Hannah: de-braced after almost 3 Years!
Hannah presents me with the BEST Valentines gift, and my peeps give wonderful birthday messages
It’s mentally healthy to be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. (without bragging, of course)
On Feb 24, my age progressed to 68. Below is a small sampling of birthday feedback that enriched my soul and has me in runner’s high heaven, my favorite living mode since 10th grade. Uplifted and happy I am, but….
But, below is the achievement that makes me most proud and fulfilled.
Hannah was punished with braces clenched tightly in June 2022,
at the end of 7th grade. Being born a micro preemie (less than 2 lbs) screwed up her teeth to the max.
In June 2024, after 9th grade, braces were scheduled for excavation. But Hann was ordered back to metal-mouth prison until finally being paroled in mid-February 2025, 10th grade.
She LOVES being de-braced and showing off her new gorgeous teeth that we’d never seen before. We’re so happy and proud of how she persevered through a rugged journey.
Writers Helping Writers:
Poetry Book Launch! Still Human, by Keith Gaboury—California Writers Club, Berkeley Branch President, and one of the good guys.
Saturday, March 1, 8 PM - 9 PM Roast & Toast Cafe, 1746 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA
Keith’s short bio: “By day, I work as a caffeinated preschool teacher with a sarcastic spine. By night, I write poetry, eat spicy food, and enjoy sarcastic time with my fiancé in Oakland, California.”
“This is a glorious collection, toggling between San Francisco, New York City, and East Bay, California, full of body parts—dismembered dicks, breasts feeding milk—and surrealistic, talking cats.” Natasha Dennerstein, author of Broken
After a ten-year journey for the ages, the manuscript for my memoir, Touched by Hannah, is DONE and currently being proofread. Pinch me. (The approximate completion date for proofreading is mid-March 2025.)
To be at this point after daydreaming about this incredible accomplishment for ten years, “When your dream is no longer a dream, it's a dream come true."
Below, you can watch the Touched by Hannah trailer.
It’s a two-minute version of my thirteen-minute documentary, Miracles on College Street, which I produced to promote Touched by Hannah. Miracles was the ‘Film Heals' award winner (most inspirational) at the 2022 Manhattan Film Festival, NYC, and a top-five finalist documentary. The film was also runner-up, 'Best Episode West Coast,' at the 2022 ACM Western Region WAVE Cable TV Awards.
Watch and see Betsy and me at Hannah’s incubator, literally being touched by Hannah.
I’ve finished the book proposal and marketing plan, a heavy workload like crafting a college thesis. It took three months of grinding, but I’m there, delighted with it, and I learned a lot during the process.
Now it’s time to find a literary agent who believes in me and Touched by Hannah. After signing with a top literary agent, he/she will pitch Touched by Hannah to the desired book publishers.
Attending a writer’s conference is the best way to meet and network with reputable Literary Agents. Your recent generous donations ($3500) got me to the November (2024) WCCW conference and the February (2025) San Francisco Writers Conference.
I pitched Touched by Hannah to five agents at those two conferences. All five wanted to take it to the next step—see my book proposal and sample chapters,
a rare occurrence that has provided more potent doses of natural runners high vibing through my veins. According to most estimates, the odds of securing agent representation are between 1 in 3,000 and 1 in 6,000. Right now, I’m feeling really good about our chances.
Two agents wanted to see the sample chapters before proofreading was completed. Yesterday, I emailed them my twenty-page book proposal, plus fifty pages with a table of contents, a short synopsis of each chapter, and three sample chapters = Phew!
I will send the package to the other three agents after proofreading. (mid to late March)
If you want to help a pretty cool cause, Touched by Hannah will uplift, inspire, and show support and love to many. First, the book, then the movie.
Immediate donation request that will help make publishing Touched by Hannah, a reality. (See my GoFundme )
Proofreading is being achieved by Twila Belk, one of the best in the business. Your Donations made this a reality. Thank you so much to my GoFundMe Givers! ($1400 donated)
Publisisct. It’s crucial to collaborate with a professional publicist. A 1/2 deposit is required upon booking. ($500 deposit requested)
I wish to attend another spring writers’ conference to meet face-to-face with agents. (I am not 100% sure which one at this time) ($500 deposit requested)
And in the End
We’ve been enjoying gorgeous spring-like 70-degree weather this week in NorCal, which lifts my comfort and mood. Ahh! Enjoy, gang. You know I am bruh. (I learned this word from Hannah 😅)
