My Blog

It's Backkkkkkkkkk

02/04/2012 21:02:00

February 4, Saturday

Besides the facts that I helped move my parents today and now my knee is throbbing & I'm walking around like an 86-year old woman, I'm still pretty ecstatic over my Facebook announcement,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjErM4DMovo, last night. Since the “State of Padman Address” was received so well, I’m kicking things into a higher gear. Subsequently, I am so “gitty” over the opportunities Padman is creating for me, and it means the world to me to be able to share it all with my friends via Facebook and Youtube.

Therefore, if you liked/loved the humor in Padman: A Dad’s Guide to Buying…Those and Other Tales, have I ever got something for you.

As you are probably aware by now, the humor in the book is completely, 100% true. Now, I’m going to the doctor this week for a needed visit, creating more 100% true, everyday humor for you. Eagerly, I wrote a lot of the pre-visit story today. Then, there’ll be an actual detailed doctor’s office story when I do go to see Dr. Whathisname. (Guaranteed: Funny Stuff!)

What’s this mean to you, and how will it help me?

As you are probably aware, I’m hoping to begin the Dream! Hope! & Believe! Tour, create awareness for Traumatic Brain Injury, raise a little money for Brain Injury Association of America, and spread Hope to all of America. Basically, family and friends’ support/constant care pushed me to defy all odds in my recovery. I want people to see/hear that and understand how important it is to give support to anyone/everyone; I want to show how important "support" is for victims of anything who can’t or won’t speak. up My vision is to have the Tour surround my first over sea’s speech to the troops of the greatest nation on Earth, garnering nation-wide media attention. And, yea, there’ll be a ton of our own Youtube videos for everything I do because I want everyone to witness/experience it all. This is our trip/tour.

Now, back to the two short stories: For a minimum donation of just $1 (donate more if you feel inclined, but $1 is fine), you will have both stories sent to you for the one-time payment of a buck. The first short story will be sent Friday, 2/10, and the second will be sent a week later. All donations should be sent through Paypal, so virtually all credit cards and direct money transfers are accepted. However, if a check or money order is more appropriate, I’ll accept those, too. Obviously, I’m not trying to get rich. I’m just hoping to earn a little money to put toward our tour so it can happen. Know that your donation is going directly to the tour, and you’re doing a great thing.

PLEASE email me, mark@markelswick.com OR message me on Facebook, Author Mark Elswick, if you have ANY questions. Mull it over; donate a single buck, $2, $5, $20, $100, or ANYTHING.

Dream! Hope! & Believe!

Mark Elswick

Thursday News..........Padman BIG SALE

12/23/2011 00:46:00

December 23, Thursday

You've seen the amazing reviews that Padman: A Dad's Guide to Buying...Those and Other Tales CONTINUALLY receives. Well, you've also seen the book listed for $14.95 through Barnes & Nobles bookstores and several other places. Furthermore, you've seen 20%, 33%, and 40% knocked off of that list price on my first published work through Modern History Press.

Now, for 48 Hours ONLY (by the way, what a classic movie that is! "Roxxxxxnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeee!") I'm pretty-much GIVING you the book. For 48 Hours...NOW until 11:00 PM, EST Dec. 24 (Right before Santa Clause comes down your chimney.) I'm offering the book for 65% off the list price. That's right! You didn't read it wrong...

For 48 Hours, 11:00 PM EST, Dec. 22 -- 11:00 PM EST, Dec. 24, Padman is yours for only $5.00. A couple of stipulations since this deal is way too amazing to be true: First, I have to limit a person's purchases to five. And, I have to limit the total number of books sold to 75.

Soooooo, limit 5 per person, but the 75 books are going to go fast. Email me, mark@MarkElswick.com OR message me via Facebook, Author Mark Elswick. I'll take names UP TO 75 until Dec. 24, 11:00 PM EST. Then, you have until Jan. 2 for the check or money order to be in my mailbox or the deal is OFF for you, Mark Elswick/ PO Box 955/ Davison, MI/ 48423

If you need them shipped, I'll also knock 33% off of the normal shipping price. Normally, shipping is $3. For this promo, shipping is $2/book...ANYWHERE....this is your sale.

So, starting NOW, you have 48 Hours to take advantage, then it's..."...turn on the reeeedddddddd light...ROxxxxxxxxxxxxaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

P.S. Each book sold adds to the Dream! Hope! & Believe! totals to GET Padman books to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just Another Manic Monday

12/20/2011 00:21:00

December 19, Monday

Truly, this was a manic Monday evening. I had a guest appearance on www.flinttalkradio.com's Creative Alliance @ 6:00. I did that, then left for Toastmasters. I gave my third speech to the group and was very disappointed. I just keep trotting along, headed toward well-known author status--that's the goal, anyhow.

