March 15: In the Year of the Dragon at the Old Stone House

On Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 8 PM, Brooklyn Reading Works at The Old Stone House presents: IN THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON: A Celebration of Asian and Asian-American Writers.

Curated by author Sophia Romero (The Shiska from Manila), IN THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON includes a Brooklyn Poet Laureate, a playwright, and three novelists and a childrens’ book author/illustrator, all of whom will read excerpts from their latest work. A Q&A will follow the reading.

You won’t want to miss Brooklyn Poet Laureate Tina Chang, Novelists Susan Choi, children’s book author Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer and Sabina Meyer and playwright Linda Faigao-Hall.

A $5 donation includes light refreshments and wine.

The Old Stone House

336 3rd Street Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 768-3195

Between Fifth and Fourth Avenues.

Due to construction in the park, enter from the Fourth Avenue side of the house.

my Boo Crew

I had to pinch myself.

I guess not many people think being in enclosed spaces with thirteen year olds is something to go out of your way for but for me, this was the chance of a lifetime to write and be read by the most valuable focus group ever – the kids who haunt the Ghostmistress.  A Boo Crew that keeps growing.

Each week, I posted a part of a ghost story I am writing.  They read it, critiqued it, wrote their own stuff and posted it on the site.  I learned what made them tick, they learned how to be good reviewers in an online community.  We wrote stories, poems and screenplays.  I brought cookies.  Ghost cookies made by my friend and Seth’s carpool buddy, Joanne.

Ghostmistress cookies

Here’s what the Boo Crew looked for:

Dialogue that drives action

Descriptive writing that created a character or a place

Characters that revealed their thoughts

Cliffhangers that provoked curiousity

Characters with complex personalities and unexpected actions

Fast paced stories

Challenges they could relate to such as bullying, being the youngest child, liking someone

I looked forward to seeing the comments the day after I posted each scene.  No matter what I thought of what I wrote, I was always surprised and often startled by their opinions.  Always, always grateful for the chance to have my stuff read by my target audience.

As I work on finishing Ghostmistress this summer, I will imagine a group of blue clad young critics ready to devour the 1000 words I write with a critical appetite.  They have already sharpened my sense of what rings true and what makes a good story they would read.  They have pre reviewed and pre critiqued my young adult story and I am so grateful to them for helping me write a better story.

This makes sense to me.

Need to know what your readers, your audience, your market likes?  Give them a way to tell you.  Let them in on your creative process – a little unnerving, yes, but vulnerability is really appealing.  I created the Ghostmistress site which they took creative ownership of and where they could discuss my story.

How are you connecting with your readers?

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If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

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Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

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Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

“Let’s invite the carpool ladies over for a soiree and talk about romance.”

Seth thought this was a fabulous idea and so did the carpool.  On Saturday evening, we held our first Romance Soiree.

Curious why?

I am flirting with the idea of writing a romance novel.  It occurred to me that truth is always always always stranger and more startling than fiction so why not bring together people who are immersed in all kinds of daily truths, feed them, give them pink champagne and then sit back and take notes?

And that is exactly what I did.

To start the conversation, I came up with some questions.  They are actually ice breaker dinner questions that a friend of mine came up with.  Here’s what happened with the first question:

What do you look for most in a mate –

• Looks
• Wealth
• Personality

“Personality.  My mother always told me to look for someone who could be a friend you could laugh with.”

“My father said its just as easy to marry rich as it is to marry poor.  So why bother marrying twice?  Get it right the first time.”

“I also think that looks matter less as you get older.  Maybe that’s why I always look at a man’s teeth first.”

“You do?  I look at their shoes.  If they look scuffed up and shabby that sends a message to me that they probably will not follow through on a commitment.”

“Wealth is not that important.  I make my own money so I’m not looking for someone to support me.  That would be like looking for a bra.”

“Speaking of bras, there was a woman I knew who wore a double D and she told me she had a thing for a guy in her office so one day, she took off her bra, lifted up the cover of the copier machine and photocopied her chest.  After she did that, she thought it probably was not a good idea so she threw the picture in the garbage can.

What was she thinking?  Of course someone found it.  Everyone could tell it was her.  And once that happened, a few other things happened as well.  Such as her divorce, the wife of the guy in her office becoming suspicious and jealous of her and eventually the affair becoming exposed.  Just like her double D’s.”

