New Year's Eve: Tarts and Vicars Party!

Niche Wine & Art welcomes all tarts, savory and sweet,
because tarts always come FIRST at Niche!

Enjoy your champagne cocktail in this comfortable neighborhood gathering spot. Rustic down to the original concrete walls washed with remnants of colors from the past and the rough hewn fir floors, this new restaurant in downtown Vancouver offers 140 wine selections by the bottle, and dozens of selections by the glass and half glass. Prices from $4.
Full menu available for the holiday including tarts, both savory and sweet.

Event management for New Years Eve: Tarts and Vicars Party powered by Eventbrite

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Rain powered writer on PearlofCarol.com

There's a contest in our midst. Chime in with your comment to be entered to win a copy of Hemlock Lake by Carolyn J. Rose.

Pearl of Carol: pursuit of adventure!: Rain powered writer

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Social Media for Writers: Speaker Carol Doane

Vancouver Writer's Mixer

Social Media for Authors

Saturday, December 4

5-6:30 pm

Featured Speaker: Carol Doane

Saturday Carol Doane speaks to the Vancouver Writer's Mixer. She's got the internet wired for fun, for feedback and success! She's the doyenne of Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, and many other virtual publicity websites.

Carol will be demonstrating the basics of navigating these treacherous technical waters. Find out why you should dabble, even just a little, on-line. By the time we're finished, you'll be amazed and eager to get out there and start networking!  It's so easy, even Smedley the bookstore cat tweets. Carol will touch on hot social media topics such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, YouTube, Plancast and blogging.

Learn quick tips, easy to use shortcuts and what to do if you hate the idea of marketing yourself.

Carol was a top finalist in the 2010 SoMe Awards (Social Media Awards of the Pacific Northwest) for her volunteer campaign for the Southwest Washington Blood Program. Winning campaigns awarded to Air New Zealand, Travelocity, PAX East, Mio Gelato, Portland Fit, Hotel Max, Mio Gelato, a worthy group to be included in!

Carol Doane is also a published writer (chapter in Laughing Nine to Five: The Quest for Humor in the Workplace) and has two completed fiction manuscripts now in the hands of literary agents on both coasts.

Many, many thanks to Angst Gallery owner Leah Jackson for allowing Cover to Cover Books to hold their monthly mixer in the gallery. The bookstore remains closed due to smoke damage until renovations can be completed. Cover to Cover is taking special orders via email: mail@covertocoverbooks.net.

If you want to chat with Carol after the event we'll be taking over the couch in Niche Wine & Art next door.

Online event registration for Social Media for Writers powered by Eventbrite

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Kailynn Doane

Writer, artist, future educator Kailynn Doane

Potential is not dictated by age.

One of our youngest friends is a dedicated high school student who plays piano, guitar, saxophone and beginner trumpet. She is a dynamite artist and freelance photographer. She competed with her rare breed dog at the State level in 4-H and is learning to ride her uncle's wild horses in the hinterlands. While in the city, she is seen around town on bike and when not on bike she is in the pool as an avid swimmer.

Whew. We wonder when she has time to do any homework.

We're excited to know Kailynn Doane and celebrate her own Active Qu3st. She is currently enrolled in the Science Math Technology at the largest high school in her city and is the organized friend who keeps everyone else on track to complete assignments on time.

Doane creates art wherever she finds

an interesting surface or medium.

Doane has her sights on a swimming trip to China March 2011. The trip is organized by Washington Cultural Exchange. They are an educational 501(c)(3) charitable organization begun in 1986 to increase cultural awareness and appreciation through international travel and competition.

Traveling with Washington Cultural Exchange is an exceptional opportunity and students are encouraged to network with the community and seek financial support.

Doane is seeking donations from local businesses, friends and of course, family. Support is paid directly to WSE in the students name and may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant.

Email Active Qu3st, Now@ActiveQu3st.com, if you would like more information on how to contribute to Miss Doane's cultural exchange. Personally, we can't wait to see her photos, but first we have to make sure she snags that trip :-)

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Books' worst enemy: FIRE

As reported in The Columbian, a fire next door to Cover to Cover Books ravaged the locally owned book shop with smoke and water damage. They are temporarily closed, but both owner Mel, and the owner of Mel--Smedley the cat, escaped unharmed.

Mel sent us this update:

We won't have power for at least a few days, and I will be meeting the adjuster later today to see what's what. Last night it was a mess, ceiling tiles down everywhere, water and smoke damage. Not sure how bad the books are, but there was no fire in our suite, just stink, some water damage, and mess of other sorts. Smeds and I got out just fine, along with most of the electronics. Luckily it was before our Open Microphone, so there was just me and the cat in the store at the time.

Probably need to scratch the author faire in December. I have no idea how long the business will be sidelined, but I expect at least a month, actually, and I won't have any extra oomph to keep that rolling while we assess the mess and get a new ceiling and flooring and whatever else.

