Sue Ellen's Blog

Things are clicking along in Two Nuts land. We just completed our first contest where the public gets to vote. It was ‘favorite vacation photo’ contest. Twenty-eight photos were entered, and 322 votes were cast and the prize for the winning photo was a red and black backpack similar to the one I carried in Italy. The photo was of beautiful Ouray, Colorado.  It was great fun to see people getting their friends to vote. This summer will be a busy one for me. My horse, Tronie, and I will spend two weeks in Pagosa Springs, CO, at the Parelli Ranch. We went last year and I had a great time. Then in July I have three booksignings at Barnes and Nobles in Columbia, SC, and Dallas and Houston. Wow! Fun!! It’s all good.

Buon giorno,

Sue Ellen

Recently I’ve been daydreaming a lot. It must be my mind’s way of looking for new ideas. Anyway, it’s always been fun. I remember daydreaming as a child but haven’t engaged in it as much as an adult except when I am writing. Then I came across a book called the Einstein Factor which encourages what the author calls ‘image streaming’. He says we ignore 99% of what streams through our minds and in these images lies the answer to everything. Einstein, Edison, etc. types used this type of dreaming and found their inventions and ideas there. Fascinating stuff really. Food for thought. Now go daydream! Enjoy!

Sue Ellen

The contest is going well, so I don’t want to close it just yet. In order not to have a bias on the voting, I will gather a bevy of willing subjects and show them the photos and let them vote on the winner. Good luck out there. Wonder where the prize will end up.

What I am most excited about right now are the opportunities to speak and share my Two Nuts in Italy experiences with people. So far these engagements have all been in Lubbock, and it’s great fun speaking to people and seeing the looks on their faces when I recount some of the crazy things we did on the trip. I’ve noticed that at each event, there is one person who never cracks a smile even when everyone else is laughing, and this person usually doesn’t even change body position the entire time I’m talking. They never get into the spirit that’s in the room. This is fascinating to me, and I’d love to stop and study them or talk to them and see what’s on their minds. I’m sure it’s all good.

Ciao and go have a glass of wine,

Sue Ellen

The contest in on! Enter by emailing me your favorite vacation photo to twonutsinitaly@yahoo.com and you could win a Magellan Campus Trekker backpack like the ones Jenny and I lived out of for three months during our Two Nuts adventure. Academy Sports in Lubbock, TX, donated the pack. For a look at the pack, go to facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Nuts-In-Italy/193655963689?created#

I just returned from a 5 day visit with my first grandchild, Hansen. He lives in Columbia, SC, and I live in Lubbock, TX. Gee, the map stretches us too far apart. Indeed holding Hansen caused me to revisit times past when his father was newborn. What an experience, spiritual, emotional, and physical at once! I had begun my second book before this trip, and now I just want to sing lullabies and write books for Baby Hansen.

May you all have grandchildren, too.

Sue Ellen

I am a first time grandmother! Little Hansen was born Feb. 26 and I will get to see him this week!! I have battled with the words Grandma and Grandmother and at 61, I’m too young especially when my friends have their grandchildren call them cute names like Pinky, Cookie, and Honey. Call it denial if you choose, but little Hansen will be introduced to me as NONNA which is grandmother in Italian. Of course he can call me anything he wants when he starts talking but for now nonna it is. Sun is out. Weeds are knee high. I’m going to play with my horse.

Ciao,

Nonna

Every day I receive emails from readers I don’t know who offer help in furthering Two Nuts in Italy around the world whether it be to share it with a friend or ask their local bookstore to carry the book. This is a tremendous help to me in getting this book into the metropolitan areas. God bless those of you who have offered your time and enthusiasm in talking to bookstore representatives. Thank you, thank you, and I hope to be able to return the favor. How about an invitation to the Hollywood premier of Two Nuts in Italy, the movie? Is that a good payback? We are still working on the Two Nuts in Italy tour. As April approaches, I’m not sure it’s going to happen this summer… but for sure next summer.

Current circumstances have set off fireworks in just about every aspect of my life. This is my new mantra. Never ending self improvement. This comes from Pat Parelli of Parelli Natural Horsemanship. I am working through Pat’s program with my 11 yr. old quarter horse/thoroughbred gelding, Patrone, whom I affectionately call Tronie. It is amazing what horses can teach us.  Just amazing. As for Two Nuts in Italy, I am a one man show right now and have been working on promoting the book in some larger cities. I’m still seeking an agent which I need more than anything right now, at least in my mind. I continue getting encouraging emails from readers I don’t know. I received a card in the mail last week from a lady named Phyllis who “just wanted to tell me how much she enjoyed the book and would love to read anything I write.” So here I am sitting on my duff, and that card single-handedly inspired me to pick up the pen and begin the next book.  For now we’ll call it Two Nuts in Italy At It Again. We’ll all hope it doesn’t take me 3 1/2 years to complete this one. I have the backpack from Academy Sports to give away in the next contest, but I have not completed setting up the pages for the contest. Stay tuned, and have a super great weekend.

Sue Ellen

What a blessing I received this week from a reader in NJ. She found my book while browsing on Amazon and bought it. She has linked it to her blog. She has a beautiful gallery in NJ. http://baileyzimmerman.blogspot.com/

I have not been able to get in touch with my friend who can put the Two Nuts in Italy tour together. Don’t know where she is but she knows the ins and outs of organized trips. If anyone has seen Kim Ansolabehere, would you grab her! She must be off on one of her trips. Okay, so in the meantime, we will rev up the contest machinery and start again. So much to do. Two Nuts in Italy needs to be in the big markets like Dallas, Denver, Houston, OKC, etc. I am now seeing the downside of self publishing. I’m a one woman show. What an education this has been. If there is a publicist or agent out there, please come forward. I need you. As my friend Brooke Squires said, “Rome wasn’t built (by a few excited women) in a day.” Onward and upward. We’ll get it done!!