“Wow, if I was a double D, I wouldn’t leave the house!”  Seth chimed in as he poured another round of champagne.  ”Hey, you girls lead exciting lives.”

I am not sure what all of this adds up to, or what my story will become.  All I can tell you is that the research is a lot of fun.

Hey, if you have story about an office affair, or a love story with a twist, tell me in the comments!

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

He was tall, dark haired with a thoughtful look in his eyes.   Everything about him was right, I knew he was the one who could help me.

I walked towards him, the question burning in my mind, my heart beating a little faster with each step.  He was sitting alone and I could easily grab his attention.

I took a deep breath and as soon as the words left my lips, I realized how ridiculous I sounded.  My face turned a blushing red,  my mouth open in disbelief, my God, how did this happen?

He, however, gazed at me and repeated my question with a faint smile.

“Where can I find romance?”

I felt my ears burn.

“Hard cover or soft cover?”

Gulp.  “Hard.  I mean, hard cover.”

“Second row of shelves in the back of the library. “  He turned his gaze, thank God, to the next person on the information line as I slipped away.

Where do you find romance?

I prefer less mortifying experiences.  But that’s just me.  Luckily, the ladies in the Carpool Court agree with me that the search for romance should be a less public endeavor and we have decided to get together for Romance Night at our house.  We are going to talk about what we like to read, what authors we follow, what types of characters we are drawn to and what we are going to drink.  Not necessarily in that order, of course.

Yes, I admit.  I am intrigued with romance.  And I think you are too.  So what I am going to do is capture some great conversation and write a romance story.

In hard cover.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

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Hoong Yee

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When you ask for water at Cafe Bar in Astoria, this is what you get.

Now I don’t know about you but all I need is a glass to go with my water.

I am amazed that someone actually figured out how to reconstruct water, bottle it and get it on a menu.

I love packaging.

I love stuff that is put together for me, made easier for me, cleverly wrapped and boxed for me.  If the actual thing is something I actually need, that’s a home run.  I appreciate the thinking behind the product.  Ask me how many pairs of #9 knitting needles I own.  Go ahead.  I must have a dozen pairs and will probably continue to merrily acquire more.

Because they came in these OMG!-must-have knitting kits that came with a beautifully styled photograph of a fabulous knit quelque chose, some yummy yarn, and a pair of knitting needles in a cute little bag.  Could I have gone out and put all that together myself among all of the boxes of knitting stuff that has slowly taken over Seth’s side of the closet?  Of course!  But I put all that, and the vision of thousands of loose needles, skeins of yarns tumbling out of shoeboxes and towers of knitting pattern magazines and willingly flung down my credit card because I was blissfully seduced by smart and sexy -

packaging.

What about your brilliant career?

Here are some thoughts that ran through my mind about you.

Do you have a product you are passionate about?

I have been talking to a lot of writers who want to know more about marketing and telling their story.  Well, besides the obvious book, there are other ways for your words to work their magic.  A set of poems in an ebook?  A serial romance on a local radio show?  A reading of your newest work?

Can you picture your perfect customer – their likes, weaknesses, impulse shopping habits?

Who would buy your book?  Is she like you, does she read on a Kindle, what genres does she read, does she belong to a book club?  The more you know about your customer, the better you will be at getting her to become a loyal fan of yours.

Are you making it easy for people to buy who you are or what you have to sell?

People are lazy.  If you can create something that is easy to understand and either solves a problem or promises a unique experience, people will take notice and buy it.

Be creative.  If you need some inspiration, have a nice tall glass of reconstructed water.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

photo by Gnerk

I am a grantmaker.  I am also a fundraiser so that I can continue to be a grantmaker.

We are in the height of the budget season and I am writing a lot of requests to legislators – capital requests for technology and expense requests for programs.  For money to be used to buy equipment and for money to support art activities.  Every so often I write budget testimony to seek funding support from the New York State and from the Queens Borough President.

A lot of different ways to ask for a dollar.

Yes, it is important to know how to write a grant as well as all of these other things.  But the art of writing for money involves other things you may not have thought about

.

Kat Thompson, Community Liaison for NYC Councilman Leroy Comrie,

is crocheting this eye popping bag and is looking for a pattern

for something called a monokini.  Wow!

