Updates on book cover, new news on the COMM web site, and final draft manuscript work

I am still deciding on what book cover color to select for a final draft. I had it narrowed down to a black with red font or yellow with red font. I am now mulling over a few other book cover colors:

Light green

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385343493/ref=s9_al_bw_ir04?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=17XV8FW726FYK2E91GMF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1263723282&pf_rd_i=341154011

Bright green

http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Lunch-Tea-Little-Bakery/dp/0714844659/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277356101&sr=1-1

Bold green

http://www.amazon.com/Sheriff-Yrnameer-Novel-Michael-Rubens/dp/0307378470/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277356828&sr=1-3

Light purple

http://www.amazon.com/Weed-That-Strings-Hangmans-Bag/dp/0385342314/ref=pd_rhf_shvl_15

Blue?
http://www.amazon.com/You-Suck-Story-Christopher-Moore/dp/0060590300/ref=pd_rhf_shvl_17

Bright yellow/fluorescent green
http://www.amazon.com/Associate-Novel-John-Grisham/dp/0440243823/ref=pd_ts_b_65?ie=UTF8&s=books

Dark orange

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Amsterdam-Phillip-van-Bossche/dp/0870707531/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277355328&sr=1-1

Light blue

http://bookcoverarchive.com/book/the_unbearable_lightness_of_being


I found a flash animator to create a animated banner of "Cancer" "on" "my" "Mind" graphics popping out a hinged brain (side view) one by one, from left to right. I will have to see if the cost is within my book project budget in the coming weeks and months.

The manuscript is in the final stages of re-formatting, editing, grammar and style corrections, and then it will be sent off to BookLocker, a self publishing book company for approval. Thank you to the special person who has accomplished this amazing task for me. You know who you are. Thank you sooo much!

A Lot More Progress on Cancer on My Mind

Jeremy and I have created the first front cover, back cover, and spine for my book.

The web site will consist of: picture of a cancer park in Phoenix Az.; video interviews about the book and reasons for a talking tumor in a brain cancer non-fiction book; video and song posting of a project that Jesse, the talented video-dude, who help me write, record, and shoot the video; sample book chapters; a few poems I wrote; pictures of the filming of the video, indoors in my condo, and outdoors on Mt. Tam, a cemetery, industrial 3rd St in SF, and the Oakland Coliseum.

The manuscript will be completed edited and re-formatted in a few weeks. I will submit it to BookLocker, a POD company, wait for their approval, submit the manuscript and book cover template, and wait for a draft book to be delivered to me in four weeks. So, I am looking at early August 2010 to get the book, song and video out.

Manuscript, book cover, song and video progress continued

I celebrated ten years of living a cancer-free after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in June 2000. Back then I had a 40% chance to live ten year. I did it! If you put your mind (yes, a pun was intended.) toward accomplishing anything in life, you can do it. I am living proof that it can be done.

Boy, am I a lot closer than I was six years ago. If you decide to take on a creative endeavor or three like I did, please be ready to be in it for the long haul. Creative is a large animal to sink your teeth into. I decided to stack the deck and write a song and shoot a video with my good friend, Jesse, after completing my book. The song is done and Jesse and I have a few more video scenes to shoot before he edits the video into the 2:49 minute song.

The song is awesome and will surprise everyone.

I re-formatted and fixed the grammar/inconsistencies in the manuscript which shortened it from 156 pages to 142 pages. I wrote more talking tumor dialogue to make the book more interested and injected more sarcasm and "you will die soon" back talk from my number one enemy.

I received an amazing endorsement last Sunday from the leader of brain surgery at UCSF, Doctor Charlie Wilson. Doctor Wilson trained my brain surgeon, Doctor Sandeep Kunwar, and the head of UCSF Brain Surgery and Pediatric Brain Surgery, Doctor Mitchel Berger.

Here is the quote: “The author has provided an insight into the mind of a patient told that he has a malignant brain tumor. His story of faith, courage and perseverance is from the heart, and if you will, the mind. He has an inspirational message that illuminates the human spirit from the inside. The audience for this story is everyone.”

Pretty awesome, huh! My endorsements so far: one from Harvard; one from UCLA; and three from UCSF.

I have been working closely with Jeremy Sosnick, brother of Andrew Sosnick, on a full-color book cover. After a few months of researching book covers and the specifics of how to sell a book or any product, Jeremy, created four pencil draft covers. I chose part of one draft and included my ideas. He created 14 draft color covers, and now we have moved on to colors and font ideas. We met last week and chose eight ideas which will include both of our book cover ideas. I am so excited that the book cover process is going well, mainly because Jeremy is a great artist and he is open to all of my book cover ideas and suggestions.

I will submit the manuscript to BookLocker for approval and will hopefully launch the book, song and video in early July 2010.

Manuscript and book cover progress

I re-formatted the entire manuscript in seven days. I am now checking over the grammar errors in the manuscript to make error-free and submission ready for a publishing on demand (POD) company named BookLocker.

I am meeting with Jeremy on Thursday to review a color draft of my book cover.

Still have three more small video scenes to shoot and then Jesse with begin the editing.

Finding time to take wonderful walks and have great dinners after work.

Being in love is wonderful.

More Progress on the Cancer On My Mind project

I took a well deserved break from the book, song, and video. I feel recharged and happy again. The song is 90% completed. The video is 90% shot and will be edited by mid June 2010. Once the song is mixed and we are happy with it, I will submit it to the US Copyright Office. If anyone wants to use it, we own it, so please get our permission before you use it.

I have seen the scenes that Jesse shot for the video and they are awesome. Great job Jesse!

I am reformatting the manuscript and cleaning up the remaining grammar errors in the next two week. I will submit the polished manuscript to Booklocker, a publishing on demand company for review and hopefully acceptance to self publish.

I have been working with Jeremy, an amazing graphic artist, designing the book cover concept, color, and font. I will be getting a color version of the design we decided on next week.

Life is good. I am looking at late June 2010 to have the song and video posted on YouTube, and my book in print and for sale.

More Progress With Cancer On My Mind

After a few weeks of planning from Jesse and I, a video shooting crew of five, gathered our talents and equipment and shot the beginning scene of my music on the beautiful coast of Mt. Tam, overlooking the shimmering Stinson Beach. We were patient with the thin clouds on the breathtaking coastline, and waited for a sunny clearing to shoot scenes of Christina, as she posed, smiled, drank wine and ate a sandwich, as my girlfriend. I manned the circular reflector, under Jesse's direction, on Christina's face to fill in the unlit side of her face. Jesse is an amazingly creative cameraman and saw many beautiful moments to direct Christina in scenes involving the stunning Stinson Beach background, an epiphany of Christina blowing a lady bug off her hand, toasting wine glasses, and enjoying the sunny day and coastal view. The day's shoot was filmed from my POV (point of view), an amazing video concept that Jesse came up with.

I checked my email upon arriving home at 10 pm, and was happily surprised to find a re-written draft of a screenplay from Allen Amundsen in my email in box. It is awesome and creative!

Major Progress on Cancer On My Mind

Since my last blog entry on January 15, 2010, a lot has happen with the book and video project:

-the song music is almost completed, but all the vocal and instrument parts must be painstakingly re-aligned by Jesse; the book cover was shot by with Steve last week and we chose the four pictures we want to use to PhotoShop a book cover
- the back cover will include a head shot photo and four positive book comments
-the video is 75% shot, but must be creatively edited together by Jesse into a highly creative video to post on YouTube
-a web site needs to be constructed
-i located a POD site to print and sell my book from called Booklocker