*sigh*

It's always something. The irony is that last night while we were salvaging paperwork by flashlight, I found the inspection report and invoice from our annual fire extinguisher inspection: all 3 extinguishers were fine! Not that we had fire, but still. IRONY, WE HAVE IT.

Mel

We'll keep you posted on alternative location for the November Vancouver Writers Mixer as soon as we have secured space. In the meantime, our best wishes are with Mel and all the friends of Cover to Cover Books.

From the mailbox, read at your own risk

We received this email from one of our friends (psst... Melanie Sherman). It expresses our own love of beautifully crafted language.

"I followed someone on twitter who sent me the following direct message:

thanks 4 following me, Melanie. I look 4ward 2 connecting w/ U. PLZ remember me if U ever need proofreading, editing or transcriptions done,

Um...yeah. She'd B like a 1st lieu10ant. I'd forgot10 how much help that wood B."

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If you need editing assistance, perhaps Active Qu3st can assist you in finding a real editor. Wait! We think you already know one. Keep editing, friend, and let us know when you get back to that agent who is hot on your trail. We want to see your book published!

Let the kids tweet!

Received an email from Carolyn J. Rose that made us laugh. She is currently substitute teaching and enjoying the heck out of it—now that she views it as part of her social life and a chance to practice stand-up comedy.

Here's what she wrote . . .

So I see a kid with his phone out in class today and I tell him he’d better be texting his pals to tell them that I’m the greatest sub in the world and he says no, he’s tweeting it. A few minutes later another kid says he’s tweeting about me, too.

I should have taken their phones away, but I knew that you, my publicist, would have been upset at the loss of free publicity. LOL

That's right, Carolyn. We want ALL the PR we can get for you as possible, even from kids who should be studying English.

After all, when they are tweeting they are still writing, aren't they?

Leah Jackson Show: a second look at graffiti

Graffiti is an under appreciated art form.

Usually deemed a minor crime, this transitory art form is the subject of an exhibit by Angst Gallery owner Leah Jackson.

Jackson, a world traveler, encourages us to take another look at graffiti and captured her visual thesis in a photographic journey. She shares pctures from the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, France, and the Pacific Northwest at Washington State University. The photographs are not framed, but rather displayed on distressed surfaces such as rusted steel or weathered wood.

Much of the graffiti she captured is no longer visible. It's gone, covered up with paint so as not to bother the general public.

Because of Jackson's keen eye, imaginative and beautiful graffiti can still be shared and enjoyed.

Venue:
Washington State University Vancouver
In the Library
14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave
Vancouver, WA 98686.

When

Now through November 21

Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 10pm
Friday: 8am - 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: Noon - 5pm

The library will be CLOSED on: September 5-6 for Labor Day and November 11 for Veteran’s Day

FREE admission.

For more information about the graffiti exhibit or any other exhibit at Washington State University Vancouver, contact Erin Dengerink Madarang at madarang@vancouver.wsu.edu or 360-546-9551.

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Read more about Leah Jackson on these posts:

Leah Jackson on Active Qu3st

SW Washington Zest: 10 minute conversation with Leah Jackson

SW Washington Center for the Arts; Doc published Summer 2009

Art is in the eye of the beholder: Student interns at Angst Gallery

Bike Love event June 2009: Bike Portland.org photo gallery

Leah Jackson: Director Angst Gallery

Sometimes a Carolyn Commotion

"It’s bedlam by the bay, chaos on the coast, another dustup in Devil’s Harbor."

Yes! The next book in the Devil's Harbor Mystery series goes on sale now at Cover to Cover Books, 1817 Main St, Vancouver, WA 98660. It can also be found at other popular sites such as Amazon.com,  Barnesandnoble.com and Kindle.

That's good news.

Carolyn J. Rose co-wrote the mystery with her husband Mike Nettleton. She laughs a lot about the joys of writing with a spouse, but secretly we know that whenever the atmosphere gets tense someone gets knocked off in the book.

So, who dies in this commotion? Here's the scoop:

Thanks to reporter Molly Donovan, the person who killed The Big Grabowski is in jail, but things are hardly back to what passes for normal in the quirky coastal community. With the aging sewage treatment system at its limit and huge penalties looming, the mayor orders extreme water conservation. Townspeople complain, but comply; they make every flush count.

Then Elspeth spots an image scorched into a breaded crab cake served up at the Devil’s Food Cafe. Swarms of pilgrims descend on the town and the mayor, despite threats of impeachment or worse, plants a portable toilet on every lawn. Only selling timber from town trust land can supply funds to fix the sewer system. But a tree-sitting activist for hire keeps loggers at bay.

When someone takes a chainsaw to his perch, Molly discovers the fall alone didn’t kill him-he was poisoned, strangled, and struck with a blunt object. Who did him in? The mayor? The girlfriend he cheated on? The environmentalist he defrauded? Loggers with their payday on hold?

