Good News

Monday, March 23, 2009
PRESS RELEASE
So, here is my "official" press release. This gives a great summary of what the book is about, and if any of you know my Dad, you know why it was so easy to write a story about him to fit this collection. If you want to read my immediate reaction to getting the news, check out the previous entry. Thank you for your interest and keep reading!!!

LOCAL AUTHOR PUBLISHED IN ANTHOLOGY HONORING FATHERS

Local author, Eva Melissa Barnett, is one of fifty authors selected to appear in My Dad Is My Hero, an anthology of stories honoring mothers being released by Adams Media in May.

Adams Media’s Hero series honors the everyday heroes in our lives—our teachers, our mothers, our fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, sisters, brothers, and even our dogs. My Teacher Is My Hero, launched the series in Spring, 2008. My Mom Is My Hero and My Dad Is My Hero anthologies, being released this spring, contain fifty true stories that are alternately poignant, sweet, humorous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. The mothers and fathers captured are uniquely impressive, inspirational, colorful, funny, quirky, outrageous, determined, brave, inventive, imaginative, generous, kind, forgiving, and—above all—memorable. There’s something for every reader and something from a breadth of writers—from young voices to wizened voices.

Eva Melissa Barnett is an award-winning children's writer and song-writer. Her plays have been performed throughout the Salt Lake valley.

My Dad Is My Hero is available at your local bookstore or on various online bookstore websites. Bulk orders can be placed by contacting Adams Media, a division of F+W Publications in Cinncinnati (800-289-0963). The author is available for interviews or signing events.


So that's it! If anyone's interested in a signed copy, please let me know. I'm excited to be part of this sweet collection of stories and hope you pick up a copy for that special man in your life. Thanks for reading and come back soon! -Eva
Posted by Eva Melissa Barnett at 6:56 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Good News and Helium Balloons
So first, a teeny indulgence...no really, a pity-party. :) Why can't I focus and get anything done?! It feels like my brain is in a cagillion (did I spell that right?) places, and I just can't narrow down what "I want to be when I grow up." I guess the solution is to never grow up. :)

OK, with that out of the way, some good news: I'M BEING PUBLISHED!!! Yes, I'm having a short story about my Daddy published this May. Details on that soon. But I guess this is really one of those "be careful what you wish for" situations. Now that I have this accomplishment I'm thinking, "Eva- this is your spring board! Keep writing reflective self-help stuff!" And part of me is more, "but you want to sing and write music!" And another part says "What about that dance company idea? That'd be cool." And then my daughter says, "Mommy, eat?" and my son is saying he needs a diaper change in baby sign language.

So, out of all of this I'm grasping for that little piece of knowledge that makes those moments of confusion worth it. I'm grasping and it feels like I'm reaching into a mass of jelly-bean colored helium balloons that are about to fly up and away into the big canvas of sky above me. They're all flying away. But I know I can grab at least one of them, and I do! That bit of knowledge is you are meant to do what you are meant to do. In other words, you might be good at a lot of things and have opportunities in those areas, but it doesn't mean those things are meant to define your life.

Am I any closer to knowing "what I want to be when I grow up?" I guess a little. It's going to be whatever makes my soul feel as light and colorful as one of those helium balloons. And I'm going to keep chasing it...

P.S. If anyone knows how to spell "cagillion" correctly, please let me know. Maybe I'll be needing an editor soon. :)
Posted by Eva Melissa Barnett at 5:16 PM 2 comments
Labels: choices, Life