As we approach Veterans Day, I wanted to share a special news report where I had the honor of telling part of my story. Melanie Hastings, a news anchor at the local Washington, DC, NBC News affiliate had come across my story online and asked if she could interview me.
Of course I said yes, and she couldn’t have been more gracious, kind, and easy to work with.
I sincerely appreciated Melanie Hastings, WJLA, and their Salute to Veterans series for making that such a special Veterans Day for my family, my friends, and me. And most importantly, I hope it then reached, and will now reach, veterans who will decide to write their stories.
Here’s the story…please forgive the “hot mic” moment in the middle.
In the spirit of March and a salute to the Irish, here is the story behind the music in my Believing In Horses book trailer.
I LOVEGaelic Storm’s music. Gaelic Storm is perhaps most famous for being the “band” in steerage in the movie Titanic. Their use of traditional Irish instruments including bagpipes, fiddle, and Irish drums combined with an upbeat rock flavor and lots of spirit make for a foot-stomping, heart-pounding sound like no other. When thinking about music to accompany my book trailer, the choice was easy: it HAD to be Gaelic Storm.
So, with my public relations team of one (me), I reached out to the band by finding contact information on the web. I emailed people who might be able to help, told them my story, and asked if they could help an unknown author with a silly dream. I figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Before long, I received a phone call from Gaelic Storm’s manager, Matt, from Nashville, Tenn. More details back and forth; Matt’s discussion with the band; and voila, I had permission to use this world-famous band’s music in my trailer!
The band’s one condition: a small donation on the band’s behalf to Maryland Therapeutic Riding (MTR) in Crownsville, Md. Gaelic Storm had shot their “Bring Yer Wellies” album cover at MTR and were fans of the organization.
As my Irish luck would have it, I was thrilled to be contributing to MTR. Without spoiling the book, a therapeutic riding center is discussed in my book, and although I hadn’t written my second book yet, I knew I would be featuring the organization in Believing In Horses, Too. What a fantastic facility with a tremendous mission and phenomenal donors and volunteers!
Not long after my first book was published, Gaelic Storm played at Ram’s Head in Annapolis, and this was my first opportunity to see them perform live. After the show, I had a chance to personally thank a few of the band members, give them a copy of the book, and was again struck by their graciousness. The photo at the top is with Gaelic Storm’s beautiful, talented violinist at the time, Jessi Burns.
I’m sharing this article from my friends at Written Word Media because I found the data interesting. I hope you do, too:
Every year, we survey the indie author community to discover and share the latest information on how authors are doing.
This year we had over 2,000 respondents to our survey! This is our biggest sample ever, and gives us a better understanding of how authors as a whole are doing. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Whether you’re an aspiring author seeking insights, or an industry veteran curious about the trends shaping independent publishing, this comprehensive analysis will provide an overview of how authors are working in 2023.
Keep reading or click below to jump to a section and see what we learned!
Thank you to prolific author and blogger Marcia Meara for inviting me as a featured author for #GuestDayTuesday on The Write Stuff blog. It was like when your teacher assigned a creative writing topic and said, “Pick what you want.” I decided to answer a question I’m frequently asked about my writing; why do I write what I write? I hope you enjoy the post.