While Molly delves into the dead man’s past, hoping to untangle a snarl of lies and name the killer before Sheriff Greg Erdman, others chart stranger courses-her father falls for a shady lady, Henri undertakes an extreme makeover, Adam flees to the forest, Elspeth sees the light, Icky becomes a writer, and Shelley takes bold steps to turn back the tide of tourism.

Run on down to Cover to Cover. Make a commotion. They'll point you toward the right shelf.

Read an excerpt on the Deadly Duo's website!

IN THE NEWS: Leah Jackson and PARK(ing) Day

"Vancouver gallery owner Leah Jackson was happy to participate in Friday’s city-sanctioned conversion of a few curbside parking spaces into parks-for-a-day," begins the article in the local paper.

Leah Jackson has been participating in PARK(ing) Day an annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good since its inception. She is a strong promoter of biking and pedestrian access to city venues and gallery visitors will spy Jackson's bike parked in front of Angst Gallery during open hours.

The picture from the paper's website shows Niche Wine Bar, Jackson's next new venture opening soon at 1013 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660.

Read the entire article here.

IN THE NEWS: Mystery writers cook up a book

"Husband-and-wife team Carolyn J. Rose and Mike Nettleton have written several mystery and suspense books. But the Vancouver couple recently lent their talents to another project: a cookbook."

Read the entire article on The Columbian Newspaper's website. Story titled: Bits 'n' Pieces: Local mystery writers cook up cookbook contributions.

Purchase the cookbook Killer Recipes at Cover to Cover Books, 1817 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660, or on Amazon.com.

Author Bill Cameron to appear in Vancouver, WA

Saturday, October 2, 5:00-6:30 PM
Cover to Cover Books
1817 Main Street, Vancouver 98660

Critically-acclaimed mystery novelist Bill Cameron opens the Vancouver Writers Mixer Series, a monthly event focusing on the publishing industry that happens first Saturdays October through June in at Cover to Cover Books.

Cameron is the author of the dark, gritty mysteries Day One, Chasing Smoke and Lost Dog—featuring irascible Portland homicide cop Skin Kadash. New York Times Bestselling Portland author Chelsea Cain describes Day One as "an utterly engrossing page-turner." In the Vancouver Voice, Carolyn Schultz-Rathbun said, “The body count is positively Shakespearean, but in Cameron’s vision of P-town’s dark underbelly, love really is strong as death. Maybe stronger.”

The next Skin Kadash mystery, County Line, will be released in June 2011 by Tyrus Books.

Chasing Smoke received a starred review from Library Journal, and Booklist declared, "it engages the reader on an emotional as well as literary level." It was a finalist for the 2009 Spotted Owl Award for best Northwest mystery. Lost Dog was nominated for the 2008 Rocky Award and was a finalist for the 2008 Spotted Owl Award.

Cameron's short fiction has appeared in Spinetingler Magazine, the Killer Year anthology, and Portland Noir, as well as on Lit 103.3: Fiction for the Ears. His most recent story can be found in First Thrills (Forge Books).

Bill lives with his wife and poodle in Portland, Oregon, where he also serves as staff to a charming, yet imperious cat. He is an eager traveler and avid bird-watcher, and likes to write near a window so he can meditate on whatever happens to fly by during intractable passages. He is currently working on his fifth novel.

Bill blogs every other Thursday at Criminal Minds (7criminalminds.blogspot.com) and tweets as bcmystery at twitter.com/bcmystery.

You can learn more at www.billcameronmysteries.com and more about the event at http://billcameron.eventbrite.com.

Event Tickets

The Vancouver Writer's Mixer was started by author Carolyn J. Rose (@CarolynJRose) and is emceed by Carol Doane, (@TheFirstCarol).

Portland Writers Examiner reports on Hemlock Lake book launch

Karen Gilb of the Portland Writers Examiner gave a nod to Carolyn J. Rose's release Hemlock Lake.

"Hemlock Lake is a departure for Rose who usually likes to inject a generous measure of wit and humor into her books. The characters in her newest novel are still compelling. The action is fast-paced and believable, but fans will find her newest book considerably darker than those which have come before."

The launch party was hosted by Cover to Cover Books, 1817 Main Street, Vancouver, WA‎ 98660.

HEMLOCK LAKE on Kindle!

Click the book to purchase the Kindle edition.

Carolyn J. Rose's book HEMLOCK LAKE is now available on Kindle. You can purchase it here for a limited time for only $2.99.

The mystery, set in the Catskill Mountains, involves betrayal, revenge, love, loss, and redemption, set against the search for an arsonist and killer in a remote community.

Rose, who founded the Vancouver Writers’ Mixers in 2006 and teaches a novel-writing boot camp through Clark College Continuing Education, will talk about the decision to write a book far different from the humorous mysteries, such as The Big Grabowski, that she’s penned in the past with her husband Mike Nettleton and as solo projects. She’ll also discuss the book’s journey to publication, and serve up Hemlock Lake cake to those who stop by.