I felt my appearance on Creative Alliance rocked. Nic Custer and Jennie Moench were phenomenal. It was only about 15-20 minutes, but I was so proud of the way Padman was glorified. Also, I was fortunate enough to meet the show's second guest, Arlow Xan, a man and woman music group definitely worth checking out--Facebook, Arlow Xan.

Then, I raced to Toastmasters, giving my 3rd speech. I thought I had it all planned out and ready to give. However, since my mind was all over the place, I am quite certain I appeared unprepared and unorganized. I'm NOT worried about it, though. I give my 4th speech on January 2. Tonight just mean that the next speech WILL Rock!

Highlight of The Day: As with any day, hearing compliments about Padman is ALWAYS a highlight.

Humpday Blues

12/14/2011 22:46:00

December 14,Wednesday

Kind of a whirlwind of friend day. Things went bad, good, and great.

Let's start with the bad. A friend I've known for a long time and I had a big disagreement on Facebook. But, that's all water under the bridge, so to speak. I won't rehash it all, again, on here. I firmly believe that the Dream! Hope! & Believe! message needs to be spread in creating traumatic brain injury awareness. No matter if people are sick of hearing it or not, I'm not stopping. Informing/educating America and beyond is a lot like wrestling a guerilla. You don't quit when you're tired; you quit when the guerilla is tired. It appears the guerilla is nowhere near fatigued.

Now, the good. I met a friend for lunch and got to hear the story of how her husband and son were in a truck accident. Though it's all sad, she has an incredibly positive attitude and is a pure joy to listen to. Moreover, it made me feel great having her tell me she completely believed in Dream! Hope! & Believe! THAT meant a ton.

Finally, the great news. Don't like calling people out, but in this case, I absolutely will. I'm overnighting 20 Padman books to a childrens hospital with 20 TBI patients in California, at 9:00 am tomorrow; there is a Christmas party Saturday @ 1:00. A friend of mine, Dave Ellington, called me after I posted it on Facebook, saying he wanted to pay for the overnight shipping. Well, I went today to see how much it'd be. Just 2-3 days is $11.00, but overnight shipping was--GULP--$56.00. I thought, "No Way!" would he still want to pay all that. Well, he called me tonight and wanted to meet me to "give me postage." We met, and Dave and his wife, Cherie, donated...are you ready for this??...almost $90 dollars in postage. As if that weren't amazing enough, Dave told me to ship the books and use the rest "However you see fit." How phenomenal was that? :)

WOW! Dave, Charie, you have so exemplified 'tis the season. Thank You! (that was a thank you from Padman, also...I called and told him.)

Highlight of The Day: Yeah, Thanx Dave and Cherie!

Thursday News

12/08/2011 23:28:00

December 8, Thursday

Today has been, pretty-much, a rest day. :) Local sales have been picking up and going well, and I've been running around a lot. Today, though, I took a break--recharge the batteries. However, I'm still not quite in the Nicholas Sparks, Stephanie Myers, or one, Mr. King, elite class. But, I do Dream! Hope! & Believe! that some day SOON I will be there. So, the name Mark Elswick WILL get there...promise!

Tonight, though, I'm doing some demanding work; I'm watching Thursday Night Football, Cleveland is surprisingly playing Pittsburgh VERY tough. By the way, The NFL Network is, arguably, one of the best things ever invented.

Not much to say today, obviously, but I'll note a few things I picked up today. I have to update my calendar on my website, but I'll be speaking at West Bendle 12/22 and Flint's Freeman elementary in January. Also, I found out I will be speaking before the Lapeer Rotary Club on Jan. 17 or March 13. The date will not be decided upon for a couple of more weeks. O yeah! I shipped Brain Injury Association of America's order of 10 books today. Tomorrow, I have to go see a friend, Tina Hinkley, at The Depot. Apparently, she has been showing off Padman and five of her friends want to buy it. Carrie Mattern picked up a couple of sales at her work, also. Now, Jennifer Braden is also picking up sales from her work associates/employees. I just LOVE friends pushing Padman; thank you ALL so much.

Highlight of The Day: As sad as it may sound, JUST recharging the batteries to pick up steam tomorrow.

Humpday Blues

12/07/2011 23:58:00

December 7, Wednesday

What a LONG day! It didn't seem as if I was ever going to just get home and RELAX. Busy/hectic day, but productive day, also. Sold eighteen more books and gave an entire box of 92 books to a friend who's very confident that she can sell fifty, but thinks she can sell all of them. (G'luck, Kim and thank you)

Met tonight w/another friend about researching some grant opportunites. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any TBI Grants. Fortunately, she says she has a friend who is very well versed in the grant-seeking department. So, hopefully tomorrow, I'll hear encouraging news and be able to kick this Dream! Hope! & Believe! tour off. Meanwhile, today I secured a couple of elementary school speaking engagements.

