So we got to mapping out this book on our dogs. We love our dogs, but why would anyone else? I guess that’s a question anyone who writes a book around themselves or their lives must ask. Who cares? This didn’t matter to us getting started - it was the process, not the end result, we were excited about. If we printed two copies for our own bookshelves and that was it, so be it. We decided to bring back the animals-have-an-owner aka Christopher Robbins style, get these dogs up to no good, have their confident and carefree female Irish red head 10-year old owner Sam (Sara And Megan) teach the dogs (and the kids out there!) good values and life lessons. Basic, yes. But kids’ books are pretty basic.

Seven months later and after a lot of story-boarding, research, many edits, ample phone calls, several in-person meetings (she lives in San Francisco and I in Vancouver), lots of wine, an enormous amount of back-and-forth on the illustrations, more edits, advisory phone calls, publisher calls, and then some, we have a book.

And it’s beautiful!

We used a service called Blurb - it’s an easy way to print and self publish - and we’ve started cracking on more books in the series. This stuff becomes addictive. The market is incredibly saturated with a TON of competition. It’s not the goal to become a rich kid’s writer - does that even exist outside of JK and Dr. Suess? But this project was a blast. The site and being able to purchase the book (and dare I say the series) is coming down the pipes in 2010. Then we’ll start knocking on some publishers doors…

And this is a look at the real Capo and Jasper.

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So I’ve started to write about wine on a new blog, “Wine Jargon”. I considered adding in the odd post here on this blog over the past few years but I thought it better to initiate a whole new space, or brand (ish), rather than lump it in with everything else. It’s a bit of an odd thing to sort out, after all, you are a person or personality online, not a website. I often advise people to grow their personal brand rather than a new business idea, or several new websites - it becomes too complicated and far too much to manage. People want to know the “who” you are, not the “what”.

I decided not to take my own advice.

Wine is so deserving of its own place. I’m not sure where it will go or what it will be, but for now it’s as simple as ‘all wine, all the time’, kinda like my life.

Wine Jargon the blog
@winejargon on Twitter

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And it’s pretty easy to sign up, put together something fabulous in a Life Cube and share and post your creation: 1. Sign up to a free basic membership with arcalife. 2. Import and upload your favourite photos and a video (text over top is optional). 3. Share your link on either Twitter or Facebook (and let arcalife know you’ve done so). You can also sign in and build your Cube via Facebook.

Read arcalife’s post with the more official and precise contest details and to check out other examples of published Life Cubes.

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There just might be RAIN this Saturday in Vancouver. We need it. But even if it doesn’t rain, I say after all of this heat wave, it’s the perfect timing for the perfect pairing and staying inside to taste (drink) fine wines, eat delectable cheeses, learn from the best in the business and, if you are so inclined on the “geekery” side of things, going tech with what you are taking in - blogging, flickring, tweeting all of your new wine and cheese knowledge and experiences, all day.
Check out the line-up of amazing Speakers and the Schedule and Sessions - including a few lightening talks in the breaks and a Live Twitter Tasting with Stag’s Hallow.

REGISTER HERE - tickets are going!

Hope to see you there - Keynote with Dr. Donna Senese begins at 12:30pm.

Follow @vinocampvan
Official Tags: vccc09 | vinocampvan09 | vinocamp | cheesecamp

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Happy to say I am sporting a solid team of butt-kickers tomorrow at the KidSport Media Launch. Come say hello and watch us be fools and get beaten by smarter, more agile and athletic kids! Check out Rebecca’s post on the contest they are running as well. This is a great cause. As a kid, I was raised playing every sport under the sun, whether I was really crappy or kinda okay, and to this day I attribute sports teams and the bonding, successes and failures to who I am today = Really competitive! Well, maybe just on the croquet pitch.
Check out my hot team:
@shanegibson | @miss604 | @sjagger

Hope to see you there! And please help spread this great cause across your own Internet waves…
@kidsport

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EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS TOMORROW! JUST GO AND REGISTER NOW

OK Vancouver: This new conference, born out of Boulder, Colorado (in case you didn’t know, a tech hub you need to get to know) is hitting a mere FIVE cities across the continent on tour this year and Vancouver is the ONLY Canadian stop! Take advantage of these precious 1.5 days with ladies who tech, Chicks Who Click. (The other gender is of course most welcome. I like the reverse odds for you guys, kinda like a BlogHer -  and to all the dudes out there: you will like these odds. And… for those of you with women as your target market, or if you need the support of or want to connect with the top female social media evangelists, this is a not-to-be-missed 2009 event.)

Want to be enpowered? Want to participate at a tech event surrounded by your peers - brilliant and fabulous women? You need to read all about it here and then register now and join us on June 26th and be the chick who clicks that you really are, or at least, be inspired by some great insight, conversation and practical knowledge.

I am speaking on a panel with Victoria Revay (skyping in live from Nunavut - totally random, completely awesome) and with the lovely Alex Samuel from Social Signal. We’re speaking about women in tech entrepreneurship, the glass ceiling that’s still relevant, or is it?, being in the Tech Startup land Dude-Fest, the challenges, the differences, the advice given, good and bad, the path, good and bad, the successes, the inspirations, everything we’ve learned as female entrepreneurs in technology - we want to pass it all along and start a smart and healthy conversation around it.

Erica at Ahimsa did a great little post on CWC last week and nicely broke it down for you.

See you next weekend!

Quick Links:
Follow the Conference on Twitter and tag all of your content #CWC09
Follow Denise Smith (organizer) on Twitter @Deetells
Become a fan on Facebook
Read the CWC Blog at chickswhoclickblog.net

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If for some odd reason this player doesn’t appear, it’s right here on Current.

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