Hemlock Lake Summary
For generations only a few families held title to land in the isolated Catskill Mountain community of Hemlock Lake. But with the turning of the century one man, lured by easy money, sells his inheritance to a developer of luxury homes. As the contractor bulldozes farmland and forest, neighbors cry environmental rape, and someone threatens to burn what is built.

Hoping to stop the arsonist, but tormented by personal demons, Sergeant Dan Stone reluctantly returns to his family home on the shores of the lake. The previous autumn his wife died in its dark waters and his brother put a bullet in his brain. That tragedy sent Dan’s father drifting toward death.

Isolated by his pain, Dan is thrust into the no man’s land between newcomers and longtime residents who stonewall his investigation into threats, graffiti, theft, and a blaze that nearly kills the construction foreman. Townspeople blame outsiders, eco-terrorists, a ragged tramp haunting the woods and the mysterious creator of rock cairns that often mark the sites of crimes to come. But as summer sizzles on, the arsonist turns killer, and Dan suspects it’s someone he knows well: a firefighter, a friend, or a woman with a killing in her past.


Author bio:
Carolyn J. Rose grew up in New York’s Catskill Mountains, graduated from the University of Arizona, logged two years in Arkansas with Volunteers in Service to America and spent 25 years as a television news researcher, writer, producer, and assignment editor in Arkansas, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. She has published a number of mysteries and lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her husband, radio air personality Mike Phillips, and a motley collection of pets. Her hobbies are reading, gardening, and not cooking. Surf to www.deadlyduomysteries.com for more information.

Melanie Sherman and the 100K Man

Melanie Sherman's quick wit and story telling ability normally gets her co-workers and critique group friends in spasm of raucous laughter. Today, she charmed the man with 120,792 Twitter followers.

National recording artist, comedian and actor, Bill Zucker, tweeted:

HOUSTON..WE HAVE A PROBLEM..GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR BILL..ABORT SPACE WALK ON PLANET TWITTER..SPAMBOTS EVERYWHERE..OVER

Melanie responded:

"Bill, be careful what you say. If it weren't for spambots, I wouldn't have many followers. Maybe just you and my mom."

Mr. Zucker apparently got a kick out of her tweet and responded, "LMAO." (Laughing My Ass Off).

120,000 Twitter followers are now crawling all over the floor trying to get a piece of Bill's . . . 

Well, you get the picture. 

Tweet on, Melanie. 

But tell us what it takes to get you to laugh :-)

Rose Rocks the House at Cover to Cover

Carolyn J. Rose has a fabulous time at her book launch at Cover to Cover Books.

Carolyn J. Rose launches her latest novel, Hemlock Lake at Cover to Cover Books, 1817 Main St, Vancouver, WA 98660. I think she just said, 'die somewhere and take a bow,' but I was eavesdropping and gulping very hot coffee, so I'm not completely sure.

Book purchasers snag a chance to chat with author Carolyn J. Rose.

Books are flying out of Cover to Cover as well as Cake being devoured.
Local Safeway store reproduced the book's cover on the celebration cake.

A guest conversation overheard. . .
"Are you from that area?"
"1805? No, I'm a little more current."

All this on coffee and punch. Now that we have experience in these things we're looking forward to the next book launch, a collaboration: Sometimes a Great Commotion.

Hemlock Lake with Cake! A deadly combination

Author Carolyn J. Rose

Meet author Carolyn J. Rose on Saturday, July 31st, 4:00-6:00 pm at Cover to Cover Books, 1817 Main St, Vancouver WA 98660. The open house celebrates the publication of Rose's new novel, Hemlock Lake. She will be on hand to sign books and chat about her Hemlock Lake journey.

From the book's press release: "The mystery, set in the Catskill Mountains, involves betrayal, revenge, love, loss, and redemption, set against the search for an arsonist and killer in a remote community."

Rose, who founded the Vancouver Writers' Mixers in 2006 and teaches a novel-writing boot camp through Clark College Continuing Education, will talk about the decision to write a book far different from the humorous mysteries, such as The Big Grabowski, that she's penned in the past with her husband Mike Nettleton and as solo projects. She will also discuss the book's journey to publication, and serve up Hemlock Lake cake to those who stop by.

Watch the book trailer: Hemlock Lake.

To contact Cover to Cover: 360-514-0358

Hemlock Lake book trailer rocks!

Watch the NEW book trailer for Hemlock Lake by Carolyn J. Rose. Hemlock Lake is her latest mystery coming out in July.

Copies available at:
www.amazon.com
www.bn.com
www.powells.com

And on Kindle!
Hemlock Lake on Kindle

Read the beginning at Deadly Duo Mysteries and get hooked on Washington's top mystery author, Carolyn J. Rose.

Right to bike, walk the talk

Leah Jackson, bicycle enthusiast is taking on the editorial board of the local newspaper who's recent article, "Bicycling enthusiasts make a good point, but public can’t afford funding at this time," baited bicyclists to speak up for future access. Jackson used her own money to print a post card with a cool graphic on one-side and plenty of space on the other for scribing a supportive message to city council members.

