A terrific new book available for pre-order!

WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from 

My Two-Decade Friendship with 

Humanitarian and Coach John Wooden to Help 

"Make Each Day Your Masterpiece"

Hi, friends! I have a special post today with some terrific news to share: my amazing dad, who also happens to be an amazing writer, has written a book about his relationship with the legendary coach and humanitarian John Wooden. The book is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter, and he needs your help to make this book's publication a reality! Do you ever feel adrift? Are you looking for more purpose, love and strength in your life? Maybe you're feeling overwhelmed by your goals or disappointed by setbacks that inevitably spring up. Or perhaps you are looking for a wise, heart-warming book to read this summer.

If you loved books like Tuesdays With Morrie, The Happiness Project, or Kitchen Table Wisdom, I know you will love WOODEN & ME! This book would also make a terrific Father's Day or graduation gift. Do you love basketball or have a basketball lover in your life? This is the book for you!

Here's how you can help:

1) Pre-order your copy at the Kickstarter campaign at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1138392258/wooden-and-me-book-and-e-book

 2) Share the link with your friends and family -- and ask them to do the same. Pledged supporters will receive a signed copy of WOODEN & ME this summer upon publication.

 3) Join the Facebook event and spread the word! https://www.facebook.com/events/630992526929012/633205676707697/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity 

Now I'll leave you with some words from my dad about the genesis of this project and what your support means to him:



As a longtime newspaper sports columnist in Southern California I am often asked to speak to civic groups – and the person audiences invariably want to hear more about during the Q&A afterward is Coach John Wooden. Listeners at these talks, as well as readers of my columns, over the years have encouraged me to write a book about my experiences with Coach.

Now I have, with the memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece.” It was in 1987 as a young sports writer and near-newlywed that I met Coach, who soon became a friend and mentor through the births of my two children and their growth into young adulthood; the death of my mother; career decisions; and more.

As I note in my completed manuscript: “One did not have to play for Coach Wooden in order to be one of his students, and of this I am a privileged example. I was not one of his basketball players – except for one glorious week at his youth camp in 1975 – but make no mistake, I was his pupil. No coach or teacher or professor has taught me more, or taught me more important things.”

Just as Coach Wooden was beloved and revered by people of all ages and all backgrounds, readers from teens to parents to grandparents, basketball fans and non-fans alike, will find WOODEN & ME enlightening and inspiring.

 * * *

“WOODEN & ME is an inspiring combination of Tuesdays With Morrie and Chicken Soup for the Soul” -- author Randy Robertson

Order your copy today! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1138392258/wooden-and-me-book-and-e-book

New Supplies, New Motivation

I know it has been less than a week, but I am proud to report that my backpack and purse are still organized, my teaching and writing materials are filed neatly into folders, and you can still see the varnished wood surface of my desk--it has not yet become hopelessly cluttered with papers and memos and old coffee cups. Hooray! It does seem true that once you get organized, it is easier to find motivation to keep things that way.

In addition to organizing my space, I did something else this week that got me in a productive, positive, new-year-new-opportunities mindset: I went shopping.

No, I didn't go the mall and blow a hundred bucks on shoes or purses or expensive hair products. (And that is definitely not what I am encouraging you to do!) I went to Office Depot and bought myself some new writing and office supplies. Remember as a little kid, when you would go buy new school supplies at the start of every new school year? To me there is still something so exciting, so hopeful, about a brand-new spiral-bound notebook, a fresh ream of paper, a package of unsharpened pencils.

As writers, we're fortunate that all we really need is a pen and paper to do what we love. I am always scribbling down notes and ideas on the backs of envelopes, scraps of paper, old receipts, you name it. Yet there is also something refreshing about treating yourself to a nice set of supplies to practice your craft. It is like you are saying to your writing self, I am proud of you. I take you seriously. I support you.

These little gifts can also be great ways to motivate yourself throughout the year. I like to reward myself every month for staying on track towards my writing goals. Here are some possibilities:

• a new Moleskin reporter's notebook to take with you everywhere to jot down words and phrases and ideas that float through your consciousness throughout the day
  
• a really nice, comfortable pen
• a new mug for your tea or coffee
  
• one of these neat prints inspired by classic children's books
• a fun set of stationary
• buying a new book you've been dying to read in hardcover instead of waiting for the less-expensive paperback version to come out

What gifts would top your writerly wish list? How do you stay motivated throughout the year? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

10th Annual Holiday Book Drive to benefit underprivileged children!

Last year Write On! For Literacy collected nearly 1,000 books (bringing our grand total to more than 12,000 books!) that were distributed to various schools and charities including the Boys & Girls Club, Casa Pacifica, and Project Understanding. Please do your part to help children have a better holiday season. Help beat illiteracy and give the gift that lasts forever: the gift of reading!

About Write On!

"Write On! For Literacy" is a volunteer-run organization founded by author Dallas Woodburn in 2001. The goal is to encourage kids to discover confidence, happiness, a means of self-expression, and connection to others through reading and writing. The Write On! website features writing contests, book reviews, author interviews, writing tips and ideas, and more.

Want to get involved?

• You can mail book donations to the Write On! chapter headquarters: 400 Roosevelt Court, Ventura, CA, 93003

• You can also mail monetary donations that will be used to purchase books to the above address. (Checks made out to Dallas Woodburn.)

• You can start a chapter in your area! Donate books to a local charity -- Boys & Girls Clubs are usually very grateful for donations -- and then e-mail Dallas the total number of books donated which will then be added to our grand-total.

Holiday Book Drive a Great Success!!

"A book is a gift you can open again and again." – Garrison Keillor

Even in the midst of these difficult financial times, generous individuals responded to our call for books with enthusiasm and compassion. The final donation tally for 2010 was 623 new books, bringing our grand total to nearly 12,000 books! In Ventura, these beautiful new books were distributed to children through the Boys & Girls Clubs on Johnson and Olive streets and Casa Pacifica.

Special thanks to Linda Brug at Ventura High School, Lynne & Clyde Hoffland at Cabrillo Middle School, Rima Muna, Shiela Strayer, Raeanne Alliapoulos, and Positive Imaging publishing company for their donations of beautiful new books.

There is a common adage: "Life is an echo. What you send out, you get back." For the ninth year in a row, we made a big difference by sending out comfort, compassion and hope to underprivileged children. Each new book donated is a seed of learning that helps brighten a life. Indeed, together we changed many lives this holiday season — lives that, I have no doubt, will in turn send out beautiful echoes to others.

 Books loaded in the back of my car, on their way to excited, grateful kids!