Eric Johnson

One-of-a-Kind Champion Genia Fuller

March 8, 2018 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

Imagine how thrilling it would be to meet and spend some time with a world champion athlete—playing catch with Buster Posey, taking a swim with Michael Phelps, or skiing a few runs alongside Lindsey Vonn or Shaun White. And you wouldn’t be a spectator, you’d be doing whatever someone who’s the best in the world does—albeit not as well of course—right alongside them. It would be just you and Buster; you and Lindsey; you and Michael. What a rush, right?

Believe it or not, years ago that happened for me. It was a case of being at the right place at the right time, meeting a person who was then the best in the world. It was a weekday and I was skiing at Kirkwood Meadows ski resort in the California Sierras, sometime in the late 1970s—probably 1978 or 79. On that particular day I was skiing alone for a while on a secluded run with very few other skiers on it. It wasn’t a steep slope and I was enjoying just “cruising,” and not having to wait in a lift line. I could essentially ski right up to the lift and hop on. The day really could not have been any better… until it was!

As I skied down the run one more time and approached the chairlift loading area, there ahead of me was an attractive young woman with pigtails and a knock-out smile I’ll never forget. “I know this girl” I thought, as we boarded the chairlift together. “You’re Genie Fuller,” I said to her, as if she didn’t know her own name. “Yes, I am,” she confirmed with a giggle. As the chair carried us to the top, my side of the conversation undoubtedly included multiple mentions of the words “cool,” “awesome,” and “far out.” This was the 70s after all!

In the 1970s and early 80s, Genia Fuller (now Genia Fuller Crews) was one of the best-known, most decorated freestyle skiers on the planet. Nothing less than a mega-celebrity of the skiing world, I recognized her from TV, magazine articles, and advertising, so what happened next completely blew my mind. In a most casual, cheerful way, I received an unexpected invitation that would become and remain one of the highlight events of my life: Genia Fuller invited me to ski with her!

The Evolution of a New Sport
The freestyle skiing competitions we all watched in the recent 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang South Korea, all evolved from earlier versions of the various disciplines considered freestyle events. Today’s Olympic skiing and snowboarding freestyle events include aerials, moguls, ski cross, slopestyle, and half pipe, but it wasn’t until the 1988 Olympics in Calgary that any freestyle event had ever even appeared in the Olympics. In that year, only three freestyle elements existed: aerials, moguls, and ballet, and these were only included in the 1988 Olympics as “demonstration sports,” meaning they were not events where medals were awarded.

These three original elements of freestyle evolved from earlier years of what was mostly called “trick” skiing, which consisted primarily of jumps and simple acrobatic maneuvers. One of the earliest pioneers credited with making aerial maneuvers popular was Stein Eriksen, a gold medalist racer in the 1952 Olympics. The first organized freestyle competitions took place in the mid-1960s, as more skiers became attracted to the idea of creative, expressive skiing, as opposed to traditional ski racing where the goal is simply to get to the bottom of the hill first.

Toward the end of the 1960s and into and throughout the 1970s, freestyle became a movement within skiing culture that grew at an explosive pace, forever transforming what had previously been a rather conservative sport. In many ways, the changes reflected the broader culture; the new generation of rock-n-roll, free-love, and hippies. Just as its name implied, freestyle was all about free and all about style. No longer was skiing about winning a race—it was about freedom of expression. It was about fun!

Until greater structure began to take shape, even the term used to describe freestyle skiing and its practitioners was malleable, as it was then also called “Hot Dog” skiing, and freestylers were known as “Hotdoggers.” And to the chagrin of many racers, the hotdoggers became the kings—and queens—of the mountains; nothing was as exciting as watching a skilled hotdogger blast his or her way down a steep mogul field, as freestyle performances began drawing far larger crowds than ski races.

Competitions formed and it wasn’t long before the cream rose to the top—expert skiers all, with superb basic skiing techniques to be sure, but with the added, critical ingredient of a desire to express themselves through skiing. These maverick pioneers of freestyle hungered to take skiing into new directions—artistic directions—where it had never gone before.

The three forms—aerials, moguls, and ballet—that comprised Hot Dog skiing competitions were wide open to the artistic expression of the skiers. There were no coaches in the early years, and oftentimes, particularly in the mogul events, the performances were spontaneously created, on the fly as it were, based upon the slope characteristics and conditions at the time. It wasn’t long before music was added to enhance the performances, a move that only increased the popularity of freestyle events.

Mogul runs were no-holds barred, wild, erratic and often crazy performances with hotdoggers smashing, jumping, and spinning their way to the bottom of a hill. The aerials were equally hair raising, as competitors would try and outdo one another with tricks and flips of every sort. A few standards included the Spread Eagle, the Daffy, and the Helicopter.

The ballet performance was, to my way of thinking, the more technically demanding of the three elements of freestyle competition. Akin to figure skating, albeit while wearing full length skis, ballet skiing required superior edge control and balance, and in order for one to place well in competition, it required the ability to be graceful and rhythmic; it required technically-artistic finesse.