Jackson captured the image that features a bike, a cat and a bit of local graffiti and added her own, "We are all part of the transportation solution."

The post cards are FREE and available at the Angst Gallery, 1015 Main St, Vancouver WA 98660.

Jackson wrote in a recent email to friends, "The editorial board is turning this into a divisive issue by making it about bicyclists. In response we as a community need to focus on the bigger picture. This discussion is about the future of transportation. Most of us with some knowledge of the issue can see, looking forward, that this is about moving people using multiple modes. By creating an infrastructure that supports many modes of transportation we can accommodate more people moving around our city."

It's not just having bike access, it's acknowledging that pedestrians need pathways through the city.

Leah Jackson is hoping individuals will send positive and respectful messages to city council members about the need to continue to include Bike/Ped funding in future transportation department budgets. "The City of Vancouver has already recognized the importance of bicycles and pedestrians in its Six Strategic Commitments, the Transportation Policies, and the City Center Vision Plan. We as a city need to stand behind our stated goals," writes Jackson.

Go, city! Let's walk our postcards to City Hall and demand the right to bike.

Cheap is a chance. Don't drown in the advertising pool.

Cheap is a chance. Don't drown in the advertising pool.

Advertising solutions abound. This Slideshare demonstrates one of the best offerings may be with your local newspaper. If you investigate, the local paper may also have free venues to share information about your event. We'll try and post some helpful hints here, soon.

View more presentations from Carol Doane.

Carol’s Save a Life Birthday Party

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Carol’s Save a Life Birthday Party

View more presentations from Carol Doane.

Carol Doane top finalist in Pacific Northwest Social Media Awards

Every two minutes someone in Western Washington needs a blood transfusion. Sean Debutts, Social Media Coordinator at Puget Sound Blood Center, sent a direct message to Twitter follower Carol Doane to secure Doane as a champion to spearhead a blood drive. Carol Doane, the Advertising Sales Manager and Social Media Strategist at The Columbian Newspaper in Vancouver, Washington, quickly agreed.

Doane's social media campaign and resulting blood donation event placed her as a top finalist for the Pacific Northwest Social Media Awards in The Scrappy & Engaged Award category. Winners will be announced after the Portland, Oregon InnoTech Conference. InnoTech is a business and technology innovation conference and expo sponsored by top brands IBM, Microsoft, Integra Telecom, Advanced Systems Group, Smarsh, MSI and others. Besides Portland, InnoTech conferences are also taking place in Austin, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Scrappy & Engaged category salutes best brand awareness/user engagement for under $500. Doane dubbed her campaign, "Carol's Save A Life Birthday Party," and estimated the cost at $14.99, the cost of a birthday cake. As part of her submission she created a SlideShare to describe the event, http://www.slideshare.net/TheClassicCarol/carols-save-a-life-birthday-party. "A crew of social media enthusiasts in Texas and beyond were the SoMe Awards judges," reports Sean Lowery, Executive Director of the InnoTech Conference which is spotlighting the awards.

"Social media is very personal and this campaign struck a chord for me," says Carol Doane. "I have an innate curiosity to see if I can drive people out from behind their computers to share a cup of coffee and many will, but this project asked them to extend past surface conversation and participate in a needle-in-the-arm way."

Sean Debutts, the initiator of the direct message that launched Doane's participation notes, "Carol deserves the honor after all the hard work she put into her drive and all the visibility she gave the concept."

The Puget Sound Blood Center maintains eleven donation centers in Washington and continues to benefit from Doane's efforts. "For an hour the SlideShare I created to describe the campaign was Hot on Twitter and featured on SlideShare's Health and Medicine category," notes Carol Doane. "It's all these little wins that makes diving into social media fun."

What's next on the agenda for the Social Media Strategist? "The hardest part now," she muses, "Is explaining what a social media award is to my parents." 

Social media is an all encompassing term for the mixing of technology and social interaction to add value to the community. The SoMe Awards honor the best social media projects, programs and campaigns in the Pacific Northwest. The SoMe event takes place at the prestigious Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 SW Salmon Street, Portland, Oregon 97205, Thursday, May 7, 2010 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Registration is $20 and includes two drinks and dessert. Event registrations are accepted online: http://ow.ly/1FZ1s

Information about the awards can be found on the SoMe website: http://www.someawards.com/

Award categories include:

• Best Brand Awareness/User Engagement (over $25k) – The Sugar Daddy Award 
• Best Brand Awareness/User Engagement (under $25k) – The People Like Me Award
• Best Brand Awareness/User Engagement (under $500) – The Scrappy & Engaged Award
• Best ROI (over $25k) – The Rich Get Richer Award
• Best ROI (under $25k) – The Keep Your Job Award
• Best ROI (under $500) – The Soon-to-Be Wealthy Award
• Best Social Media App – The Next Big Thing Award
• Best Agency – The House Party Award
• People’s Choice Award
• Best in Show

Congratulations, Carol!

