Fabulous Fridays #52Lists Project

So sorry for being remiss about posting my weekly list. I have been making them, but I had some personal things to attend to and have not been able to post the way I would like to. Week Seven’s list is to List all of the people who brighten your day. In no particular order my list includes:

1. Professor Snape (Also known as my husband)
2. Xan (or Julie Young offspring prototype #1)
3. Gleek (or Julie Young offspring prototype #2)
4. Sarah
5. Sara
6. Georgia W.
7. Gerogia D.
8. Bill M.
9. Canida P.
10. Robi C.
11. Julie R.
12. Julie K.
13. Sherri H.
14. Sherri W.E.
15. G.
16. Andy M.
17. Brian S.
18. Cheryl S.
19. Chryl E.
20. Lauren L.
21. Dominic N.

In order to take action with this list, we are told to write a sweet note or do something thoughtful for one or some ofthese people on the list who make our lives easier, lighter and happier. I have already started this with my Compliment of the Day feature on my Facebook page…on a fairly regular basis, I tell people something I like about them. I have been told that everyone really appreciates them so I will keep doing that. Spread positive thoughts, not negative energy!

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Glo Column November: Passing the Test

       Although admitting this may confirm the fact that I have no life and that I really need to re-think what I do with my spare time, I positively love those little quizzes that pop up in my Facebook feed. You know which ones I am referring to, right? The ones that tell you in which country you really belong (France), which Disney princess you are most like (Belle), what song was written about you (“I Will Survive”) and on what day you are going to die. (I didn’t take that one because I believe some things in life really should remain a surprise.)

Yes, I question the scientific research that goes into the development of these things. After all, how does my picking a landscape scene have any bearing on which super hero sidekick I resemble? Still, I have to presume someone knows what he or she is doing and that by answering five or six multiple-choice questions; I will gain great personal insight into my psyche.

In the past month alone, I have learned some incredible things about myself. I did not know that I was Cleopatra in a past life or that I dated James Dean in an alternate universe. Apparently, I have more in common with JFK than any other US president and that I am 71 percent Jedi and 29 percent Sith. (Talk about a disturbance in the Force!) I am an “ultimate booktarian,” which isn’t even a real word according to…well, Word and I know all of my television sitcom characters from the 1960s through the 1980s. (Yet another fact that proves I should get out more.) If I were a student at Hogwarts, I would be sorted into Gryffindor and if I were part of a heavy metal/hard rock bank, I would definitely be a member of Led Zeppelin. OK, I did NOT need a Facebook quiz to tell me that one!

It’s true that I am addicted to Facebook quizzes in much the same way as I am countdown shows, tennis tournaments and term “Buy One Get One Free” however, I should have quit while I was ahead. A few nights ago, in a fit of inflated ego, I took the “Can You Answer Basic Fifth Grade Science Questions?” quiz and failed miserably.

Unlike the goobers at PlayBuzz who ask, “What inanimate object are you?” this quiz was brought to me from the good people at Time Magazine. I have to assume this means that they have done their homework and based on my two-out-of-eight score, clearly I didn’t do mine.

Seriously, did I learn any of this stuff at all? Admittedly fifth grade wasn’t my best year of elementary school, but still… Who knew nitrogen was the most common gas in the Earth’s atmosphere or that momentum is defined as the product of an object’s mass and velocity according to classical mechanics? (I think my dad subscribed to that magazine, by the way.) Why would I need to know which item (pulley, screw, wedge or hammer) is not a simple machine? I had it narrowed down to the wedge and hammer, but didn’t use my phone-a-friend lifeline to riddle out the final answer. In my defense I did know the three types of rock classifications and which element is responsible for the red look of the Martian soil, but it doesn’t make me feel any better and only begs the question why I know more about Mars than I do my home planet.

Naturally, Boy Wonder was delighted by my failure and tells everyone he knows that his mother is not “smarter than a fifth grader.” Maybe not, but neither are most Americans according to the study. Still, I must be doing something right. After all, I have two college degrees; a career that I love and Facebook says I am 95 percent likely to survive the zombie apocalypse. What more does anyone need?

 

 

 

 

Fabulous Fridays- Top Moments of 2013

I’m sorry to see 2013 go. Last year at this time, I vowed that it would be the best one since 1986 and I have to say, in the end…2013 is going to be a hard one to top. On New Year’s Eve, I was at dinner contemplating what the best moment of the year was. I had to be the only one at the table with a true Top Ten list but I couldn’t help it. It was all so amazing! So with no further ado…here are some of my favorite moments from what has truly been a spectacular year!

