The Book In You   

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They say there is a book in all of us. The trouble is that most of us never reach in and bring that book out.

  

All that can now change. There are a several apps that can help you write stories. 

I read about them in The New York Times. I’m going to try, one by one, till I find my comfort zone. The apps are suppose to organize, motivate, and coach you during the writing process. 

That means you can write a book on the go. Everytime you have an idea, open the app and start typing away.  

Here are some options:

Storyist –the NY Times favorite. It’s a fully-featured text editor with options for: fonts, coloring and formatting.
iA Writer is an app that simplifies the writing process, no clutter, no frills. Everything is focused on what you last wrote.

OmmWriter has a Zen feel. Everything is very organized and easy-to-use. 

Scrivo Pro is a comprehensive program, but with a long learning curve. 

Monospace is free and basic. Maybe, I will try this one first.

Let me know if you try any of these.

Internet Friends Speak 

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I was just about to buy tickets to this Broadway Show and then I read this on Facebook. Thanks Eileen for the heads up.

     

Bruce Finds Original Annie

   

Speaks For Itself

   

It’s Been A While Since I’ve Seen This  

  

My dentist and his daughter. If that was me, I would have bit his finger. Only kidding.

  

Iceland, Here We Come 

  

Rainmaker

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Today’s assignment. 

Rain couldn’t keep hundreds of volunteers away this morning from showing up to display pinwheels for Prevent Child Abuse America. The pinwheels represent the constant reminder that everyone is entitled to a great childhood.

Dan Duffy, President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America and Cristina Cuomo, Editor-in-Chief of Manhattan magazine, pose with the volunteers.

I was very proud to be involved in this event.

   

    
   
   
   T  
 

 

Art + Music = Passion 

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As a publicist, I always wanted to promote art with music. I could never understand why they weren’t always marketed together. People who love music, love art, and vice versa.

A client, Astell&Kern, gave me the opportunity to do just that. I needed to find a very special place to show off the new Astell&Kern AKT1 All In One Hi-Res Sound System. The unit contains everything a person needs to listen to high resolution audio in a single, sleek modern unit that saves space.. 

The AKT1 includes speakers, amplifier, and high resolution audio decoding in one unit so you can have audiophile quality high resolution audio playback without the need for multiple components and large speaker.

 

Astell&Kern AKT1 in the corner of Williams McCall Gallery

  

Setting up the Astell&Kern AKT1

 
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I got lucky. The Williams McCall Gallery, of Miami Beach, agreed to help debut the Astell&Kern Hi-Res Music For The Home, during their next art exhibition on April 16th, 2016, from 6 to 9pm. It’s called, Expanse 3.0, An Exploration Of The Uncharted Urban.

The exhibit includes the following participating artists – Emil Bodourov, Debbie Carfagno, Rolande Ciciurel, Alfredo Garcia, Clare Kowalewski, Roxanne Layton, Maitejosune, Nicole Martin, David McCauley, Amy Musto, and Beatricia Sagar.

 I am forever grateful to gallery owners, Gail Williams and Dawn McCall. Thank you! Williams McCall Gallery is located at 110 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL – http://www.williamsmccallgallery.com

Gail said, “We are delighted to provide the exhibit space for such a great innovation in music. Our gallery has always been known for the introduction of cutting edge works, so we felt the blend of the newest in music technology was a natural. People who love art, love the best in quality music.”

Owen Kwon, President of Astell&Kern, said, “We deeply appreciate the partnership with such a prestigious gallery as Williams McCall Gallery. The excitement of their exhibits express the passion we bring to the music world. This marriage of art and music is all about providing the public with the best of what life has to offer.”

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Introducing Audible Channels  

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If you are a big Audible user, than you probably heard the news. The largest seller and producer of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming, is getting into short-form content. 

The new area is called Audible Channels and it offers podcasts, news, comedy, and exclusive shows. All this is free for Audible.com members.  You can stream or download the new collections from your smartphone app.

I going to try Audible Channels tomorrow between appointments. It will be great to start and finish a story in an hour or less. I am totally addicted to Audible. I even have certain magazines read to me. It’s a whole new way of life.

  
   

  

  

Vanity Fair 

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I’m in a very creative mood. I love stories that energize me. I wanted to share some of the ones that recently spurred me on to think about new projects.

  
Two photos featured in Vanity Fair.              

 Pablo Picasso’s Bust of a Woman, 1931. Opposite, the artist in Cannes, September 11, 1956.

Left, by François Halard/The Condé Nast Archive/© 2016 Estate of Pablo Picasso/ARtists rights Society (A.R.S.), New York; Right, by Arnold Newman/Getty Images.