Listen

It is all about conversation.  If you can listen well, you will learn everything you need to know to turn that conversation into a great relationship that will turn into funding.  Kat and I discovered we both love bright colorful yarn.  I sent her some links to crochet websites and she is going to send me a picture of her monokini.  That is something I have to see.  If you pay attention to the people sitting at the table, you may be surprised at the sound of knitting needles but you will hear the sound of money.

Tell them who you are in seven words or less

Legislators meet with lots of people who need funding.  They like things that are easy to remember.  Tell them who you are in a fistful of words that will startle them into remembering you.  A brief well thought tagline, pitch or elevator speech is a powerful way to impress people with who you are.

Let your passion show

Avoid being boring.  Please.  Legislators will respond to you if you are on a mission that you are passionate about.  Most people will.  Especially if you make them feel needed, that they can help you fulfill your mission that will make the world a better place.  Here’s how Beth Kanter got 40,000 people to donate in one day.  Money follows passion.

Talk about what you both can achieve

This is messaging.  This is strategic speaking.  Can you describe what success looks like for you?  If you can, rephrase it so that this success – increased audience attendance, improved communication tools, higher subscription rates – belongs to you and your legislator.  Share the glory – and the photo op.

Describe your success in one descriptive phrase

“100% acceptance rate, $800,000 in scholarships”

“three full scholarships to Cooper Union”

“a world of art in one borough”

These are examples of recent successes of the Queens Council on the Arts.  We like to create these short catchy phrases to use in our email newsletters, as pull quotes in our annual reports, in press releases.

It makes it easier for people to remember who we are, what we have accomplished, and write a check.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Has this ever happened to you?

You are in a roomful of people who you would love to get to know.  People who are important or influential connectors in your field.  How are you going to make a good impression on them so that they remember you and better yet, want to work with you?

Why people connect

Think about it.  Why do you want to meet certain people?  For world peace?  For a better tomorrow?

People connect to benefit themselves.  Simple and plain.  If you happen to cure cancer along the way, great.  Now why would someone read your blog?  To increase your subscriber list?  To move you to higher in Google search?

Are you kidding?

People will read your blog if it helps them save money, learn how to do something or meet somebody.  To solve a problem or to make their lives better. Think about it.  You search for a deal on airline tickets, how to invest, where to go for fresh gnocchi, etc.  You read blogs that are all about the things you are interested in so that you can learn stuff and connect with similar spirits.  It is all about your readers, not you.

Here’s a simple twist on human nature

There is another reason people go on line.

They like to see themselves in the blogosphere.  People love to see who is responding to their tweets, who liked the photo of themselves they just posted on Facebook, who left a comment on their blog.  They want to be noticed, they want their presence to be acknowledged.  They want other people to see them.

Knowing this, I have a secret weapon for all of you ninjas:

Sketchbook Pro for iPad

How can a drawing program help me?

So glad you asked.

You don’t have to be a portrait artist to do this.  Stick figures, flattering of course, will work just as well with a little creativity on your part.

1. Download SketchBook Pro on your iPad You can get the free version to start off.  If you want more features, the upgraded version is about $7.  Use your stylus to take notes.  I picked one up at the Apple store.  You can also get them online if you Google “cheap iPad stylus”.
2. Use your stylus to capture quick sketches I like doing quick sketches of speakers at conferences.  Here are some of  the smart folks I heard from at the NTen Technology Conference who told us why you should be in the Google nonprofit program.
3. Take photos with your phone camera Can’t draw fast enough?  Can’t draw?  Take pictures of people with your phone camera.  If you have a really nice camera, use it.  Try to get good close ups of their faces.  Many times I produce a sketch from the photos I take.  The great thing about SketchBook Pro is that you can scribble notes on your sketch so if you do a lot of conference blogging like I do, you can capture both text and image.
4. Get business cards This is what I always do:  Go up to the people you have just captured in a sketch or a photo and ask them for their business card.  Smile like a media pro and say,  “I have a great sketch of you and it is going up on my blog.  Do you have a card so I can spell your name right?  I’ll send you a link.”   People will gladly exchange cards with you and remember you with interest.
5. Make notes Whatever people say to you is a story worth remembering.  Try to capture the essence of your conversation in brief notes, I am partial to  seven words or less.  You can use them later as quotes or even as captions
6. Write a hot headline If you write something that piques or provokes interest on top of your sketch, people will be curious and want to read on.  Here’s a great piece on Copyblogger about how to write magnetic headlines.
7. Link and love Remember those business cards?  Link to them if they have a blog or a website.  I like to send a personal email with the link inviting them to read my post and see themselves!

