Travels in a Blue Chair: Alaska to Zambia, Ushuaia to Uluru

A disabled adventurer backpacks the world - alone!! This book makes a great holiday gift or corporate prize! See my TV interviews... http://www.youtube.com/user/bluechairwalt








Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wednesday Feb 6th, Canada AM ... yay!

Katie called from CTV and booked me for an interview next Wednesday! The time slot is 8.40 am...so I won't be having to wake up too early! Will the interview be with Seamus or Valerie? Tune in on Wednesday to find out.

Still waiting for some feedback on Monday from KZ's manager at Chapters.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Brass in the Grass.

There is a possibility of an appearance at this summer's "Brass in the Grass" festival on the Lakeshore in Toronto' s west end. Not sure how it will be structured, likely with a book signing appearance and possibly a reading?

I am supposed to hear from CTV this week regarding appearing on Canada A.M. Hopefully I'll be receiving some good news in the next few days!

The Chapters signing is a bit bogged down at the head office, but KZ is hoping to move things along. I will be contacting her tomorrow when she is back in the office.

On a related note, Angela is hoping to arrange an interview with the Etobicoke Guardian as a lead-up to the Chapters event, and now we have some business cards to pass around to interested book readers. Thanks Angela!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Canada AM - first week of February?

I received a call from Katie at Canada AM, the nationwide morning TV show, and they are hoping to have me on for the first week of February. They are expanding the show to an extra hour next week, so they are all excited about the changes to the format. Katie will ring me again next week after she has finished the book to ask me some questions about it.

Still in radio silence from CBC radio.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Physiotherapy Today newsletter.

It was great to get a plug in this month's newsletter from the Ontario Physiotherapy Association. My physio, Judy Heuff, has a great impact on my life, both when I was in the hospital in Hamilton for the first 5 years of my life, and later on when I went to primary school. I loooove physios! (but who doesn't?)

Still following up with Chapters, I talked to KZ today and we are eyeing the new long weekend next month, for the book signing at the Chapters on Queensway (opposite Sherway Gardens) in the west end.

Still hoping for some positive news from CTV's Canada AM and from CBC radio!!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Chapters book signing upcoming in March!

The feedback from the the Chapters store manager has been fantastic. KZ loved the book and is quite excited about promoting "Travels in a Blue Chair" at a book signing event in the Queensway store! Angela and I are quite excited too!

KZ is going to contact her company's travel section buyer to see if they really want to bump up the profile. All the details are not worked out yet, but it looks middle of the month, for 2 days will be the most probable.

Keep tuned to this blue channel for more info as it becomes available!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Breakfast Television Interview up on YouTube.

Here is the interview on with Dina on Thursday morning. Thanks to Geoff and Tim, my friends at Web Communications in Ajax, for doing the work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKFxrr6bHMY

Good for a chuckle...I have had great feedback on it, but I was really nervous and got up at 3.30 am!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Successful meeting with Chapters!

Angela and I dropped by the local Chapters for a meeting with manager K.Z. We were early, so Angela had fun putting my book up on the shelf of the travel section to see what it would look like if it were there for real. I then moved it beside Michael Palin's new travelogue, and we shot more pictures! Great fun.

There is a Starbucks in the store so we then had some tasty hot drinks until K.Z. joined us. K.Z. was extremely enthusiastic and explained that if she liked the book (which she thought she would), they would then host a book signing event. If that went well, she would fill out a report to the chain's head office, and then I could get "Travels in a Blue Chair" into the entire chain countrywide!! Of course, it all hinges on this weekend, when she is off, and she will be reading the book....here's hoping! Thanks Angela and K.Z. !

The tape of yesterday's appearance on Breakfast Television is hopefully going to be converted to digital format by my friend and uploaded to YouTube by next week.

What an exciting week!!

www.bluechairbook.com

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Breakfast Television Interview!!

Well, after a sleepless night and waking at 3.30 am., I finally left my apartment at 5.40 am. The staff at CITY-TV were really friendly and Brad, who had booked me on the show, greeted me in the parking lot.

Dina, the interviewer, was really nice and made me feel at ease by asking me about the book, before we went to air. The actual chat flew by, which really surprised me and I didn't feel too nervous on the live show. BT is the highest rated morning show in Southern Ontario, so it reaches a huge audience.

When I got home, I had an email from Kelly, who works at the disabled studies program at Ryerson, and she had already ordered a book! Wow, the feedback from my friends has been totally positive and with very little mocking. However, my friend Tina noticed that I did come after the photos of misshapen vegetables that look like other things. lol

I hope to have the interview up on YouTube...thanks to the gang at B.T. !!

Angela and I meet the Chapters rep. tomorrow, so here's hoping....

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

On Breakfast Television on CITY-TV Thursday am.

CITY-TV called me up this morning to confirm that I will be on to discuss "Travels in a Blue Chair". They asked me to arrive by 6.30am and bring a copy of the book.

Looking forward to this experience, I hope that I'm not tooooo camera shy.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Something cooking with Chapters.

I was outside wheeling today in the 12C weather, when my friend down the street, Angela pulled up in her car. She was at Chapters picking up her copy of "Travels in a Blue Chair" when she struck up a conversation with the manager of the store.

He was quite interested and all of a sudden there may be a chance of doing a book event with Chapters. This is still in the embryonic stage, but it is veeeeery exciting!!

Thanks heaps, Angela! I have appointed her my literary agent, as she is spreading the word about my book throughout the neighbourhood as well.

No word from CBC today.

I received an email from Viktor, a student in Serbia. He is going to use one of my stories in a book of travel to encourage disabled Serbians to travel. Viktor will be travelling around the world for 2 years, starting in 2009. Today is the orthodox holiday, so Merry Christmas!!

Also, many thanks to Jeremy, of www.disabledtravelers.com who featured the book on his blog.

Friday, January 4, 2008

CBC meeting Monday, 3 stories on my website.

The CBC gang will be meeting on Monday to discuss scheduling me on their morning show. Feedback continues to be tremendously positive. Here's hoping for big things for "Travels in a Blue Chair" in 2008.

I wanted to remind all bloggees (I just made that up), that there are 3 stories from my book on the travel page of my website.