Highlight of The Day: Getting the offical word that Brain Injury Association of America wanted to buy an installement of ten books to resell at its bookstore. ... better and better :)

Tuesday Tidbits

12/06/2011 22:36:00

December 7, Tuesday

Well, today was a good day for Padman. It seems word of mouth is finally traveling. Including the one I sold at Toastmasters last night, I sold nine today. Then, I have seven more accounted for to hand deliver tomorrow, and I was told I'll be receiving a check for two copies, tomorrow. Haven't written things out, but give or take a couple, that'll be 40 in six days for non-math major like myself. Let's break down our blog posted goal, almost a week old, of 2500 sales by March 1, 2012, for me to hand-deliver 1000 books to our troops in Afghanistan or Iraq.

The first week report:

40/week x (estimate) 16 weeks = 640 ; upon further review, the ruling on the field has been overruled; this isn't very good

NEED TO SHIP/SELL:

156.25/week x (estimate) 16 weeks = 2500 ; looks IMPOSSIBLE, but I Dream! Hope! & Believe! Do you?

If you've read Padman, you can, undoubtedly, appreciate the short humor of reading a story that our soldiers can quickly read and pass the book on. So, 1000 books could get very worn/well-traveled. It is my hope that EVERY single one of our deployed military heroes get to look at or hear about Padman: A Dad's Guide to Buying . . . Those and Other Tales. If requested, I guess I'd have no choice but to deliver 1000 more. Chances are, each soldier, male and female, will relate VERY well and--IF you've read Padman, you KNOW how much emotion this will stir up inside of them, missing their babies, wives, and husbands. Obviously, we need to spread the word of Padman throughout America and even beyond!

(Ellen Degeneres, "Can ya hear me,now?")

Highlight of The Day: I was asked to speak to a class of fourth graders. I'm so looking forward to talking a little about writing, more about educating them briefy about the seriousness of a "mild" traumatic brain injury, and MORE about Dream! Hope! and Believe! Though that IS absolutely a highlight, I had a 10-year old tell me, on facebook, "I'm your biggest fan." That, my friends, is the BIGGEST highlight. In fact, that might be the biggest highlight since I launched my professional writing career.

Facebook, add: Author Mark Elswick Twitter: #Mark_Elswick

Just Another Manic Monday

12/06/2011 10:59:00

December 5, Monday

What a whirlwind of a day. The morning started at…GuLp…5:30 a.m. as I had to rise early to get down to McLaren Regional Medical Center for an all-day book signing, the hospital’s first ever, and it’s been open since 1918--I’m still trying to convince my daughter that I was NOT at the opening ceremonies. Then, I had to be at my Toastmasters meeting at 7:00 pm; I was the general evaluator for the evening, so I HAD to be there, but MAN was I tired.

The morning started nicely as I got to McLaren and had everything set up. However, the amazing auxiliary president, Judy Martin, arrived a short time later and put the woman’s touch on my things, A.K.A. she completely changed my setup and, in the process, improved it a TON! Thanx Judy. The book signing was nine hours long and I did nowhere near as well as I thought/hoped I would (I hate being a no-name author--but that’s soooo changing everyday.) Anyhow, the book’s been out TWO months, and “Rome was not built in a day;” right Janet? Low sales, but GREAT day.

At the signing, I talked to a mom whose 24 year-old son was in ICU with a closed-head injury. Apparently, this young man was sucker punched in a parking lot before two other thugs also jumped on him and started repeatedly kicking him in the head. Thankfully, the security camera had it all on tape, and the punks were caught. Anyhow, I went up to his room after the signing, gave him a book signed with a TBII message to him, and talked to him a little about how important REST is right now, mostly b/c his mom had told me he was pretty adamant about GOING to work on Thursday.

After the signing concluded, I went to Arby’s at eat (C’mon, I may eat that a lot, but I needed it y/day. After all, it IS “good mood food.” The meeting went very well. I even learned some GREAT news. Lori Lyons , Kim Fiegley, and Dennis Jacobs informed me that as I’m out giving speeches, spreading the Dream! Hope! & Believe! Message, I can have another Toastmaster attend, review, and give me credit for it. That was great news to end the day.

Highlight(s) of The Day: Finding out two things. First, an email from my publisher informed me that Padman had been nominated for another prestigious award. Then, I was notified by him that a hardcopy version of Padman is almost finished; I didn't know they were producing one. But, things continue to look GOOD!

I'm officially callin' you out, Ellen Degeneres!

12/01/2011 16:34:00

December 1, Thursday

Ellllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn:

STOP dancing and LISTEN for just a minute, please!