Carol Doane blogs about life and writing on pearlofcarol.com and as @TheFirstCarol on Twitter. She also blogs on business themes at 360Convos.blogspot.com and as @TheClassicCarol on Twitter.

Events Calendar

Angst Gallery honored for 360 Biz of the Month

Angst Gallery earned the designation 360 Biz of the Month ~ April 2010 by the website 360 Convos.

Full disclosure, it was one of our other clients who awarded the designation, but we think friends should celebrate friends and we're congratulating Angst Gallery and it's über achiever owner, Leah Jackson, all through April and beyon.

Angst Gallery was chosen for environmentalism, creativity, and on-street bike parking, major intiatives championed by Leah Jackson the creative genius behind the gallery. The award was made by the website  owner Carol Doane.

We do have one question: "Carol, what does the leopard face on your blog mean?"

Until we pin down what leopards have to do with conversations, we're sure you'll enjoy Carol Doane's blog and her acidic outlook on business and managaing a sales staff.

Congratulations, Angst Gallery!

Writers Mixer packed

Ron Gompertz, author of No Roads Lead to Rome spoke at the April Vancouver Writers Mixer. He's an entertaining guy who pokes a bit of dry humor into his presentation to make a point on the pitfalls of self-publishing. “It's hard to talk about money when we're artists, but money is not a bad way to analyze things,” he said, and walked us through slides of math and graphics to demonstrate how many books a self-published author needs to sell to break even with print-on-demand options.

Gompertz coordinated the March 5th First Friday Author Event in Camas, Washington. We got a kick out of looking up the news article and noting that the paper gave a shout-out to Carolyn J. Rose and Mike Nettleton, two of Active Qu3st's favorite authors.

Read the entire article here.
Read more about Ron Gompertz from Karen Gilb's article on Examiner.com

Writers mix it up every First Saturday

This post originally appeared February 10, 2010 on Pearl of Carol. It is edited slightly for here.

The Vancouver Writers’ Mixer was intended as a one time event hosted by Clark College Community Education teacher, Carolyn J. Rose. She sought to encourage students from her novel writing boot camps to connect with each other and form critique groups. The first mixer was a hit and Rose believed her job was done.

Apparently, she was mistaken.

Badgered by students who couldn’t break the tie to their favorite prof, she kowtowed to the pressure and planned more gatherings. She recruited Mel Sanders, owner of Cover to Cover Books, who agreed to keep her bookshop open 5-6:30 PM every first Saturday to support the blatant scheme to encourage local authors.

It should be disclosed that at each event a contingent of ringers fill the seats who merely desire to revere authors for the 30-40 minutes they speak, lob questions at them for 10-15 minutes, stampede to purchase their books, and publicly beg for autographs.

Presenters are expected to play along.

Both Rose and Sanders are task masters who have kept the guest slate booked with well spoken presenters. They are also experienced in the art of delegation and have passed the baton to a committee who seeks to continue the high caliber of education and entertainment the mixers have provided. These rabid volunteers insure events are entertaining, fast paced—beginning with a fantastic and very entertaining emcee (our very own Carol Doane)—and of course, the event offers snacks.

People in the Pacific Northwest will go anywhere if someone waves a cookie under their nose.

The monthly events consistently draw 20-30 locals who desire to improve their craft, gain insight into the publishing industry, and garner tips on securing publishing contracts. The tickets to the event are FREE and available NOW. Grab one here: http://vancouverwritersmixer.eventbrite.com/

And if you are published or work in the publishing industry and would like to speak at a future event, contact the Vancouver Writers Mixer's by emailing Will Glessner for more info. Please put 'Writers Mixer' in the subject line.

Get your ART on!

April's First Friday Artwalk
April 2, 2010 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Student Juried Show: Hot vs. Cold
Student jurors chose the art to be featured during the month of April in Angst Gallery. Meet the students and the artists this Friday during Vancouver's monthly Artwalk. The process of choosing the art was part of the intern program featured in The Columbian on March 14, 2010 (our post). The nicer the weather the bigger the turnout, but the galleries are so close together, rain should not be a deterrent for you getting your art on.

May's First Friday Artwalk
May 7, 2010 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Pepe Moscoco: Photography
Meet Pepe Moscoco, a talented photographer who also writes for the Hispanic newspaper in Portland, Oregon. We'll post more info and pictures as soon as available.

June's First Friday Artwalk
June 4, 2010 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Bike Love
June is Bike Month at Angst Gallery. The gallery is looking for people who create bicycle related art. Participants are featured during the First Friday Artwalk event this year on Friday, June 4, 2010 from 5:00pm - 8:00 pm. APPLY TODAY, contact Leah.AngstGallery (@) gmail (dot) com and get your BIKE on!

