tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57632119506464882802024-03-13T10:59:16.622-07:00AmberlightAmberlight Publishing is a non-profit organization formed to fund the Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship. Posts will include scholarship winners, current activities to promote the book This is a Good Day to Live, by Janine Carter.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-34041824044289691502013-04-14T17:21:00.000-07:002013-04-14T17:21:15.429-07:00E-book progressMy e-book version of This is a Good Day to Live is now pending publishing. That's good news! After a few setbacks, Elizabeth has successfully downloaded my book into Smashwords, who will in turn place it with those sites who handle e-books. I will keep posting the progress and hopefully will be able to say its ready to buy online! The cost will be $9.99 and proceeds will still go to the Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship account. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-68793980993685902382013-03-27T15:22:00.002-07:002013-03-27T15:23:03.808-07:00E-book in progress, finallyAfter trying to download my pdf file of This is a Good Day to Live, I turned to a professional, Elizabeth Beeton, and Smashwords.com to help me put the original file into the correct form for translating to e-book. Who knew it would be so complicated? Certainly not me! Smashwords itself is a company that helps authorIput their new books on the e-book market. I thought self-publishing was hard, this is much easier if you are a computer geek, which I am not. So, hopefully this will be completed by the end of this month. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-75878042585386903702013-01-01T16:57:00.001-08:002013-01-01T16:57:36.994-08:002013 , the year of the EbookYes, I am working on getting This is a Good Day to Live on the e-readers. My friend, Sue, and I are going to work together to get our books to the public so they can download them onto their Kindles, Nooks, Ipads, Ipods, etc. We took a class at the Cuesta Writer's Conference last year called Self Publishing Boot Camp. I am very excited about this, and will set my goal to have it online by February. Look for it then! Until then, send me an e-mail at <a href="mailto:jacpoet@aol.com" target="_blank">jacpoet@aol.com </a>if you have any advice/suggestions for this new venue. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-54164836692638947962012-05-03T11:08:00.003-07:002012-05-03T11:08:46.436-07:00Scholarship News 2012Good news! This year we are awarding two scholarships to worthy AGHS seniors.<br />
Kyle Compton and Hannah Goldman. They each will receive $1000.00 to put towards their higher education. We are always proud of our recipients and hope they use the money wisely. We don't require it to be for college only. Our goal is to help dancers hone their skills, whether that means going to a dance studio in L.A. or a college of Fine Arts. Good Luck, Kyle and Hannah!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-53844843520361198832011-11-21T09:40:00.001-08:002011-11-21T09:46:15.923-08:00Scholarship is backWe had some time to re-group since Debbi Simms retired as the Dance Company director. The good news is that Shelby Videl and Ms. Varvel at AG High School, are keeping the Dance Company going. That means the Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship will be given next year to deserving seniors in that company who apply. We will keep fund raising, adding to the cache until the time comes to award these students and help them further their education. Thanks to Fins restaurant in Grover Beach, and PG&E for helping make these awards possible. Book sales have also contributed and I am very proud of that. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-37246632275691716112011-01-24T09:28:00.000-08:002011-01-24T09:34:27.457-08:00Amber is proud!We have a balance of over $2500 in the scholarship fund. In June, PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric, Tom's employer) will match those funds. We will be half way to our goal to make it perpetual. That means there will always be enough money to give away to graduating students of Arroyo Grande High School. The fundraising has been difficult, but rewarding, and now we can see the fruits of our labor. Even though there will be no awards this year, it is for a good reason. Also, the dance department is still up in the air at the high school since Debby's retirement. Change is good and we hope for a perfect group to attach the awards to. Meanwhile, Amber's honor and memory is still in our hearts!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-82212107355515710242010-11-01T08:52:00.000-07:002010-11-01T08:52:15.043-07:00Scholarship NewsNow that the Dance Company has retired from AGHS, We have been pondering the scholarship and what it will mean for its future.<br />
For the time being, it will be on hold while we continue to put money into it by selling more books (sold 2 more recently, thank you, Jayden and Tom) and by having PG&E match the funds.<br />
Right now our goal is to make the scholarship perpetual, meaning the interest paid annually will become the amount we will give to the recipients. The amount needed to do that is<br />