     Seeing/Meeting Heart. It’s always exciting to go to a concert, but it is even more exciting to see your favorite band, meet them and listen to them do a 30 minute encore of your OTHER favorite band. Top that off with an exclusive interview with the lead singer and a press pass for the show and you have a recipe for an unforgettable life event!

     Getting my masters degree. I firmly believe that education is the key to making all of your dreams come true and it was incredible to be able to complete my masters program in a year and to secure my degree with a 4.0 GPA. It seemed like such a long journey but in the end, it was well-worth it. Hopefully in 2014, I can secure a teaching position at a local college or university and enter into a new phase of my already amazing career!

 

     Going to Disney World. I don’t take vacations, so after completing my degree I decided that the Monkey and I would take off for the Happiest Place on Earth and trip the light fantastic for an AWESOME week. The Disney people do not disappoint, I must say. Everyone was so pleasant and accommodating and I literally cried when I had to leave and go back to the real world. Getting to spend that vacation with my teenage son was also fabulous, especially when I asked him what the best part was and hearing him say, “Meeting the mouse!”

      Singing on the American Idol Stage. OK, it was the American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but still…I had to go through a blistering audition process, impress the production people and give the performance of my life in 90 seconds. Hands down that auditorium had the best sound system I have ever encountered and even though I didn’t take home the Golden Ticket, having some of my “fans” come up to me afterward and want their picture taken with me made me feel like a rock star!

     Attending the Western & Southern Open. I am a tennis junkie. I admit it. I love the sport and there are a lot of top players worthy of watching. It had been years since I attended a live match so what better way to spend your birthday than to go to Cincinnati and see the top players in the world. Seeing Venus, Roger and Vika was so wonderful and having one of them wish me many happy returns was even better. Can’t wait to go back in 2014! (I’ve got my eye on you Andy Murray!!!)

 

     Meeting “Doctor Who.” There is something truly exciting about helping your kid reach a goal of meeting one of his idols. It’s even better when you get to interview that idol as well! For my young “whovian” there was nothing as special as meeting Peter Davison even though when I asked him about his top moment of 2013…Doctor Who surprisingly didn’t make the list. LOL

    Releasing FAMOUS FACES of WTTV-4. I am always honored and proud to release a new book, but this one was extra special considering that the subjects of the book were the television heroes of my childhood. I was thrilled when “Janie” came to the launch along with the Puppet Master Brian Reynolds, and Commander KC. We were able to Skype briefly with Peggy of the “Popeye and Peggy” show and the book has received some wonderful reviews on Goodreads!

 

     Signing the FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME contract. At long last my first novel is coming out and I could not be more excited about it. I am so appreciative of Rocking Horse Publishing for taking a chance on MonAmi’s madcap journey into manufactured superstardom and I can’t wait to beef up the buzz as we approach our 4/1/14 launch date!

 

As for what is coming in 2014? Well if you know me, there will be plenty of weekly book reviews and Fabulous Fridays. I plan to start an “Author Spotlight” feature and of course, don’t forget to check out MonAmi’s Tour Diary which is the companion blog to FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME and full of sneak peeks, deleted material and whatever MonAmi feels like sharing. I guarantee there will be plenty of the unexpected along the way and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Let’s rock the new year!

Julie Young

On the Web: http://www.julieyoungfreelance.com

Like Julie Young on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjulieyoung

Like FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fifteenminutesoffamebook

Twitter: @JulieYoung14

 

Calling All Musicians and Songwriters

    Are you ready to get your original music in the hands of new fans? Ready to break out of the local market? Do you need someone to help get the word out and spread your sound around? Look no further! FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME is coming and it’s ready to rock! All it needs is you!

What is FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME? 

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME is a novel by me, Julie Young set for release in April 2014 by Rocking Horse Publishing (www.rockinghorsepublishing.com). It tells the story of  Megan Tayor, a young musician who was plucked from obscurity at the age of 15 and molded into music icon MonAmi with a new recording contract, a new name and a mysterious image conceived by a demanding record label known for cranking out flash-in-the-pan-hit-makers. When MonAmi defies the odds and lasts longer than the requisite “fifteen minutes of fame” the label reaps the benefits from the bona fide super star until on the night of her farewell tour, burned out and angry, MonAmi goes on the run, leaving everything behind.

     She returns to her hometown of Kentwood, Indiana where she goes into seclusion and is forced to make peace with the person that she is and the persona she has become. Like it or not, she has to face the music. Who said living a double life was “the best of both worlds?”

