FOR THOSE IN THE LAKES REGION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Saturday, October 28th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., I will be joining five other New England authors at the Innisfree Bookshop in the Mills Falls Market Place in Meredith, NH. We will be meeting the public and selling and autographing books (perfect for your early holiday shopping). So if you're in the area, drop by. I'd love to meet you.

FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE TOLEDO, OHIO AREA

If you are anywhere in Ohio where you can pick up WCWA radio station 1230 on the AM dial, I will be interviewed about my new book on the Troy Neff show on Wednesday, October 25th at 8:30 in the morning.

This is my first radio interview and it's very exciting. I'll post a blog about the experience later on.

Down to the Wire…

In May of this year (2006), the almost-final PDF version of the book arrived from Sentient and we began going through it, page by page, making revisions and finding errors. I was surprised at how some of the rules of grammar had changed from what I had learned in school in the 1950s. Things that I called errors turned out to be correct today.

Once the editing was done, off it went yet again. The publisher told me they had decided to add the book to their “Culture Tools Series”, and I was very flattered. I love the premise of that concept –“Our Culture Tools series is designed to give social catalyzers and cultural entrepreneurs the essential information, technology, and inspiration to forge a sustainable, creative, and compassionate world.”

After a computer delay in sending the revised PDF version back to us, it finally arrived. Given that delay we needed to drop everything and review it immediately in order to stay on the printing schedule. Or so I thought. Turns out there were delays on the printing end too, and the book was now due to be shipped on August 10th instead of July 25th. Not too late, I guess.

So this is where we stand now. I should receive my shipment of books around August 14th by FedEx so I’m told. I have many people to send copies to, the people who graciously gave of their time to help me create this book.

My first speaking engagement about the book is scheduled for September 14, 2006 at the Bristol public library in New Hampshire. Then on November 21st I am taking part in a workshop being held at the Hartford Convention Center – a statewide conference of Connecticut Parks and Recreation Departments – on the topic of “Therapeutic Recreation for the Baby Boomers.” Engaging in lifelong learning as an older adult certainly fits this topic.

Jon and I have marketing plans for the book, out of the norm, so to speak. I’ll talk more about them as they become a reality. Nowadays authors have to be marketers as much as writers if you want your book to be a success. Gone are the days when you wrote the book and then sat back and collected royalties. It just doesn’t work that way anymore. So even though the book is finished, there is a lot more work ahead.

One of the best pieces of advice I received about this entire project came from my son-in-law Michael (father of my gorgeous granddaughter). He said to me, “Just have fun with it!” Wise words from a very level-headed guy.

And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do, have fun! Wherever it takes me, the ride is great and I’m following my bliss. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Next – the Book Arrives

Writing the Book…

Over the summer of 2005 Jon and I worked on the manuscript, with me in New Hampshire and him in Massachusetts. I would pull all the content together and then do the rough drafts. He polished them up. Thank goodness for email. We did have to meet several times during those months though, which was great since I could visit with my grandsons too.

The draft manuscript went in on time and early in 2006 we began working on revisions. With a publishing date of July 25, 2006, we needed to get things wrapped up. I was able to conduct all the interviews in the book by email. Lifelong learners sent me their stories by email and some even by snail mail. It was a very busy time.

Along with all that we also wanted to get some endorsements for the book from experts in the field of lifelong learning for older adults. I drew up a list of those we might approach. We pulled together galley drafts of the book, wrote cover letters and shipped six packages off to the people we hoped would review the book and write endorsements.

We received back four endorsements, of which we are very proud. Here’s what the experts have to say about “Learning Later: Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years.”

Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. Founder and CEO of Age WaveAuthor of “Age Wave,” “Age Power,” “The Power Years” and “Workforce Crisis”
"Learning Later, Living Greater” is a terrific resource for navigating the uncharted waters of revolutionary retirement trends and lifestyles. Nancy Merz Nordstrom has written a compelling and user-friendly guide to lifelong learning and, in many ways, a complete redefinition of the after-50 years. Every Baby Boomer should grab a copy of this optimistic and helpful book."

Marc Freedman, President & Founder of Civic Ventures
“Unlike most other books on life after 50, “Learning Later, Living Greater” connects the dots between lifelong learning, community service, health, and happiness. It promises to be a great help to all those who believe that they can make their greatest contributions in the second half of life.”

Paul Nussbaum, Ph.D., Clinical Neuropsychologist & International Consultant on Aging and Health Promotion
"In “Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years,” Nancy Merz Nordstrom has correctly championed lifelong learning as a proactive lifestyle for overall personal development and a primary factor for brain health!"

Robert Otterbourg, Author “Retire & Thrive,” Kiplinger Books
”Becoming a student at age 50 plus is an exhilarating experience. “Learning Later, Living Greater” shows the nearly unlimited opportunities for those who want to broaden their retirement lifestyle.”

Once these endorsements were sent off to the publisher, the cover was finalized, the endorsements incorporated onto the back of the book, and we received a copy by email. That was very exciting. Seeing how the outside of the book would look in its final form really made the entire project seem very real. I love the colors that were chosen, the format and the typeface. The book really pops and will hopefully “grab” people who see it in stores. As of today Amazon.com doesn’t have a picture of it yet on their web site, but that should change once they receive the book.

Next – Down to the Wire