$10,000.00 and we will be half way after this year. So, there will be no awards this coming year nor the next in order to add to the fund.<br />
This is exciting news! Our wish has always been to make the Amber Carter Memorial Scholarships solid, annual, and prestigious. In this way we can accomplish this goal and no matter what the economy dictates, there will always be awards for those in need to further their education. Thanks to all who have donated, bought books, flipped coins into the wishing well at Finn's.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-43641934795952265462010-09-06T11:23:00.000-07:002010-09-06T11:23:28.433-07:00Book sales are up!I'm happy to say I have sold 6 more "This is a Good Day to Live" books! The ladies in my quilt class found out I am an author, and also about the Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship Fund. Proceeds from all sales go into the fund. Between those sales and the "toss a quarter for Amber Carter Scholarship" fountain at Fin's down at the mouth of the Grover Beach atv entrance, we have $300 in the fund as seed money for next years recepients. Thanks to the PG&E charitable matching funds program, we will be able to have enough for next years graduating seniors. <br />
It is an honor to be able to give hope to those who want to attend college and need money to do that. I know Amber is proud to be the main reason for the scholarship awards. She believed education was so important, and attended college even through her treatments for cancer. I love you, honey! Your ideals live on!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-20524130020162007202010-07-03T09:23:00.000-07:002010-07-03T09:23:34.207-07:00A time for writingI have been doing lots of other things besides writing. That has to stop! Or should I say, that has to start! I have actually entered a contest, the Lilly Oncology on Canvas competition. If you want to know more about it you can log onto<br />
<b>http://www.lillyoncologyoncanvas.com/pages/previouscompetitions.aspx</b> Hopefully, my entry titled, "One door closes, another one opens" including a photo I worked really hard on. It only involved a 100 word narrative that goes along with it. If I win, the cancer charity of my choice could win up to $10,000 and that would be the Jacqualyn Palchak Cancer Fund. Wish me Bon Chance! Meanwhile, I am setting my goal to write something every day, even if it is my journal entry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-85591503260935540092010-06-17T11:19:00.000-07:002010-06-17T11:19:03.417-07:00June is shakin'So much to do, so little time. Book sales are up just by being in the community and mentioning Amber's scholarship to friends. It's amazing how I know so many people and they really do not KNOW me. I guess that's a good thing since I don't always want to divulge.<br />
The surprise party for Debby Simms-Sagisi was great! She was truly surprised. I was a nervous wreck, but it sure was worth it to see her face when about 25 of us yelled, "Surprise!" when she walked into the door of the AGHS campus dance room. Attending were many present and past dance students, her husband, son, mother, sister and brother-in-law. She was so grateful and was beaming the entire afternoon. <br />
The dance program's fate is now in the hands of the Lucia Mar bureaucracy. I do hope they keep the program going. It is so rewarding to see those dancers perform their own choreography.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GKX1ygqsFmQ/TBpmuVZxE8I/AAAAAAAAAkY/dkzvmZipd18/s1600/Debby+surprise+party+5-21-10+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GKX1ygqsFmQ/TBpmuVZxE8I/AAAAAAAAAkY/dkzvmZipd18/s200/Debby+surprise+party+5-21-10+002.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>To Debby, Au Revoir, mes ami ! .Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-11310416825763415992010-05-24T20:06:00.000-07:002010-05-24T20:06:19.474-07:00Good bye to Debby !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GKX1ygqsFmQ/S_s-Ocab7PI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/IKHAJrJ8aRk/s1600/Past+and+Present+2010+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GKX1ygqsFmQ/S_s-Ocab7PI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/IKHAJrJ8aRk/s320/Past+and+Present+2010+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The AGHS Dance Company has lost their director, Debby Sims-Sagisi. This is her last year to teach the Dance program and be director of the dance company. After 30 years, she is retiring. Thanks to her we have had a stellar group of dancers performing their craft since 1994. Amber was one of the first dancers to be in the company, followed by her sissy, Bridgett, in 1995. Both of my girls had the honor of being a part of a program that has changed the lives of many students.<br />
