Barnes and Noble

On September 14th, I had my first book signing at a corporate book store, Barnes and Noble.  Getting in with bookstores is supposed to be strictly between my publisher and their corporation, but it seemed that once the initial contact was made, it was all up to me.  It took several emails and phone calls to get it nailed down, but I finally did it!  And it was so worth it!  It was extra fun that it was the one right in my very own neighborhood of Goodyear!

When the West Valley View published an article about me in August, they had mistakenly said my book signing would be that next Saturday.  So, I guess quite a few people came in, expecting to see me and buy my book.  Although it caused a bit of inconvenience for these customers, it let the management staff know that there was more interest in this book than what they had expected.  So, instead of ordering only one box of books, they ordered another to make sure they had plenty of stock on hand. Although there were a few left over, it gave me a chance to have my books displayed right in the middle at the customer service desk!

Barnes and Noble put up a sign about my book signing quite a few days before the event, which I found out about from, of course, a friend on Facebook!  When I came in on that Saturday to set up, the staff was very welcoming.  They let me have a choice of where to set up, how many tables to have, and they even brought me an ice water from their cafe.  As always, people started coming in and engaging in conversation before I even had everything out of my bag ... well, actually, anything, to be honest.

It was so exciting, speaking to people who came in ... for the whole three hours.  I barely had a chance to sit down, which was just fine with me.  I got to talk to local teachers, retired teachers, happy teachers, frustrated teachers, retired librarians, previous bookstore owners, curious parents, and even a former student of mine!  Although I am grateful for each one of them, I was especially thrilled to have a district administrator as well as a school board member come in.  The district administrator was quite humble, in his casual weekend clothes, but I later found out (thank you, Google!) that he actually has his doctorate in education!  He has since contacted me and invited me to join in on some ongoing conversations about drafting educational legislation.  I'm anxious to see how that goes, of course!  The board member was very interested in the topic and after reading the book insisted that every member on her board should have a copy as well!

The thrilling part is that people are starting to listen ... different people groups and also the very ones I so desired to reach.  Some days, it seems like this process is taking forever, just baby steps one shaky step at a time.  Other days, I look back over the process and am pleased as can be at far it has come.  All in all, at the end of each day, I know God is in control of this.  It is all in his hands, in his timing.  For all of it, I am grateful.

Please find out more about the mission at www.IWillNotResign.tateauthor.com

Movies and Real Life

I don't know what it is about movies and their impact on this whole process, but obviously, it's been pretty big.  First of all, like I said in a previous blog, The Help (2011) was a huge catalyst in getting me to start writing the book.  Standing up for what's right, regardless of the backlash, was the take-away I got from watching that movie.  Although the players are different, I see teachers as being oppressed and not being able to have a voice, very similar to what the maids were going through in the movie.  I also draw several parallels between myself and Ms. Skeeter, getting the truth out, no matter how ugly it might be.

So - my new movie inspiration is The Butler (Lee Daniels).  If you haven't seen it, it's still in theaters, so try to go this weekend.  It's well worth your time.  My husband and I were both very impressed with the acting, but more importantly, the message behind the whole movie.  The thread that ran through several characters and events was that change IS possible!  The main character was so persistent throughout all his years of service in the White House, bringing to light the fact that the black staff was never paid as much as the white staff.  Year after year, he would approach his boss with this disparity, but change never happened.  At the end, knowing this would probably happen again, the butler first went to the president about it ... which surely prompted change!  The message has to get to the right person ... how true that is.

The groups of people standing up for what was right - through so many different avenues - protests, sit-ins, freedom rides, speeches, meetings, organizing - was so incredibly moving.  The civil rights movement is filled with ordinary people who chose to do extraordinary things.  I know God has called me to be that person in this  fight of our lifetime ... to give TEACHERS A VOICE!  Please join me in this fight.  It is worth the effort.  Our kids are depending on us!  Our future will be different because of it.  Thank you for reading!

Get my book here at ... www.IWillNOTResign.tateauthor.com

See my Fox 10 interview on Newsmaker Sunday at ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igQLqkFRUvw