13 Questions - OUCH ! BBC website for disabled

I have contacted the BBC in England about possibly being interviewed on their great website for the disabled called "OUCH!".

Here is a link to the site,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/

One of their great sections is called "13 Questions", which as you might guess, is a web text interview with a disabled personality.

Earlier I did a similar interview with the CBC website, and it really motivated a lot of disabled people to at least think about travelling, where they may not have tried before.

I am hoping to hear back from OUCH! soon.

John Derringer Q-107 radio interview up now on YouTube !

Thanks to my buddy Brad, who is a technical whiz, my latest radio interview, with morning personality, John Derringer, is now available for you to hear on YouTube!

Here is the link to the audio file...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpgPF1gvJoI

Many thanks to the morning gang at the Q !!  I hope this helps spread the word!

Boston Book Expo

I have been invited to participate in the Boston Book Expo, early next year, by my publisher, iUniverse.

I have been told that this is an important expo for libraries looking for new additions to their collections, with the new budgets for the upcoming year.

I am not sure whether I will ultimately be able to participate, but just to be invited is a great thing.

On the air this morning !

The radio interview on John Derringer's show has just aired, and by the looks of things it has had a great impact!

Hits to my website have jumped dramatically and it is apparent that many people a quite interested in "Travels in a Blue Chair".

If you would like to listen just click the link below and in the audio box, look for the "interview with Walt Balenovich"...

http://www.q107.com/DJsandShows/DerringerInTheMorning/Home.aspx

Thanks again to John, Ryan and all the gang at Q-107 !!

Q-107 Interview airs this Thursday at 7am !

I received some great news from Ryan at Q-107.  The interview recorded one month ago will be aired on Thursday at 7 am.

It was  a 6 minute interview and went quite well, here is the link...

http://www.q107.com/index.aspx

You can listen over the internet too, that would be 12 pm in Ireland and the UK, and 1 pm in Europe.

I hope it reaches out to disabled and travellers alike!

910.4 BALEN - the library code to use !

If you are looking for "Travels in a Blue Chair" in your local library, the code to use in your search is "910.4 BALEN".

I am really gratified to see that the book is now in the library at Ryerson University, for their degree program in Disability Studies!

It is also available at the Toronto and Vancouver public libraries, as well as those in Welland, Dunnville, and even 2 libraries in Washington State!

There is also a request to add it to the collection to the state library of Tasmania in Australia.

Yay, the positive energy continues to flow!

Q-107 John Derringer - not aired after one month

I am attempting to find out what is happening with the airing of my interview with John Derringer last month at this time.  It was a great 6 minute interview, but it has not aired yet?

I am hoping it will air shortly.

It is very important to me to know the schedule in advance to let the disabled listeners be aware of it ahead of time.

I hope to contact John and Ryan next week to get this great interview on the airwaves!

Richard Branson - Virgin Atlantic Airways

I got a brainstorm this week to contact Richard Branson, the owner of the "Virgin" brand, and specifically "Virgin Atlantic Airways".  As a result, I left a message to him on his website.

I know that he is a lover of adventure and I thought it might be a good idea to tell him about myself and "Travels in a Blue Chair".   

Additionally, I wanted to enquire to see if he would be interested in sponsoring a year of worldwide travel via his airline.

I am hoping to use this trip to create a documentary, in conjunction with the "Virgin Earth Challenge", to show that the disabled can travel the world independently and enjoy the planet and the many cultures on it!

It could really motivate other disabled people to travel too!

It is early days yet, and I haven't heard back....but I am hoping that I will.  

Q-107 No word on when the interview will air.

I contacted Ryan last week to ask to be notified ahead of time as to when the interview will air.  I still have not received word.

Hopefully it will be this week or next.  Stay tuned!

My talk in Dunnville

I really enjoyed my talk in Dunnville yesterday.  Everyone there was so hospitable, and Joyce had even set up some coffee and treats on a back table.

The crowd was very receptive and I even remembered to set my cell phone to beep 15 minutes before the hour was up, so that I would leave time for questions.  Many of those in attendance introduced themselves to me beforehand and already had questions or told me about their recent travel adventures!  It was so great.

The talk went quite well and when it was question time, one fellow, a library user, had already checked out "Travels in a Blue Chair" and told us how much he enjoyed it.  He had even written down some of his favourite passages and surprised me with a present - two beers! - because he said I was usually enjoying one in most of my stories.  What a neat thing to happen.

I signed many copies of the book and then talked for an hour afterwards to many of the patrons. 

Thanks so much for the invitation and the great time in Dunnville!