What does this have to do with me? 

In order to launch FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME, I am giving musicians the opportunity to donate copies of their CD’s for reader giveaways, which I will promote on my website, blogs, social media outlets in exchange for your support of the book. There is no catch. This is ABSOLUTELY FREE and completely legitimate. All you have to pay for is the postage to get the CDs to me or avoid money altogether and donate your music in the form of MP3 files which will be burned (an agreed upon number of times) or, if you only have a single or two may be selected for a FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME compilation CD.

So, do I keep the rights to my songs? Is this for real? 

     YES!!! This is merely my way of developing a symbiotic relationship with the music community that I love and cherish more than anything in the world! Help me help you by getting your music into new hands, help you reach new fans and build a bigger buzz than you have right now. The FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME  Facebook page will be promoting musicians who participate throughout the winter and spring of 2014 and there will be tons of new opportunities beyond.

What kind of music are you looking for? 

As a general rule…everything. I am open to pop, rock, R&B, country, rap, Christian…whatever. I am NOT and WILL NOT accept CDs or files that are blatantly explicit and I am not looking for death metal. I would like a good honest mix of genres from hard working bands who “get” the opportunity I am providing and are excited to be part of it.

Do you have to be a certain age? 

Nope…High School garage bands…working musicians,…women…all are welcome…if you have ORIGINAL material…I’m willing to consider it. I do request that your band be “verifiable” (I don’t want to find out later that you are the 21st Century’s answer to Milli Vanilli) so that I can operate in the most honest way possible.   

Why are you doing this? 

   My character got her big break because someone was willing to give her a chance. Musicians know that it is important to get their music out there any way possible just as authors like to find readers anywhere and everywhere. My book is about music…I’m a musician…why wouldn’t I use that platform to promote the book and do something good at the same time?

I don’t have any originals, but I would still like to get my band promoted. 

I am happy to accept merch from bands who do not play originals, (i.e. promotional guitar picks, drum sticks, t-shirts) whatever…just contact me and we can talk about it.

     Have I answered all of your questions? Probably not, but that’s OK…the first step is getting the word out FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME will not be as successful without musicians and their dreams. If you are ready to kick this book and your music into high gear….then let’s get ready to rock! Contact me to find out how you can get involved!

Like Julie Young on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjulieyoung

Like Fifteen Minutes of Fame on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fifteenminutesoffamebook

Follow Julie Young on Twitter @Julieyoung14

E-mail: Julie@Julieyoungfreelance.com

Behind the Scenes: Fifteen Minutes of Fame Pt. 3

   When I wrote FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME, I knew that I wanted to create a project that would marry my two passions: music and prose. There was no way I would ever allow FMOF to be “merely” a book. It had to be more and that is what I have been working on in the past few weeks, creating a multi-media vehicle for the story that would bring FMOF to life in different ways and help other young artists realize their dreams!

     Starting in January 2014 readers will be able to check out MonAmi’s Tour Diary. This diary is the companion blog to FMOF and contains a number of deleted scenes, insights and a “peek into MonAmi’s brain” on a variety of subjects. This is the spot to connect DIRECTLY with the character. Ask MonAmi a question and chances are, she’ll answer it.

I am also accepting demo CDs, MP3 files (sent through Yousendit.com), t-shirts, guitar picks, and other swag from bands who want to get their name out to a wider audience and get their music into some new hands. These will be used as giveaways at book signings and on my blog tour in exchange for your helping to promote FMOF! You don’t have to send a ton of stuff, but whatever you can afford to part with would be awesome! I will do my best to promote it and pass it along so that we can all enjoy our “fifteen minutes of fame” a little longer.  E-mail me at Julie@Julieyoungfreelance.com for more information.

    In addition, I will be announcing some upcoming song writing contests as my 4/1/14 publication date draws near. This will be your opportunity to WRITE one of MonAmi’s songs and have it promoted on YouTube, on the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Web site, blog….you name it! Who knows? If it’s good enough, MonAmi herself may actually record your version of it for download! (and cut you in for part of the profits!)

There will be more to come, but this will give you the idea of how far we’re taking FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME. So the question is…

Are you ready to rock?

Like Fifteen Minutes of Fame on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Fifteenminutesoffamebook

Like Julie Young on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/authorjulieyoung

Behind the Scenes: Fifteen Minutes of Fame Pt. 2

    Long before she was “MonAmi,” Megan Taylor knew she was going to do something big with her life. For as long as she could remember she’d wanted to be an entertainer and when she was offered a recording contract at the age of 15, she jumped at the chance to put her career on the fast track.

