Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 7

Here's a short video from my book tour travels in the Metro Detroit area.

I hope to see you along the way!

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is now in its second (of five) year of funding. Initially planned as a $2.1 billion plan over five years, the funding has been scaled back to only $350 million dollars this year and will probably be scaled back to $300 million next year.


Some people may question the wisdom of funding this program at a time when the country has an economic slump. Well, consider this:

A 2007 Brookings Institution report predicts $50 billion in long-term economic benefits from rehabilitating
the Great Lakes.

I firmly believe that our Great Lakes should be restored and protected even if there is no economic benefit.

We are the caretakers of our environment. The Great Lakes are a natural treasure that should be enjoyed and respected and protected so that future generations can walk these beaches and dunes and enjoy these vast inland seas.

A recent article on the GLRI can be found in the Christian Science Monitor HERE.

Interview on WXYZ-TV today!

A big thanks to Anu Prakash at WXYZ for the lovely interview this morning!

The Greening of the Great Lakes

My
Greening of the Great Lakes
conversation with Kirk Heinze is scheduled to air on our program this weekend. That means flagship WJR AM 760 Sunday at 9 p.m. And it means Sunday at 11 a.m. on 1340 AM WJRW in Grand Rapids. And it airs Saturday at 11 a.m. on stations in Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Muskegon and Saginaw.

Kirk Heinze

Greening of the Great Lakes host Kirk Heinze has served in MSU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for three decades as a faculty member, a department chairperson and, most recently, as director of Agriculture and Natural Resources Communications.

Blog: bit.ly/GOTGL

Tweet: twitter.com/greenmichigan

The interview is now live HERE.

Detroit Free Press Series on the Great Lakes

Michigan is a state comprised of two almost-touching peninsulas. We are surrounded on three sides by water.

Vast water: our Great Lakes.

Michigan is the only state that touches 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. Our edges are mostly defined by water.

We Michiganders are peninsular people.

And we Michiganders are going through a tough time economically, as is most of the country. The Free Press is doing a series of articles titled:

"Water shaped Michigan's past:
Now it's a key to state's future"

From the first article in the series:

"Michigan grew up on the Great Lakes. It can grow anew from their cool, abundant waters -- if they are used wisely and protected.

The greatest natural resource in all of North America and perhaps on our planet, the sweet water seas brought people to Michigan's peninsulas and moved Michigan ore, timber and manufactured goods to markets around the world.

The lake waters nourish our crops, slake our thirst, cool our machinery and change our weather -- sometimes rather abruptly. They provide fun, fish and spectacular vistas for millions of people.

In a world where 1 in every 6 people lacks daily access to fresh water, the Great Lakes are a treasure of immeasurable value.

And yet they have been exploited, depleted and polluted. They are threatened by invaders, foreign and domestic, some already in the waters or on the way, others on dry lands."

This is an important look at our lakes and how vital they are to Michigan, our nation, North America, and, possibly, the world.

Read the entire first article HERE.

Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 6

Memorial Day weekend took me to the lakeshore in SW Michigan for three stops on my book tour. The first was at Buffalo Books in New Buffalo. This store is a combination bookstore and art gallery featuring 22 local artists. The art work is fantastic and ranges from oil paintings, to pastels, to stained glass windows and drawings. There is a lot of talent along the lakeshore!

My next two events were just up the shoreline a bit in South Haven. I gave a presentation with photos at the Senior Center there to a great group of about 30 people. They had great questions for me, too! Afterward, a few of the seniors joined me for a stroll down to the lighthouse and then back to Black River Books.

The next day, I had an author event at Black River Books. It was a combination signing/reading/conversation that stretched over three hours. There was a small circle of chairs in the store and as people filtered in and out, the circle would fill up for a time, then empty out again for the next group. It seems like everyone has questions about my Lake Trek, and I am always happy to answer them.

Black River Books is owned by Dick and Pam Haferman and they often bring their Labradoodles (Booker and Dewey) into the store. The store is mostly used books that the Hafermans acquire from estate sales and other book-sleuthing techniques. I never leave there empty handed!

Here's a short video from my book tour travels, and I hope to see you along the way!

