November 6th, 2005

Progress Report
One American Dreamer

I thought some of you might like to know what's been happening with One American Dreamer since the book came out less than a month ago.  There's so much that's happened already, I don't quite know where to begin.

Even trying to start with what's the 'biggest' thing that's happened doesn't even work, because everything's big about this book.

One thing at a time - a week ago last night, it's Sunday November 6th 2005 right now, so a week ago Saturday night, late after a night out with friends, I decided to write to the New York Times, see if I could find out who to beg for permission to submit a review copy.  Expected to hear something in maybe two weeks.  If I didn't hear by then, I'd try again.  This is the New York Times!  

Just imagine my expression when there was an email from the Editor I'd written to, already in my inbox just after three o'clock on Sunday afternoon!  I was stunned!  Now that's quite scary, come to think of it, they could have their copy in hand quite shortly!  Oh no, I've been trying to ease my tension level!!  

The name she gave me to have the book sent to is the Editor in Chief of the Book Review section.  No pressure there!!  And even if they decide not to review it, just being asked is quite an honor, with 86,000 books published per year in the US alone!

No one really has any idea how nerve-wracking it is to put my work out there in the world, and I had no idea how bad it would be when the book is about living people!  Characters in fiction can never tell me I made a mistake, or I offended someone, or I forgot a crucial detail - fiction's easy, I make up those characters, this is totally different than my usual work.  

On the one hand, it's all been totally exhilarating and exciting, working with real people.  On the other, it's terrifying, because the last thing I ever want to do is upset anyone.  But being about a real life, of course there are some less then pleasant things in the book.  And maybe lots of people have an 'Uncle Willy' type in the family, and it will be a relief for many people to know that even a man like Don Tietz has an Uncle Willy.

Good, that's a better way to look at it.  That's a bit of a relief!

I'm trying to talk about where Dreamer is going, but obviously there were other things I needed to talk about too.

Right up there on the scale of huge excitement was an email I received from Mr. Sidney Sheldon, 'the' Sidney Sheldon, over 300 Million books in print!  In my email box!  It wasn't out of the blue, but was totally unexpected.

For some reaseon, I received an email from Time Warner books announcing Mr. Sheldon's new book, 'The Other Side of Me,' his memoirs.  There is an excerpt on the website given, and I read it - his life at that point closely paralelled my own.

I wrote through the link to Mr. Sheldon, asked him why I'd received an announcement about his new book when I am not on the Time Warner mailing list to my knowledge, and asked if perhaps he was familiar with some of my own work and had sent it to me deliberately. And told him of the similarities in our early life.

It didn't cross my mind to expect a reply.  Sidney Sheldon is at the top of the pyramid of writers, in terms of 'can't put the book down' talent and book sales, why should little old me expect a reply?  But he did, with words of encouragement, very nice and kind.

I replied, and asked if I could have the honor of sending him an autographed copy of my new book, and he answered yes, 'we writers should stick together.'  I'm grinning agin, just thinking about that.  Mr. Sheldon is one of my personal icons, and has been since I was a teenager.  I am so honored and privileged to have him speak to me, and to accept a copy of One American Dreamer.  So, there's two copies accounted for.

Several people have already read the book, a few of them non-stop over many hours, and all their comments are good about the 'story' itself, and the writing style.  This is very good for me to know before I send out the rest of the 'special' autographed copies to the following list of people:

- Don Tietz already got the very first hardcover copy, on his 69th Birthday on October 21st.

- My Mom & Dad, Anne & Bill Bateman

- Chuck Shockley, News Director at 'Hometown Radio' in Algona, Iowa, my first radio interviewer.  Chuck has already gotten his media copy of the book, and has an autographed 'bookplate' on the way to him to affix inside his copy.

- Former Vice President Al Gore, because he's on the cover of the book in an official Washington DC photograph, shaking hands with Don at a reception at The Wildhaven, Don's home.

- Former Governor of Iowa Terry Branstad, a very good friend of Don's, Mr. Branstad is on the cover and in the book.

- Current Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack, who is in the book, and a separate copy to his wife Christie, because I met her while I was in Iowa the first time.  I like First Lady Vilsack, her style, and her Literacy work with Iowa school children.  

- Mel Gibson, because he's in the book at the time when he was first starting Icon Productions, he met Don in Florida while filming Lethal Weapon !!!.  This is all in the book.  I hope Mr. Gibson doesn't object to anything I wrote about him, and I'm offering him 'first right of refusal' on the movie project.

- Roger Baysden, Director of Iowa Prison Industries for the Iowa Department of Corrections, and a very nice and helpful man.

- Bill Wegener, son of Uncle Willy, and the very talented man who took my primitive cover design and made it beautiful, and who rendered all the book's photos into a format that the publisher could use.  A wonderful man, Don's cousin.

- Bonnie Rahm, Uncle Willy's daughter, who is a beautiful person who I hope to meet in person one day soon.

- Susan Letham, who introduced Don and myself.  Susan is a very talented woman who does a lot of work encouraging and helping beginning writers.

- Hal Fischer, Korean War Fighter Pilot Ace from Iowa, a childhood hero of Don's and a wonderful man.  There is a movie being made about Hal's heroic service in the Korean War as we speak.