People love seeing themselves drawn and photographed.  And shared with you.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

It was a cold and dreary morning.  Clouds in the sky, clouds in my coffee, chance of showers all day.

Perfect!

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

I am happily prepared for bad weather dressed in my cool white trenchcoat and my silver Donna Karan sneakers which I remember buying months ago thinking to myself that yes, I will need these for a rainy horrible day.  Seth and I once went to the hardware store and came home with my wedding dress.  Talk about being prepared.

Well, what about writer’s block?

There is no such thing as writer’s block, only bad planning.

As the weather warms up, does it cross your mind that eventually you may find yourself on a beach on a very hot sunny day?  Of course you do!  And you go out and get yourself a bathing suit, a pair of flip flops, sunblock, cool shades and a stack of summer reading.  You are ready to rock the beach.

This simple philosophy is true for most things in life and especially for what strikes dread in the hearts of aspiring authors everywhere – writer’s block.

If this is something you know you are going to face, you should put down that pina colada,  shut off the Beach Boys and put down that sexy summer sizzler you are in the middle of reading and picture yourself staring at that blank screen.  What can you do to plan for this?

Here’s are seven do’s and don’ts that work pretty well for me:

1. Do something physical before you sit down to write. Take a brisk twenty minute walk, stretch, take a deep breath and touch your toes.  If you can get your blood moving, your creative juices can’t be far behind.

2. Don’t come to your desk emptyhanded. Some of you may interpret that to mean a plate full of chocolate chip cookies.  Not a bad idea but not what I meant.  When you are ready to write, bring all of the observations you have made throughout the day, the five headlines you wrote for your next blog posts, an outline for a series of articles you are thinking of writing – notice how I am speaking in plural.  If you can think of one story, you can think of several.  Make lots of lists and bring a fistful of them to your writing.

3. Do a quick straightening up around your work area. Clutter is the great mind killer.  You will work so much better when your surroundings are not chaotic.  Bring a calming sense of order and space to you writing area.  Make sure you have all the tools that you need at the ready.

4. Don’t just warm up, set up. If you simply can’t get started, common wisdom would tell you to do some kind of warm up.  I prefer to jump right in and do something that gets me somewhere faster.  Forget the warm up.  Just set up your writing.  If you need to produce a week’s worth of blog posts like I do, set up five draft posts with titles and sub headings on one day, add links and footer text the next day, images or videos the following day, until you have set up every one of your posts.  Once you have all that infra structure done, you will be surprised at how quickly you will be able to write.  If you are writing a longer article, put down an outline so you can see how it will flow.  I like to include notes like, “open with a short punchy sentence”  or “descriptive narrative with quotes”.

5. Do give yourself a high five for whatever you accomplished. We so often remember to beat ourselves up for not doing everything we set out to do.  A much better way to approach this is to appreciate what we have done.  It is important to recognize the effort and the work we have done so that we look forward to doing it again.

6. Don’t leave your desk without a list for tomorrow. This is one of my favorite things to do.  The very last thing I do before I leave my desk is my to-do list.  I feel better parking the things I did not get to on a list that I will get to the next day.  Having this list gives me a clear sense of what I am going to do and allows me to think about each item on the list ahead of time.

7. Do this often so it becomes a habit. It gets easier.  You are all busy and you have to seize the time to write.  Writer’s block is the last thing you need.  Following just a few of these tips will help you tremendously in maximizing your time so you can actually enjoy your writing experience.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Warning! Must Get Used To People Staring At Your Butt

One of the most refreshingly candid fundraising campaigns I have seen is also a very personal endeavor for Patricia Wilson, Executive Director of Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation,.  In the decade she has been at the helm of her organization, it has grown significantly.  So has her butt.  Clearly, not a great situation.

Here is an excerpt from the email she sent to her board and friends:

“I apologize for not sharing this news with you in a more personal manner. But I wanted to let you know about some changes I am making in my life. The short story:  you are going to see less of me.

“Why? Because while I’ve helped to grow our organization significantly over the last 10 years; my butt has grown significantly as well.  That situation just has to change!