Since 2000, the Dance Co. has contributed funds from their annual performance, "Past and Present" to the Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship. Since its inception, there have been 36 seniors awarded $15,850.00 in scholarship awards. Bravo!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-39158565602573942192010-03-02T08:24:00.000-08:002010-03-02T08:24:59.692-08:00Tribune 2-24-10<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GKX1ygqsFmQ/S4072aXknWI/AAAAAAAAAe4/QH2Onb1qJE4/s1600-h/Top.jpg"><img style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GKX1ygqsFmQ/S4072aXknWI/AAAAAAAAAe4/QH2Onb1qJE4/s160/Top.jpg" border="0" /></a><div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-59684337052563769482010-02-20T09:01:00.000-08:002010-02-20T09:15:26.083-08:00Free pressThere will be an article on my book in the Wed. Feb. 24th Tribune written by Gayle Cuddy. I met her at a writing class she was teaching last year. She attended the Cuesta Writer's Conference and saw me receive the Creative Writing Memoir Award.<br />She is also going to do a piece on the AGHS Dance Company, who helps fund the Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship. They perform at the Clark Center on May 5 & 6th, which is another venue for book sales. My friend and fellow writer, Suzanne Champeau, and my daughter, Bridgett Janowicz, will be selling it for me in the lobby. Cost: $15.00 all proceeds of book sales go to the scholarship fund, and a portion of the performance revenue will also be donated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-10590782905439329912009-10-26T15:37:00.000-07:002009-10-26T16:08:06.418-07:00Update on book salesThe Central Coast Book and Author Festival, held in San Luis Obispo's Mission Plaza, was a success for me and many others. I sold 4 books and that means more money goes into the <strong>Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship Fund </strong>at the Arroyo Grande High School. Good timing, as the due date for deposits is Oct. 30th. Thank you to the Foundation for the San Luis Obispo Libraries and Maryellen Simkins who put together a fine festival. I look forward to next year's! Oh yes, Spiderman was a hit, as well as Doc Burnsteins Ice Cream.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-55092861568713800632009-10-20T09:01:00.000-07:002009-10-20T09:07:29.333-07:00thisisagooday.comI'm hoping to be able to get the website up and working soon. When I first published the book, I had a nice website and was able to update it myself. Since then, the company I worked with has expanded and changed its programs to fill more professional needs. I am a fledgeling computer person and found it impossible to work that program any longer. Now in the process of finding another company to work with, I am limited in my knowledge and having difficulties, but am resolved to get another website up and running. Wish me luck! I need it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-68637461523740029762009-10-06T09:47:00.000-07:002009-10-06T10:01:28.759-07:00Windy but Good DayIndeed, it was a Good Day! Sales weren't affected by the windy day at all. Any time I can sell books, talk to people about Amber and listen to how they relate to her living with cancer, it's a Good Day. The Amber Carter Scholarship made some money, and got some recognition as well and that is an important reason to spend the day at these venue opportunities. I got to see some old friends, met some new ones, and shared information with fellow authors.<br />To top it all off, I got to sit with my grandsons and watch Spiderman at the SLO Library. That's Jaxson with Spidey! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389532411103292578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 176px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GKX1ygqsFmQ/Sst3LEVELKI/AAAAAAAAAX0/_eCtUpEtZvQ/s200/Spidey+and+Jaxson.jpg" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-58218506885423439702009-09-30T17:36:00.000-07:002009-09-30T17:46:02.704-07:00Central Coast Book and Author FestivalSunday, October 4th, 2009<br />10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.<br />San Luis Obispo at Mission Plaza<br /><br />Spiderman will perform at 1:00 and 3:00 and and will sign autographs afterwards!<br /><br />Authors will read through out the day<br /><br />Cal Poly Dance Dept. will perform<br /><br />I will be signing and selling <strong>This is a Good Day to Live </strong>at a special price of $15.00<br /><br />Come and join the fun, buy some books, and support the SLO County Library FoundationUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5763211950646488280.post-47862331940294351362009-09-30T08:57:00.000-07:002009-09-30T17:36:31.195-07:00Welcome<strong></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>This is a Good Day to Live</strong><br /><br />Is a memoir taken from the journals of myself, my daughter, Amber, and her sister, Bridgett. This book has been a labor of love and heartache for me since I self-published it in 2004. Our family went through many hardships during the five years after Amber was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, a type of lymphoma cancer. The roles in this battle for Amber's life are documented in the hand of each family member as Amber struggles with the diagnosis, surgeries, chemotherapy, and finally a stem cell transplant.<br /><br /><br />So far, over 400 books have been sold, and the profits from sales have helped to fund the<br /><em>Amber Carter Memorial Scholarship</em> at Arroyo Grande High School, established after her passing in 1999. The first scholarship was awarded in 2001, and since then has been given to graduating seniors involved in the dance program.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0