- Colonel Buster Doss of Nashville, head of Stardust Records and two other record companies, who welcomed me to his Stardust Family with open arms and pleasure, even though I am only on the fringes of the music business by virtue of writing a few songs.  Colonel Buster has had a very long career in show business, had several 'Wild West' shows over the years, has gotten awards for his 'Magician' powers, and has always nurtured and encouraged young 'Indie' music talent.

I hope to be spending early May of 2006 with my friends in and around Nashville, because Colonel Buster is hosting the Jamboree by the Lake, a huge Indie Country Music Festival.  At last count there were about 300 Artists scheduled to play - it will be awesome!  Have a look at the website, it's linked. 

- Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan, who have become dear friends through this computer, and whose music I've loved since 'Tennesee Birdwalk' was on the top of the Billboard Charts when I was 15 years old.  

- Duncan Ferguson in Scotland, who is trading me a copy of his Traditional Scottish CD for a copy of my book, so I can give the CD to my Scottish mother for Christmas.

- Robert Duvall, because I just played a Saloon Girl in his mini-series production Daughters of Joy, and he might as well see that the little saloon girl has other talents.

- Walter Hill, the Director of Daughters of Joy, because he might enjoy a good book.  He made me see how expensive a length of 2x4 can be on a movie set.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.  Just thought I'd let you all know what's been going on with the book - quite exciting!

Oh, and I had to yell at Chapters again, the huge Canadian bookstore chain who owns 95% of the small book store chains up here in Canada.  It's incredibly difficult trying to get my books in their stores, seemingly impossible, and also tough getting them to honor orders they do take.  

But they do have Dreamer in their system now, after I told them I'll tell everyone not to look in Chapters in Canada for my work.  It might be amusing for people with time on their hands to just ask them and see what they say.

My favorite part of that whole exchange, can't remember most of it because I was mad when I found Dreamer on every bookseller except Chapters when I'm a Canadian writer, was when I said 'I should be able to hand print my books on brown paper bags and you should still promote my work, because I'm a Canadian author!'  And then told them forget it, I don't want to work with them anyway.

I made a mental projection that after my second um, maybe 'scathing' email, that they would have Dreamer available on their site within 48 hours, and when I checked at the end of the second day, it was there.  So I guess if people really have no other alternative, they could get my books from Chapters - although I'm setting up ways so that you can order them through me.

I didn't intend to take up a whole page with what's going on, but I've probably forgotten some things, there's been so much.  

Hope you've read or are planning to read One American Dreamer, people seem to be enjoying it.  It's 515 pages, but in an easy to read format on purpose, because I knew that Don's grandchildren and my own Mom would be reading it, and I like books that are easy to read.  

Once I have the ordering from me systems set up, I'll link them here and on the Dreamer page on this website.

Hope you are all well, and enjoying your Sunday.  Here in Calgary, I'm looking out at snow on the ground and grey skies.  Winter comes early in the Rocky Mountains!

Oh, one more thing, if you already have read Dreamer, don't be shy about putting a 'reader review' on one of the big bookseller sites.  Most people either enjoy a good book themselves, or have someone in their lives who loves to read.  Why not recommend a good 'story" and a 'new' writer?

Love and Blessings to All,

Alice

Update November 29th, 2006

Well, by now, One American Dreamer has begun to make it's way through the world.  I've found Dreamer selling on sixteen different online sellers, and that is only counting Amazon.com once, not each individual branch.  I don't know of any bookstores stocking it on their shelves besides Hutzell's in Algona, Iowa, so if anyone sees Dreamer selling in bookstores, please let me know.  I have invited the Terrace Hill Gift Shop in Des Moines, in the Carriage House at the Governor's Mansion, to consider carrying Dreamer, but have had no response as yet.

I just got the most special 'feedback' I've been waiting for, my Mom's phone call now that she's finished reading the book.  My Mom loves it, and that's what matters the most to me.  I haven't heard of any published reviews as yet, but I called my Mom & Dad my 'first and best critics' in my first book, and that is what my parents are.  It's not easy to really please dedicated and discriminating readers, and my family has always thoroughly enjoyed reading.  My writer's blood must have come from my Dad's side, he's had many magazine articles, short stories and two short books published, and always was working away on something on his old typewriter before computer days.  I thank God that my parents are still here on Earth to share and enjoy my work. 

There has been other feedback, including a card from the office of First Lady Christie Vilsack of Iowa, saying thank you for the First Lady's copy, and giving me more details on the First Lady's Literacy Program - excellent work!!

I'm waiting to hear from many of the people the book went out to, and of course always wonder if each copy was received.  But One American Dreamer certainly seems to have a life of its own!

There will be an ad in the Bloomsbury Review, a Literary Magazine featuring new books on the market, in their next issue, January/February of 2006.  We're hoping this will help to convince bookstores to carry Dreamer on their shelves.  With over 100,000 new books being published in North America annually, it takes time to get a new book fully into the marketplace.  Your requests for my books, especially One American Dreamer, at your local bookstores, will help to get Dreamer in the stores where people who aren't directly invovled will find out about the book and read it.

If you've read Dreamer already, you'll know that Don's life is truly a life story that needed to be told - let your friends know that there is a new book truly worth reading.

Oh, and I am building a new website set up to sell all of my books myself.  I'll leave a message here when it's ready, although I'll send out the link to my address book when it's done.

Boys are home from school, so I guess that's all I have time to talk about right now.

Love and Blessings to All,

Alice