Get this widget at roytanck.com

Pictured above: photos from the June 2009 event at Angst Gallery taken by PortlandBike.org FLICKR

SOLD! Jason Wade Phelps art finds new homes

March was a great show for Jason Wade Phelps at Angst Gallery.

Melanie Sherman noted in the comments section of our previous post First Friday a HIT! that one of her favorite piecies was Mending. We're happy to report this whimsical piece sold. (Pictured right).

Congratulations to the astute buyer.

Local art enthusiasts believe this will be the last time Phelps work will be available at these prices. His ability to connect with his audience and technique will only expand and we wish him the best as his career develops.

Also sold through the show was the Phelps piece pictured at left, Metamorphose.

Find and enjoy more of Phelps work on his blog: Jason Wade Phelps Fine Art.







Coming Next:
First Friday Artwalk, April 2, 2010
5:00pm - 8:00pm
Student Juried Art Show
Downtown Vancouver, Washington

See you in The Couve!

Bookstores read future

"To Mel Sanders, a successful author’s event or open-mike poetry night at her downtown Vancouver bookstore is like the binding of a good book. It holds the pages of her business together."
Great story by Cami Joner in The Columbian on the local bookseller scene.

Article quotes, our friend Mel Sanders from Cover to Cover Books, 1817 Main St, Vancouver (with THREE pictures!); also quotes Kol Shaver, Zephyr Used and Rare Books, P.O. Box 55, Vancouver WA 98666; Steve Tommerup, owner of Literary Leftovers in Battle Ground at 830 W Main; and Becky Milner, founder of Vintage Books, 6613 E Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver, Washington

With the onset of the electronic book era everything is adjusting in the bookseller's world.

When the dust settles, will the reader still want to hold a real book in their hands?

What do you think?

Read the full story here: Bookstores try to read future.

Behind the scenes at Angst Gallery

Let us be the first to tell you that the dust is flying at Angst Gallery. Exciting disclosures await, but we'd thought we'd give you a little preview.

And what's behind the wall, you ask. We'll let you know very, very soon.

Carol previews how to party

"I've donated blood before. It doesn't take very long. The needle prick is just that, a teeny-tiny, little momentary sting. It won't even make you blink," reports Carol Doane. "Really, the worst part is sitting through all the questions they ask. Once you've heard them, it's pretty boring."

We wondered why Carol chose to celebrate her birthday by asking her friends to donate blood.

"My heart is truly vested in Be The Match, the National Bone Marrow Registry and especially to raise awareness of people of color registering—half my family is of Asian descent. I would be the un-Asian half," Carol noted, and rubbed the inside of her elbow likely in anticipation of the blood donation adventure. "But @SWBlood sent me a direct message on Twitter and asked if I would spearhead a drive. I am a big believer of accepting the pie on your plate, so I gave them an enthusiastic yes and starting pressing friends and strangers into service."

How many friends have signed up?

"I keep checking the online appointment scheduler and I'm still seeing some open spots, but I'm hoping to fill the day to keep the Puget Sound Blood Center busy. I want it to be successful for the time their staff invests. My other desire is that it will encourage my friends to pause and think a moment about what their gift does during everyday life or disaster.

"It's just incredible how a simple, simple thing changes the world. It costs you your gas, your time to get to the center, maybe a little anxiety, but what you give is unmeasurable."

Carol shared pictures she snapped during her last donation that occurred at her office. The Blood-Mobile drove up, parked in front of their building and opened for business treating donors with juice and cookies, rockin' music and friendly, encouraging smiles.

"I like to engage people in conversation and one of the personnel had worked with me previously, so we spent time catching up. I met another phlebotomists and learned she was married to a youth minister and had just returned from a church retreat. She and I had an interesting conversation in a different way. I talk to everybody who enters my circle."

You mentioned three social media circles where you are promoting this event. What others are you using?

"Oh, my gosh. I am leveraging everything! I posted on LinkedIN, Plancast, created a 'poster' and uploaded it to Twitpic. I'll be writing about it on Blogger, and I'm asking friends to blog about it. I've got a steady chirp of tweets happening, too.

"We made event pages on local social media spots like Guerrilla-Media, and national hubs like Meetup and Upcoming. We actually have two Facebook pages, one through my Facebook fan page and another Facebook event page that the Blood Center set up, which is a lot cleaner than mine. I tend to get too wordy. Oh, and check out my Schmap! What else..." Carol scanned her open laptop to aid her memory, but before she got distracted with gmail, we asked what happens after the event. Her head bobbed up and a big grin covered her face.

"I'm taking a few days off and enjoying spring break with my daughter. Hoping to get a little travel time in. I'm always up for adventure. I'll post pictures either on Twitpic or Flickr and you can watch us on the road via Foursquare. And, of course, if anything extraordinary happens we'll upload it to YouTube!"

We think Carol should pace her social media pursuits, but this project is too good not to throw your whole heart into.

