Book Expo America - Day #2

Well, day 2 is now over... just tomorrow and then back to the book tour. Today was filled with lots more meeting -- publishers, agents, publicists, authors, etc. When grabbing a coffee this morning at the Starbucks in the LA Convention Center, I found myself next to Alec Baldwin who was at BEA to promote his forthcoming book on "parenting" (I did not see his daughter with him...). Not sure of the details, but somehow there was a labor dispute this afternoon and all of the union food workers walked off the job for a couple of hours. Of course, it happened right over the lunch hour. Check back tomorrow for the final BEA wrap up from sunny Los Angeles.

Book Expo in LA - Day #1

Well, the first day of BEA went great (except for the fact that my feet are killing me -- I will be wearing my Asics tomorrow, which I am sure is some sort of a massive fashion faux pas...). We met LOTS of people and made some great contacts. Looking forward to more of the same tomorrow... 2 days left to impress! Its funny how people who do not even know me say of the strangest things... here are my top 3 for the day which I wanted to share:

1. Do you give your books away free?

2. Your story is not believable (from an LA reviewer). Yes, I completely fabricated my resume.... right.

3. My Favorite: You look a lot like the guy on the cover
of that book! (3 times!)

If you are at BEA, please come see us in booth #752!

Book Expo America - Setup Day

Greetings from sunny LA! We have a booth at BEA this year to promote The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy. Although this is my first time at BEA, I have done a lot of trade shows in past, and I can say without a doubt, BEA is completely over the top... "huge" would be an understatement! The major publishers basically setup a complete bookstore in the LA Convention Center for the 3-day show. I just got back from our final booth setup (the show starts tomorrow), but check out the "behind the scenes" photos showing the madness. If you are also in town for BEA, please stop by booth #752 to say hello!

Indie Book Award Finalist

Yeah... another book award! I was just informed that The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy is a finalist for the 2008 Indie Book Award. After working so hard on this project, it is nice when others recognize the time and effort. Check it out: IndieBookAwards.com.

7 Tornadoes Hit Northern CO - We're OK

Well, it has certainly been an interesting day here in northern Colorado, but I am pleased to report that we are all OK. Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out with your phone calls and emails to check on us -- I am truly touched and appreciative of your sincere concern.

Just before lunch today, a large tornado touched down in the middle of Windsor, Colorado (where my parents live) and then the same tornado touched down a few minutes later near the Budweiser Brewery close to Wellington, Colorado, which is less than 1/2 mile from where I live. While we both sustained some minor property damage, both my parents' and my house made it through the storm relatively unscathed and most importantly without any injuries. However, since their house in Windsor is expected to be without power for 1-2 days, they are temporarily staying with us, so that is the best place to reach them if you need to make contact.

Unfortunately, not all of our neighbors and friends were as lucky as us (click here to see the path of the tornadoes). The majority of the damage occurred in nearby Windsor, CO, where over 100 injuries and 3 deaths were reported. I ask that you keep our community in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to assess the damage. Please click here to see details and video on 9 News, our local NBC affiliate.

President's Council on Financial Literacy - Request for Public Comments

The President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy was created on January 22, 2008 by President George W. Bush. The Council’s purpose is to help keep America competitive and assist the American people in understanding and addressing financial matters. The 16-member council is headed by financial icon Charles Schwab.

The council recently issued a request for public comments regarding the state of financial literacy in the United States and proposed solutions to improve it. Click here to see the request for comments in the Federal Register. As a passionate advocate of financial literacy at all levels, I welcomed the opportunity to provide my "2-cents." Click here to see a copy of the 5-page "white paper" I provided with my thoughts and suggestions on the topic. The deadline for submissions is May 23rd, so please send your comments along as well!

Broken Hand = Bad Typing for 6 Weeks

Due to a random injury this past weekend (let's just say it involved a go cart...), and thanks to my friend the radiologist, I just found out that my left hand is fractured in 2 places. Obviously, this now explains the swelling and pain over the past 3 days. Although I still have to see the my other friend, the orthopaedic surgeon, this likely means a splint/cast for about 6 weeks.

So... if any of you are wondering why I am slow in returning your emails, it is because I only have 1 "good" hand left to type and it is much slower this way. I am trying to find a good assistant who takes dictation and knows short-hand, so if you know of anyone, please let me know. My girlfriend says that I should not attempt humor, but if you can't laugh at this, you (I) will only cry. I am literally chained to my computer all day (it is part of being an author...), so I am not sure how to handle this small challenge, but please be understanding if my grammar slides for a few weeks due to my new hunt-and-peck typing.

Midwest Book Review - "Recommended..."

Yeah again!! The book just got another very complimentary review, this time from Midwest Book Review:

"People as a whole go through life woefully uneducated about how to manage their money. The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial literacy seeks to teach readers what they are never taught by their schools or their parents - basic financial literacy. Promoted as a guide that can help anyone manage their money better at any age, The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy lives up to that promise and more, filled with over four hundred pages of invaluable information. Recommended to almost everyone, but especially so to personal finance community library collections where it is sure to be a popular lend."

Click here to see the complete review on their website or click here to see it on Amazon.

Book Expo America (BEA) - Los Angeles

Book Expo America (BEA) is where it all happens from 5/30 through 6/1. Braun Mincher will be there; will you? If so, please come visit us in the PMA section, booth #752. Daily updates will be posted to the BLOG during BEA.