Padman: A Dad's Guide to Buying . . . Those and Other Tales has been available worldwide (dang I like the sound of that; I'm an author, available WORLDWIDE:) ) for exactly two months. Now, Ellen, I dont mean to sound like some psychotic guest wanna be or deranged fan, but, hey, Padman is exploding. If you don't watch it, sooner or later, I may just drop this obsession to share my story w/you and the world and begin writing Jimmy or Dave or, even, Conin. Dee Snider once wrote a letter and told me, "We're not gonna take it! NOOOOO We ain't gonna take it! We're not gonna take it...ANYMOREEEEEEEEEEE!!!" That's how I've been feeling lately, Ms.Degeneres. If Arsenio were still doing the late-night gig, honestly, do you think he'd have left me hanging on a string this long?

A: NO! I don't think so.

Ellen, I've heard a TON of compliments about the book's humor, passion, and emotion. I just WISH you'd read it so you could see what I'm telling you; I'm not making this stuff up. Padman IS the real deal. As far as the humor goes, it's even been compared to that of Dave Barry. I am certain that your crazy personality will love the laughter it brings about. Also, the few survivor stories will undoubtedly tug at your heartstrings.

Ellen, my newfound BFF, :). My friend, Reba (she just doesn't know we're friends, yet) asked "Why haven't I...heard from you?" Again, that's precisely how you're making me feel. I just wish that you'd accept the book as a gift and read it. It's really an easy read. MANY people have told me they started and couldn't stop 'til the book was finished. In fact, one reviewer for Reader Views said that the book is like having an informal conversation with the author. What can I say? I was just thinking of conversing on the couch next to dear Ellen the entire time I was writing it. (OK, so that is a little exaggerated, but you get my point.)

Hope to hear from you SOON. I want to be a guest on YOUR show so much. America NEEDS to hear my Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) message. The other shows/interviews I've done are great. Incredibly, I spoke to a Rotary Club today and one member in the audience, an eye doctor who specializes in this area, asked me to speak to some of his patients. That is amazing and should simply have me on Cloud 9. However, I can't get past Cloud 8. The Ellen Show is exactly what I want for my message!. As my buddy, John (He doesn't know yet, either. ssshhhh), sang, "You're the one that I want!"

Ewww Ewww Eww, Honey!

Anxiously awaiting your response,

Mark Elswick

Facebook: Author Mark Elswick

Twitter: @Mark_Elswick

Humpday Blues (That's Red, White, and Blues)

11/30/2011 16:29:00

November 30, Wednesday

This blog is mostly so my friends, not-friends-yet, and family can follow my writing journey from the beginning. Therefore, I'm announcing another part of my original dream, a spoke in that wheel, eh? (that Eh is for Melody Wright and the rest of my Canadian friends.)

If you've read Padman, you'll notice the book's dedication. First, Padman is dedicated to the admirable 24/7 TBI caregivers, usually a quite thankless job. Finally, it is dedicated to the U.S. military personnel serving and protecting the greatest nation in the world. Though I am extremely passionate about helping TBI victims and the cause, this blog is strictly about our men and women in uniform.

I, in fact, never told anyone when I penned the dedication to our soldiers, I internally hoped (the second aspect of D! H! & B!) this particular part of my dream would have the chance to be realized. Though I almost assuredly cannot do it by Christmas--wouldn't that be awesome--I hope to deliver presents overseas. Since my blogs are usually pretty concise, how’s this brief summary sound?

Deadline--February 1, 2012:

500 books sold:I’ll appear on www.flinttalkradio.com’s The Flaminpit Show w/Lesa Quade. However, this, my second appearance on the show, will have me wearing…(drumroll please)…a never-before-seen Padman costume.

850 books sold:Flaminpit/Padman costume + I’ll use a large portion of the proceeds to have 500 books printed and shipped to our military heroes in Iraq and/or Afghanistan.

2500 books sold:Flaminpit/Padman costume + instead of shipping 500 books, I’ll donate 1000 books. “But wait! There’s more.” Yes, I’ll donate 1000 books, but not by mail. I will use a large portion of the proceeds from book sales to buy a round-trip ticket so I can hand deliver 1000 books to our soldiers. I will shake several hands and sign several books (but wait, there’s more…) and shoot a LOT of Youtube videos along the way so YOU are in the experience.

Ssssssoooooooooooooooo, honestly, comment. What do you think? Is this unrealistic? Share this and tell everyone you know to read this blog and contribute. Maybe this seems way beyond the reaches for just an ordinary Burtucky Boy. But, then again, I kinda know what it’s like to try and prove all doubters wrong. Dream! Hope! & Believe!

Ordering details on www.MarkElswick.com then

go to the Dream! Hope! & Believe! page.

Highlight of The Day: Seeing my name on the billboard/marquee at the Davison Public Library and having the librarian, Mary Higginbottom, tell me that someone told her, “OOOO I had him as a student.” (Remember, my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Westengbarger, showed up at the Padman book premiere; what a thrill.)