ home in the Caribbean for the summer. Mia is furious until she meets Neisha, an island girl, who tells her about “the tea that cures everything.” Will Mia find the tea? Will it cure her mom? An incredible adventure follows, taking Mia and friends on the high seas where they meet barracudas, explore uninhabited islands and search for a magical tea.

The Dragon’s Nest will be celebrating Caribbean-style outside on Market Square with their very own Green Flash Café (just like in the book). For refreshments, they’ll be whipping up tropical mango smoothies. Donna Seim will read a selection from Hurricane Mia and both the author and illustrator will be on hand to sign copies of the book. With each signed book, you will receive a free good fortune in one of Mia’s magical tea bags!

For more information about the book, visit http://www.donnaseim.com

See you on Saturday at the book launch!

April 22, 2010

By Victor Tine

Staff writer

Oh, their book, “The T206 Collection,” is indeed about an iconic set of baseball cards issued by the American Tobacco Co. between 1909 and 1911.

But the book’s subtitle, “The Players & Their Stories,” points readers to a key that unlocks elements of the history, not only of the beginnings of modern baseball, but of America in the early days of the 20th century.

More than 500 players in the major and minor leagues — including 38 Hall of Famers — had trading cards that the tobacco company slipped into cigarette packs. The Zappalas, of Merrimacport, and their co-author, Lou Blasi of Amesbury, researched all of them.

The result is a coffee-table volume filled with colorful reproductions of the cards — and equally colorful stories of the men depicted on them.

“A lot of the players had some of the same issues players have today, like substance abuse and contract issues,” Tom Zappala said. “They came from all kinds of backgrounds.”

“This was also the time when unions were starting to get a foothold,” his wife added.

“The game was so different — but it’s the same,” Blasi said.

There are brief biographical sketches of all the players, famous and obscure, with their achievements and flaws — from clutch home runs to bar fights.

Research brought the flat images to life. There are figures such as Bill O’Hara, a Canadian who enlisted to fight in World War I, where he put his outfielder’s arm to good use throwing grenades for the British in the Battle of the Somme.

“I started to think of these guys as my boys,” Ellen Zappala said.

Tom Zappala picked up his first T206 card — Cleveland catcher Ted Easterly — about 20 years ago in an antiques shop in Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The T206 set is considered one of the most important collections of baseball cards ever issued, said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticators, a company that evaluates cards for sale or trading purposes.

Orlando, who wrote the foreword and a chapter of “The T206 Collection,” said the size of the set, the visual appeal of the images and the selection of players make T206 cards valuable collectibles.

The idea for the book came after Tom Zappala acquired the card of one Russell “Lena” Blackburne, an infielder with four Major League teams.

Zappala learned that Blackburne had an undistinguished playing career, but that he also made a significant contribution to the game. He discovered that mud from a certain spot near the Delaware River was perfect for taking the shine off baseballs without staining them. Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud is still in use by Major League Baseball, Zappala said.

The book is divided into seven sections. There is a chapter on the Hall of Famers and another called “Overlooked by Cooperstown?” about players who perhaps should be in the Hall but aren’t. Among the latter is Fred Tenney, a Georgetown native who was the first first-baseman to stretch out from the bag to take a throw.

There is also a chapter called “The Bad Boys of Baseball,” where the reader will find the era’s gamblers, brawlers, drunks, cheats and outlaws.

The last chapter, by Orlando, is devoted to how cards are graded to determine their market value, from dog-eared and worthless all the way up to the Honus Wagner card, which Orlando calls the “Mona Lisa of trading cards” and last sold for $2.8 million.

The book took about 18 months to research and write, Tom Zappala said, and is being released during the 100th anniversary of the T206 collection.

“We really pushed ourselves to get it done for the 100th anniversary,” Ellen Zappala said.

The Zappalas and Blasi have an active promotional schedule planned, including signings during a two-week exhibition of the Donald E. Spence T206 Collection, a complete collection of the set, at the New England Sports Museum at the TD Garden in July. They also have a presentation planned at the Merrimac Library on June 3, and Blasi will be on hand for a Beer, Baseball and Barbecue Dinner at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury on June 19.

