My Monthly Journal
“When a person writes from their own mind, they write very rapidly. The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a person will turn over half a library to make one book.”
Samuel Johnson
Hello and welcome to my monthly journal. It is a place for me to share with you what has been keeping me creative, entertained, and going forward. This month a look at Fan Expo, my new book cover reveal, my karate teaching and more…
1. My new children’s chapter book, Life on the Beaver River, is in the proofreading stage. Our featured image is the book cover designed by the awesome Joshua Miller.
My anticipated book release is September 30th, which will coincide perfectly with an event I have planned, Collingword. I will participate on a writing panel and have all my books available for sale in an area set aside for booksellers on the third floor of Collingwood Library. The event will take place on Saturday, October 19, 2024, and will run from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Collingwood Library has a signup registration form and a list of scheduled events for the day. Writing panels discussing the writer’s life, how to get published on Amazon and a whole lot more. Sign up for this fantastic event in Collingwood at the beautiful Collingwood Library, I look forward to seeing you there.
2. I have enjoyed the month of August. A month of teaching martial arts at Naka Ima Dojo. The chief instructor took the month off to travel up north. I volunteered to take over the teaching duties and only missed one day, Thursday the 22nd, as I had previously committed to participating in Fan Expo Toronto.
The schedule, 3 days a week, allows me to commute between my beloved sanctuary in the Blue Mountain area of Ontario and the dojo in midtown Toronto.
3. My York region writers group, WCYR, invited me to attend the Fan Expo Toronto. It happened on Thursday, August 22nd, and Friday, the 23rd for me. The show ran from the 22nd to the 25th. An incredible event, with lots of people in attendance.
Many of the attendees dressed up in their favorite costumes from the world of comics, fantasy movies, and storybook imagination. I engaged with lots of people and filled out a page or two of names and e-mail contacts for the WCYR newsletter and a raffle that we presented on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I also did a workshop at the Kids Zone, a 10,000-square-foot area with kid-friendly games and equipment to keep the young ones occupied. It was much more interesting than what I could offer. But the adults who were present loved my storytelling, harmonica playing, and sharing the writer’s life. The main thing is that I had a lot of fun.
4. Next month, I am super excited to go to Italy. I have an itinerary that will take me from Rome to Tropea and possibly Sardinia. My wife and daughter will be coming along. My daughter, who is in search of family roots, initiated this travel plan.
So, off I go in mid-September to discover one’s roots or just a good excuse to visit Italy. Oh yes, we will be going to a cousin’s wedding in Cosenza, an opportunity not to be missed. Italian weddings I have attended in Canada have been excellent. Could Italy be even grander?
5. Planning ahead; I have volunteered with Sheridan College as a mentor to students in the creative writing program. This year I have one student who has already contacted me and seems exuberant to get started with the mentoring process.
We have agreed on two important tasks for her to work on: to keep working on her current manuscript—which I have read a few chapters of—a fantasy romance young adult novel, and to think about ways to create a large following.
My mentee would like to be traditionally published. These days, that is a challenging task, and I believe you need to have a huge fan base to help move things along in the eyes of the publishing world.
Well, thank you for reading; enjoy the last long weekend of summer: read, write, play, and find joy in the little things. If you know of someone who may be interested in this Monthly Journal, please share. And be sure to check out my newest books, a children’s picture book, Samba in Switzerland, and a middle-grade reader, Dojo in the Woods. All my books are readily available online through your favorite bookstores.
Be well, stay safe, and keep reading and writing.
Copyright © 2024 Paul Yanuziello, PNJ Services, All rights reserved.