“Beginning today, I am launching my own “Biggest Loser” campaign with two goals: to become a healthier and smaller me over the next 12 weeks, and to seek your support in a $$ Pledge Per Pound so that Make-A-Wish will be healthier, too!

“In return for your $$ Pledge Per Pound, I will report to you weekly of my progress. And if I end up gaining weight, I will personally pay both YOU and Make-A-Wish. Wouldn’t you love a healthier executive director and a healthier balance sheet at Make-A-Wish? This kind of amusement and entertainment at my expense over the next 12 weeks has to be worth something!”

There are now more than 100 people contributing to my campaign, and I’m raising $610 for every pound I lose. And more pledges coming every day. I even created a Facebook page for the campaign. I didn’t bother to restrict access to it . . . once you start firing off unflattering photos of yourself, you may as well not bother with privacy settings!

Some unanticipated benefits: I feel GREAT. I’m forced not to spend so much time at my desk.  Walking my dog really helps the stress level during these trying times. Six other Make-A-Wish staff and volunteers have started their own Biggest Loser campaigns, too.

I think this is a fabulous idea, however, you need to feel OK about posting pictures of yourself publicly to do this sort of thing.  Some people prefer other incentivized scenarios for weight loss and fundraising that may not involve such merciless exposure.

Competition, Public Humiliation and Consequences

Men lose weight differently.

My friend Tom needs the above in order to drop pounds.  He and a friend – you need to do this with someone for the competition – went on a website and did this last summer.  I am not sure what kind of public humiliation took place but I am sure it was a guy thing.  The consequences of not meeting the goal were to make a donation to a cause you really hate.  He promised to send a check to the Campaign to Re-elect George Bush.

I am sure if he was able to secure pledges for every pound lost, this would have funded his entire capital campaign.

Less is more

I am thinking about how cool it would be for my entire staff to do this.  Losing weight as a competitive team sport is an interesting way to work towards a goal and intrigue people to pledge.  Here’s another place to find people to lose weight with.

More funding for less of us.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

photo by knowsnotmuch

Make each one matter

A sentence is a literary thought.  It is a tiny universe that reveals enough to convince you of its reality and entices you to explore further.  What is not said is as important as what is said, for that is the space the author leaves for the reader.

Readers skim.  Make sure whereever their eyes land, they will land on a great sentence whether you are writing a ghost story or a grant.  I keep reminding myself that great writing happens, one sentence at a time.

Be a verbal ninja.  Wield words like weapons.

Be brief

Strunk & White taught me to cut out unnecessary words.  Adjectives, adverbs.  Use nouns and verbs.  Powerful ones.  Where one word suffices, use only one word.  This advice is harder than it sounds.  How much easier it is to convey the image in your mind through miles of descriptive narrative.  Much more difficult to strip all that away and to trust the reader to use her imagination to create her own image.

To be brief is to be bold.

Study great models

David Foster Wallace

I read an article by Sam Anderson who reviewed “The Pale King” by David Foster Wallace in the New York Times and he listed six great sentences by Wallace:

“Hell hath no fury like a coolly received postmodernist”

“Like most North Americans of his generation, Hal tends to know way less about why he feels certain ways about the objects and pursuits he’s devoted to than he does about the object and pursuits themselves.”

“What I know about auto racing could be inscribed with a dry Magic Marker on the lip of a Coke bottle.”

“The top seed this weekend is Richard Krajicek, a 6’5″ Dutchman who wears a tiny white billed hat in the sun and rushes the net like it owes him money and in general plays like a rabid crane.”

“One never knew, after all, now did one now did one now did one.”

“What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant.”

James Wood

My favorite favorite favorite literary critic writes brilliant, thorny, metaphoric sentences that grab you by the throat and leave you panting for more.  Here are a few of my favorites:

“J.M. Coetzee’s distinguished novels feed on exclusion; they are intelligently starved.”

“English modernism must be measure in units of exhaustion or negation.”

“Chekhov may be divine, but he is responsible for much sinning on earth.”

“The hypocrite, among other things, may be a deformed ambassador of the truth.”

Saul Bellow

Does anyone make you feel alive like Bellow does?  His prose puts your nose in the essence of living.

“The old flooring burned gratefully – the funeral of exhausted objects.”

“Trying to breathe, he gripped the table and rose on his toes like a cock about to crow.”

“Oh so much human thread being wound on the most trivial spools.”

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?