Indie versus Big Chain Booksellers

During my hike around Lake Michigan I visited independent bookstores along the lakeshore. I love indie bookstores. The people who own and manage and work in the indies are knowledgeable about literature and they love books.

And I love books.

I was a reader long before I was a writer or hiker, so I know the value of a good bookstore. And there IS a difference between a big chain or online bookseller and the independents.

I live in Battle Creek where the only bookstore is a Barnes & Noble.

Do I go there? Yes.
Do I buy books there? Rarely.

It's great for my little town to have ANY bookstore (B&N wasn't even here when I moved here), so I support it by buying coffee and games and greeting cards and music and movies and newspapers there.

And my book is on the shelf there, which I appreciate.

But I buy most of my books from independents either nearby or in communities around Lake Michigan.

On my website, you'll see a link to buy my books from Brilliant Books in Suttons Bay, Michigan. I have partnered with Brilliant Books because it's a great indie and I launched my book there.

That's another thing that the indies do:
they support emerging writers.

If you are a writer and you buy your books on Amazon or at the big chains, you are jeopardizing your own future as a writer because it is the indies that will work with you to build your career. Just as the smaller publishers will take a chance on publishing you before the big New York houses will.

Here is an excerpt from a blog post by Mara Lynn Luther, the owner of Chapter One Book Store, an independent bookstore in Montana.
It will give you a window into the life and frustrations
of the indie bookseller.

"Confessions of an Unapologetic Indie"

"I'm not an economic priest. My bookstore is not a confessional. I'm tired of handing out 'Hail Locals' to guilt-riddled shoppers. If you bought a Kindle as your sole reading device, you have cut out your local bookstore when there are options for e-readers that don't eliminate indies. It's your choice, but don't come whining to me that you really want to shop local, but you have to be 'smart about your money.' I agree, you should be smart about your money. You should know that local businesses hand out thousands of dollars worth of donations and items to schools, organizations, and clubs throughout your community every year. Maybe shopping local isn't a priority for you. Fine. Talk to Amazon about donating a silent auction item for your son's school trip to D.C. and ask for a discount on books purchased for your school district. I'm sure Wal-Mart would sell your dance recital tickets or put a bucket on the counter for summer camp applications. Maybe Costco will supply the food for a fund-raiser, but I doubt it."

Check out the entire post here.

Mara brings up a good point about e-readers. If you use a Kindle you can ONLY get books from Amazon.com. If you choose a Nook (or other e-reader), you can buy your e-books from many indies that sell e-books.

Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 5

I have been going to a variety of venues on my book tour. Bookstores are the obvious first stop for an author with a new book, and I've been to many great indie bookstores so far (and have many more scheduled through the next few months).

A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach has taken me to less traditional book tour stops.

I've been to senior centers, retirement communities, the Inland Seas Education Association, Kingman Museum, Cottage and Lakefront Living Show, several libraries, and a fundraiser for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Whew!

Coming up, the book will take me to REI Stores in several states to
lecture about my adventure and my favorite gear from my hike. I'll also share my secrets for keeping my feet happy for 1,000 miles.

(Okay, my feet were pretty UNhappy for the first 400 miles or so until I learned these tricks.)

Here's a bit of video from the tour this month. A big thanks to Sunset Retirement's Waterford Campus for hosting a reading/signing and for choosing me to be their featured speaker at a dinner that evening. Also in this clip, The Nature Connection Store of Kalamazoo had me sign books during the city's monthly Art Hop. Then I did a reading and signing at Saturn Booksellers in Gaylord, Michigan. I had a fantastic time!







Breaking news:

A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach was just named a finalist in the
Science/Nature/Environment category of the
2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

Monday Night Live

I was featured on Monday Night Live, a cable access talk show in Kalamazoo hosted by the charming Keith Roe.

Mr. Roe is Kalamazoo's own James Lipton,
and Monday Night Live is his
Inside the Actor's Studio.

That's how I felt being on the show. Gloria Tiller was also there (as she is every second Monday of the month) with Keith. Gloria is the owner of Kazoo Books in (where else) Kalamazoo!

Click HERE to view the episode.

I had a lovely time on the show. A big thanks to Keith and Gloria for the energizing conversation about writing, the publishing process, and my adventure of walking all the way around Lake Michigan!