This one from Vanity Fair talks about the family fight for the thousands of paintings and sculptures that Picasso left behind. Understanding the depth of Picasso’s work makes me realize just how prolific he was and much time he devoted to his art. 
Click here

Next…..

 

Sheila Elias

 
This is a short video about my artist friend Sheila Elias. I’ve written about her before because she is a fabulous inspiration to those of us who want to keep creating as we age.  

Click here.

Happy 90th birthday Hef 

Written by a business friend Ed Hulse

 

A Drone And Desserts     

  

This was the scene tonight at Books and Books in Coral Gables, Florida. We were sitting in the courtyard of this famous Miami bookstore, nibbling on desserts, when all of a sudden, we see a very bright red light above us. Everyone looks up and gasps. The drone was coming right at us. Luckily its pilot was standing nearby, so he sent the unmanned vehicle in another direction. Whew, it was scary, but fun to watch the drone in the pitch black sky.
  

Thank you Carol Sklaw Joseph

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Carol always has the best proverbs on Facebook

   

  

  

  

    
    
    
   

My Next Project, Pinwheels  

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Image: Prevent Child Abuse

We leave Hazel tomorrow in Chicago to go back to Miami. I hate leaving the team after bonding with cast members and their families. It was like one big family circle.

We stay in Miami till Monday. Then we fly very early to New York where we start a new project  that involves thousands of pinwheels being displayed in Times Square next Tuesday as a national symbol to help prevent child abuse. 

This is what we sent to the press: 

MEDIA ALERT 
  

Prevent Child Abuse America and hundreds of volunteers will be displaying thousands of pinwheels – the national symbol for great childhoods – in Times Square at 9:00am ET on Tuesday, April 12, 2016.

The Times Square pinwheel event is one of hundreds being held nationally throughout April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month by Prevent Child Abuse America state chapters. The pinwheels stand as a call-to-action that we all play a role when it comes to the future of our nation’s children.
Prevent Child Abuse America is the leading organization working solely to prevent child abuse and neglect from occurring in the first place. The organization achieves that mission through its 50-state chapter network, Healthy Families America program serving more than 80,000 families annually, and national advocacy and awareness efforts.

“The American dream starts with a happy, healthy childhood,” said Dan Duffy, President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. “Every child deserves a great childhood, and we all play a role in making sure this goal is realized.”

“A great childhood starts with an investment in families,” said Tim Porter, Vice-President, Membership, Foresters Financial. “For more than 140 years, Foresters Financial has been more than a financial services provider. We’re dedicated to helping families prosper and build stronger communities. That’s why we’re proud to support Prevent Child Abuse America, and this exciting event that helps us bring our purpose to life.”

I will let you know if we get any hits. If you know anyone who can help with our efforts, please contact us. You know this is an important cause.

Thank you 

Lois 

  

Hazel, A Musical Maid In America   

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A thunderous round of applause for Hazel. It debuted last night at the Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, IL  Eliot and I are thrilled to be involved in the show and believe that one day we will see it on Broadway.  

   Just before the show started we received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from our daughter Whitney and boyfriend Fredrick. It was so kind and thoughtful. We love you guys.

  

   

  
The geniuses behind Hazel, Chuck Steffan, Lyrics and Ron Abel, Music. We are so proud of them.

 
Ron and Chuck with the star of the show, Klea Blackhurst, and close friend and actress Michele Lee.   


Ron and Chuck with their friend Sonny.

    

Norma Dorman, Michele Lee, me and  Ruth Greenberg. 


Team Hazel.  

  
Howard Stark, Howard Greenberg and Rene Rodrigues.      

The Greenbergs. 

Norma and Michele.

  
Norma and Michael  Dorman  

The entire cast.

   
 
  

Yes, that’s Joshua Bergassey, the director.      

Peter Key, son of Ted Key, original creator of the Hazel comic strip.  

Eliot with Klea.  

Rick Kruger 

Table Side Payments 

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Image: TableSafe

If you have ever traveled in Europe, you may have seen one of these gizmos when you paid  your bill at a restaurant. The waiter/waitress showed up with a little box that scanned your credit card at your table. All the financials were done right in front of you.

TableSafe, a Washington State company, has just raised $25 million in order to give Americans the same tableside service. Called Rail, the new payment system will allow Americans to swipe their credit card right on-the-spot. The company is also introducing a  chip card unit that will allow patrons to use Apple Pay.

TableSafe is good news for many folks who have had their identities stolen. Strangers will no longer have the opportunity to walk off with your credit in restaurants. You are now in total control. 

Watch the video for other advantages from TableSafe like restaurant discounts, membership benefits, recipes, holiday discuss, menu changes, etc.

Let me know if you start to see Rail soon.