They say the book is being well received by memorabilia collectors and just plain fans alike. They’ve been interviewed by some out-of-state radio stations, they said.

“This was a labor of love,” Tom Zappala said. “We’ve become a little overwhelmed by the attention.”

IF YOU GO

What: Book launch and signing for “The T206 Collection”

When: Saturday, May 1, 7 to 9 p.m.

Where: Jabberwocky Bookshop, The Tannery, 50 Water St., Newburyport

How: Free admission. Reservations requested; e-mail spitball@t206players.com or call 978-346-9496. For more on the book, visit http://t206players.com.

The ambition for this tour is simple: To create a venue where people are invited to experience a Jesus they may have never known; to discover God’s grace and forgiveness in a non-threatening format; and to communicate Jesus’ unconditional love that transforms religion into a personal relationship with Christ. This tour will also support the building of homes in La Florida, Peru through the Fuller Center for Housing.

And there’s music. Sean Dietrich and the Sawmill Biscuit Band (when available) will be in tow in all their musical glory.

The book Leaving Religion, Following Jesus continues to make an impact on those inside and outside the established church. Leaving Religion, Following Jesus challenges readers to rethink their personal relationship to religion, faith, and Christian spirituality — and to discover new ways of following the revolutionary example set by Jesus.

Find out more about the tour at http://leavingsalem.wordpress.com/. Pick up the book at www.amazon.com.

40 Promotional Ideas Under $40.00

1. Take charge. Never leave the job of publicity to the publisher alone. You know the book and your audience better than anyone.
2. Buy your domain name as soon as you have a title for your book.
3. Start your own blog (you can add it to your Web site later).
4. Go on Facebook and Twitter and set up micro-blogging accounts. Cultivate relationships.
5. Begin the buzz 6 months prior to pub-date through word of mouth, social networking. This helps to build up your readership.
6. Request endorsements for your book.
7. Create a BIG list. Put together e-mail lists of friends, family, reviewers, editors, producers, bloggers for your targeted audience.
8. Put together your press kit, including press release, interview questions, tip sheets, electronic photos.
9. Create an email signature for every e-mail you send; e-mail signatures are a great way to promote your book.
10. Send out galleys to the book trade Industry 3-4 months before pub date.
11. Send out galley to consumer magazines 2-3 months before pub date.
12. Write up a marketing plan and timeline.
12. Begin locally. Launch a book event/party at your local bookstore.
14. Pitch local newspapers, radio and TV.
15. Send your e-mail news release out to everyone on your “list.”
16. Create more lists, including free online press release sites.
17. Write an article. Pitch some regional and national magazines with your topic or submit a freelance article for reprint consideration.
18. Plan a contest book giveaway online.
19. Go on a virtual book tour.
20. Pitch Internet Radio Book Shows
21. Record conversational podcasts.
22. Give away a PDF download of the first chapter of your book.
23. Incorporate a video and post it on video sharing sites.
24. Ask your publisher to put your book on Kindle.
25. Join book groups on micro-blogging Web sites, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, GoodReads, Gather, Shelfari, Jacketflap and others.
26. Add your book URL to online book directories and listing sources, including Independent Online Book Association, Top 101 Marketing, Shelf Awareness and others.
27. Add your book to Google Book Search.
28. Submit for book awards.
29. Talk at libraries and organizations throughout New England.
30. Reach out to pitch more radio and TV shows nationally.
31. Generate reviews on Amazon.com, reconfigure search tags for the book, and make sure that the content and features posted are what you want (e.g., “look in the book.”).
32. Prepare an elevator speech about your book.
33. See if there are any book festivals or writer’s conferences that you would like to be in.
34. Going on vacation? Schedule a book event, radio spot in the area.
35. Did you write a book about the Civil War or Knitting? Think about special events that you can do around the subject of your book & who you might partner with.
36. Always keep in mind current events that might tie in with your book. Call folks in the media to let them know your expertise.
37. Go on a blog tour and download a podcast that you created.
38. Be sure that all of your social network profiles list your Blog and Web site URLs.
39. Have simple useful business cards to share. Always.
40. Be sure to thank everyone along the way for all of their efforts and keep them apprised of your successes. They’ll be happy for you and it might inspire them to do more.