Sunday, March 30, 2008

Dan the Firepit Man - Bio of the Week

Dan lives in Washington state, and is a truly gifted guy in a lot of ways. He's also intensely private, so that's the most I will say about him here.

Dan has a full-time job as a welder, but he also makes these beautiful firepits in his spare time. The detail and worksmanship is incredible, as you can see.

If you would like to talk to Dan about how to get a hand-crafted firepit of your own, please contact me and I'll put you in touch with him.

Jill

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Susan Gunn - Bio of the Week

My friend, Susan Gunn, is a hoot. She's also from Texas. She's also an expert on using QuickBooks. I don't know if those three things are related or not, maybe some of you can tell me.

Being from Texas and all, Susan is no stranger to less-than-perfect weather. Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts... you name it and she's been through it at some point in her life.

A few weeks ago Susan was speaking at the Hinman Meeting in Atlanta. The Hinman is one of the premier dental conferences in the US, and it's quite an honor to be asked to be a part of it. Susan was thrilled to be there, as you can imagine. She was staying at the Omni Hotel, on the 15th floor. After a full day of speaking and dinner on her third night there, she happened to turn the TV on to watch Kentucky play basketball. Moments later the TV went black, and an eerie pressure, accompanied by a noise that Susan has not yet been able to accurately describe, descended on the room.

Seconds later the windows shattered, spewing glass and debris throughout. Fortunately, Susan's Texas instincts had already kicked in and she was in the bathroom, having a serious conversation with God. Susan is a deeply religious person and talks to God a lot, so that wasn't cheating, I'd like to make that clear.

She escaped without injury, thankfully, evacuating her room in what she describes as "less than professional attire." She was flabbergasted, and still is, that there was NO WARNING of the impending disaster. "In Atlanta, for crying out loud, are you kidding me?"

Susan has now been asked to do some promos for her local weather station, who covered her story for two nights following the tornado. She has done what she always does - take adversity and turn it into lemonade. (You know what I mean.)

Welcome home, and Happy Easter,

Jill

Monday, March 17, 2008

Jenn Snyder - Bio of the Week

Jenn Snyder is a quiet hero. She wouldn't agree with that statement, but hey, who's writing this story?

Since July of last year, Jenn has been involved in a fund raising project for Blake Davis and his grandmother, Patty Porter. Blake is the young boy whose mother and unborn child were killed by his father in June of 2007. It was a tragic story, and America's heart went out to the young boy and his grieving family.

However, while most of us soon went back to our lives, thankful that our own husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters were safe and well, Jenn decided that just wasn't enough. Something more needed to be done to help, and she was going to be a part of doing it.

And boy, did she! Since last July, Jenn has not only helped raise thousands of dollars for the "Blake's Bright Tomorrow" educational fund, but she has been the leading force in getting Blake and Patty a new home, completely furnished and paid for.

Jenn would want me to point out how many hundreds of kind-hearted people have contributed to this fund-raising effort, and I'm happy to do so. You can read more about all of "Blake's Heroes", including Jenn, at http://www.blakesbrighttomorrow.com/

You'll see what I mean. A quiet hero.

All the best, Jenn. Oprah's got nothing on you, Kiddo!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

New - Bio of the Week

In my last post I told you about my new e-product, a "Professional Review" of your bio when you purchase my e-book, "How To Write A Great Bio."

These bios are so interesting, I thought it would be fun to share some of them with you, so I'll be posting a "Bio of the Week" starting today.

Some of them are bios I review, some of them are just interesting people I come across as I bob and weave around the internet - which I do on a regular basis.

My first bio belongs to Jack Payne. Jack is a neighbor of mine here in Paradise, but until recently, I didn't know much about him. Then he invited me to visit his blog: legalthriller.blogspot.com, or the "Con Man's Blog".

When I did, here's what I found out about Jack:

Jack Payne was the founder and first editor/publisher of the newsletter, Business Opportunities Digest. His 55 business books have sold over 1.1 million copies, and his best-selling "How To Make a Fortune in Finders Fees" remained in print 25 years. Known for his intensity, his first legal thriller novel, "Six Hours Past Thursday", explores, in-depth, the workings of the con man mind. The first two chapters of "Six Hours Past Thursday" are available to read free online, along with a story summary of the book, at http://www.sixhrs.com/.