Join Carol on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 for

Carol's Save a Life Birthday Party

Puget Sound Blood Center - Vancouver
9320 NE Vancouver Mall Blvd
Suite 100, Vancouver, WA 98662

Follow the Schmap to the Blood Center
Follow Google map to the Blood Center


Make your appointment online: http://bit.ly/9MBoxg


Want to, but can’t on the 31st?
Call 360-567-4800 for an alternate date.

EACH DAY Western Washington needs 900 people to donate blood.

1. Eligibility: http://www.psbc.org/programs/blood.htm

2. First Time Donors: http://www.psbc.org/programs/drives_first_time.pdf

3. Donation FAQs: http://www.psbc.org/programs/faq.htm

If you would like to see the lives that are touched by blood donation visit the Puget Sound Blood Center patient videos page.

Great Weekend for Angst Gallery

What a great weekend for Angst Gallery. It began with the Jason Wade Phelps show on First Friday, included a post and pictures on Bike Portland.org, and ended with a mention in the local newspaper, The Columbian:

"The internship program started in December as a way to give advanced art students real-world experience, said VSAA fine-arts teacher Crystal Zeller. Zeller approached North Bank and nearby Angst Gallery about collaborating to enhance classroom instruction. She has three students interning at Angst and five at North Bank."

Read the entire story here: Art is in the eye of the beholder

First Friday Artwalk is a HIT!

Flight Over Hydra

The big show at Angst Gallery opened Friday with March's featured artist Jason Wade Phelps. Phelps welcomed First Friday Artwalk guests with an intriguing collection that demonstrates how the creative process makes sense of time, memory and experience. Response was overwhelming for this transplant from Southern Oregon.

Phelps work is on display now through March 31.

From left to right: From Where Crow Found Us and The Archer and 9 Suns.

Mending, Jason Wade Phelps.

Stop in at Angst Gallery Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5:00 pm to encounter thought provoking designs, materials and impressions by Jason Wade Phelps.

You can view more of his work on his blog Jason-Wade-Phelps.blogspot.com.

If you are an artist and interested in discussing your work on display at Angst Gallery contact gallery owner, Leah Jackson. The gallery includes a broad array of media from canvas to ceramic, to fine jewelry, handmade cards, and books.

Gmail: Leah.AngstGallery@gmail.com
Phone: 360.253.1742.

Bike Portland hops the river and connects with client Leah Jackson

BikePortland.org wrote about the new bike corral located on Main Street, just south of W. 11th Ave and in front of Angst Gallery owned by our client Leah Jackson. Leah is a big proponent of biking and can be found traversing the city on two wheels. This installation is of note, because bicycles now have on-street parking in Vancouver, Washington.

More information about bicycling in Vancouver from the city's Web-site.

If you bike in Vancouver, like Leah does, check out this bike map compiled by the city (PDF 6.82 MB).

Read the original article on BikePortland.org:  Vancouver (WA) gets on-street bike parking — UPDATED.

Cover to Cover cracks the book on the hungry writing spirit

The creative economy can only survive if there are outlets to bring the fruits of the artist's labors to the public. Angst Gallery searches out unique offerings to feed the clamoring 'art-soul' from their sunny spot downtown Vancouver at 10th and Main.

Cover to Cover Books attracts patrons in search of well placed consonants and vowels.

Ir's red door at Main and McLoughlin beckons the avid reader to browse both new and used selections. Many drift through the shelves deep in thought or lost in the discovery of new worlds as they explore the vast array of choices.

When the visitor emerges from the rows into the main area, they are greeted by the steady hiss of the espresso machine as it floods the shop with the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee beans and the vanilla fragrance of custom steamed milk. The bookworm takes up residence in a comfortable chair, soaks up the ambiance of this popular Uptown gathering place, and taps into the free Wi-Fi.

Cover to Cover is vested in the creative community and has become a hub of scholarly activity. They host a variety of monthly programs that spotlight local poets, local authors, and encourages each indivdual voice perpetuating the city's circle of creativity.

We are excited to announce our collaboration with proprietor Mel Sanders of Cover to Cover Books and salute her 'Active Quest' to be the most sought after bookshop in the metro area.

Welcome!

So many authors, so many autographed books

Camas First Friday had perfect weather for the avid audience that meandered in and out of shops on Fourth Avenue in Camas, Washington.

The Deadly Duo, Mike Nettleton and Carolyn J. Rose, packed them by autographing their latest book, The Big Grabowski, at Navidi's Olive Oils & Vinegars, 322 NE Cedar Street. Navidi's handed out awesome tastings of their organic offerings. Don't ever leave town without purchasing the gently flavored lemon olive oil. Incredible. (Pictured above: Carolyn, Mike, and sister Lana).

Thank you, Ron Gompertz, for organizing the “Arts and Letters” event that spotlighted so many wonderful authors. Can't wait to finish reading your book, “No Roads Lead to Rome.”

Contact us about Mike and Carolyn's next appearance: Now@ActiveQu3st.com