It’s a story that’s been told time and time again on Behind the Music episodes. A talented kid is courted by the industry, promised the world and three albums later they are a washed up has-been who isn’t even old enough to vote. When MonAmi walked away from her career at the height of her fame, most assumed she was the latest in a long line of rock music casualties. But unlike other acts, MonAmi knew she was in a race against time…a race she thought she’d won until she realized that the race was never really over…not as long as there was money to be made:

       I could announce my retirement, plan a spectacular Farewell Tour, but at the end of the day, as far as Diamage Records was concerned, I wasn’t going anywhere. -MonAmi, Fifteen Minutes of Fame

MonAmi is an anomaly in an industry laden with disillusioned young people who were talented enough to be chosen, but not strong enough to withstand the pressure. Make no mistake about it, MonAmi is far from perfect, but she never  lets her mistakes stand in the way of her dream. It’s only in her self-imposed exile that she begins to wonder if the dream of rock and roll music stardom was her biggest mistake of all.

        “You’re so far lost in this that you don’t know where MonAmi ends and where Megan begins!” -Denim Rhodes, Fifteen Minutes of Fame. 

Up Next: Fifteen Minutes of Fame offers a multi-media platform for readers and musicians

Like Fifteen Minutes of Fame on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fifteenminutesoffamebook

Like Julie Young on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjulieyoung

Behind-the-scenes: Fifteen Minutes of Fame Pt. 1

      As most of you know, my first novel-FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME is coming out in the spring of 2014 by Rocking Horse Publishing. As excited as I am about the book, I have posted very little about it. Oh, people know the basics…”It’s a story about a rock star”…but few know where the idea came from, how LONG I’ve been playing around with it and what I planned to do with it.

Until now.

       The idea for FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME came to me 24 years ago this month. I was a young mother of a five-month-old, living in North Carolina and because I had nothing to do one day…I decided to write a rock opera. Suffice to say, it was not Jesus Christ Superstar, but I do remember the basic premise being there right from the start: A young, rocker being pushed to the breaking point and fleeing at the pinnacle of her career.

Over the years, the story evolved and changed. I drew bits and pieces from rock biographies, bands I admired and my own imagination. As the story moved from rock opera to screen play to God-only-knows-what, I had to revise with the times and more than once I wondered if anyone would believe a story about a mysterious, manufactured rock star living a double life. A few years later, Hannah Montana hit the Disney Channel and I was torn between feeling pleased that my concept was a winner…and PO’d that Disney had beaten me to the punch! LOL

However, despite the family-friendly spin on rock and roll superstardom, I knew there was a side of this not being told. Music history is littered with the carcasses of young performers who were molded into a carefully crafted image, given no creative freedom, and who were ran into the ground by the same people who promised to protect them. Through FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME, I strove to create a story that would show the good, bad and ugly side of the music business told by the girl who lived the dream:

I don’t know the statistics on the subject, but the list of rock stars that cracked under the pressure could read like a Who’s Who list of the industry if it were actually compiled. If I had the inside track on which performers would adjust well to the madness and which are train wrecks waiting to happen, I would go find another singer somewhere and become her manager…After years of trying to ignore it, I decided that the time had come to tell everyone the truth, to lift the veil and let everyone see what really happened. My career is not without its controversies, but I survived in a world where some fall by the wayside and others think they are one hit song away from a comeback. For better or for worse, this is my story: the behind the scenes reality about manufactured fame and all of the trappings that come with it from the girl who sold her soul to rock and roll. 

                       -MonAmi, Fifteen Minutes of Fame

 Up Next: Who is MonAmi?

Like Fifteen Minutes of fame on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fifteenminutesoffamebook

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Buy It, Borrow It or Bag It- The Outsider by Jimmy Conners

  I know I said I liked this autobiography better than I did Rafa’s and technically, that is still true. However, I seriously regret the purchase. Though I have always admired Conners as a player and was thrilled to see him recently in Cincy…I have lost a lot of respect for the man based on his catty attitude and blatant revelations in this book. Yes, it was his book (as he mentioned a number of times) but some things aren’t meant to be shared and sometimes you don’t have to make other people look bad in an effort to make yourself look good. (It really doesn’t work that way…you only end up looking more like a jerk.)

Yes, Jimmy did a lot for tennis, and by God he makes sure you know about it in this book, but it really did not gel with me at all. I was very disappointed

Bag It.