All freestyle competition events today, whether on skis or snowboard, are rooted in what the pioneers of freestyle—the hotdoggers—created in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the pioneers and early notables of the grand era of true “Free” Style skiing include: John Clendenin, Suzy Chaffee, Wayne Wong, Penelope Street, ‘Airborne’ Eddie Ferguson, Marion and Ellen Post, Scott Brooksbank, Kathy Brock, Roger Evans, Holly DuPont, Bob Theobald, Coleen Stewart, Bob Salerno, Karen Coburn, Doug Pfeiffer, Michael Grazier, Robert Young, Bill O’Leary, Jack Taylor, Mike King, , Donavon Phillips, Dan Pierce, Billy Pugh, Rick Wood, Gerry Goodman, Troy Caldwell, Floyd Wilke, Bob Howard, among others, as well as one very special freestyler named…

Genia Fuller
I was well aware of Genia Fuller in the 1970s having seen her on TV, in magazine articles and ads. And through the convenient miracle of social media, I was able to (re)connect with her recently and she graciously agreed to an interview. I knew it was unlikely that she’d remember skiing with me at Kirkwood so many years ago, but I did want to know if she lived in the Tahoe area back then.

“Yes, in 1974 I moved to Tahoe. I had a house in Meyers. That was awesome because I created a base up there so I could fly out of Reno or out of San Francisco, depending upon where I had to go,” she said, “I skied at Heavenly and skied all over the place, and one of my favorite places to train was Kirkwood, because it was quiet.”

Bingo! So it wasn’t a dream! I reminded her of us having skied together, and told her I was struck by how humble and friendly she was. “You were doing ballet stuff, and there was hardly anyone else around,“ I said, “and it was such a neat experience, but I couldn’t believe I was skiing with one of the best in the world…”

“In my brain, I was just me,” she said. “I never considered myself anything special except that I was having a heck of good time doing what I did, and I was able to do it well. And I’m glad you have that memory; and thank you for putting it back in my brain. It was ‘You wanna ski? Let’s go ski.’ That’s the way it was then.”

Genia continued, “I have to tell you a funny story. When we had the big reunion of the freestylers in 2011 in Sun Valley. You know you never know how people perceive you. And so I really didn’t know. But when I got to Sun Valley, I was floored by the response that I got from people because I honestly didn’t know; because when you’re on top, you don’t know if people hate you, love you, want to see you fail, see you succeed. It’s awkward at times. But the response in Sun Valley was incredible and it really kind of opened my eyes that possibly, I made a positive impression on people.”

Indeed, in everything I’ve read, seen, or heard about Genia Fuller Crews, aside from her being one of the more innovative and most decorated freestyle skiers of all time, what strikes people about her is who she is as a person—genuine, humble, caring, and cheerful. She is described as “an ambassador of freestyle skiing,” and as one of the sport’s “sweethearts.”

Foundation of a Champion
Born in 1954, Genia Fuller was originally from Framingham, Massachusetts. Many years before she learned to ski she learned to skate. Her dad took her to The Skating Club of Boston, the oldest privately held figure skating club in the country, and the training home of a good number of then Olympic and world champion skaters.

“The first person to take me around the rink at two years old was Tenley Albright who was an Olympic champion,” Genia explained, “and we mingled with the likes of Dick Button, Carol Heiss, and Maribel Vinson-Owen. All of these people who were just incredible skaters were also people that took the time to watch a little kid and give them input.”

Unfortunately, many of the notable skaters who helped teach Genia to skate were killed in a plane crash in 1961. Even at such an early age, the tragedy obviously impacted Genia, as her voice broke in telling me about it. “My father was the club treasurer that year, so he had to make the announcement on radio… and it was pretty bad. It made me appreciate people a lot, I think.”

On Skis
Between the ages of two or three until fifteen or sixteen, Genia continued to skate. It was upon this foundation that her prowess at freestyle ballet was built. The seeds for great technical skills on skis were sown on that rink in Boston. While she enjoyed skating, she “hated” doing the school figures, so her aunt took her skiing for the first time in 1968, to Jericho Hill in Marlborough, Massachusetts. “They had two rope tows and a couple hundred vertical feet—and that’s where I learned to ski,” she explained, “and the edge control and body awareness and that type of thing was very easy for me to pick up because I had that from the skating.”

A friend of Genia’s was a racer so she tried a little bit of racing, “My first trophy was a 4th place trophy—I still have that,” she giggled.
After learning the basics, she hungered for bigger slopes, so her father took her skiing a couple of times a year in either Vermont or Maine. She loved it, and as she puts it, “I skied till I was blue in the face.”

Genia joined her high school ski club, and then, in her sophomore year, went on a ski trip to Austria with the club. “It was $309 for ten days. That included air fare, lift tickets and lodging,” she explained, “I skied and did some racing there because that was all they were doing… but I knew at that point that that was what I wanted to do.”

By the time she returned from Europe, skiing had moved front and center for Genia Fuller. She learned about a contest at Waterville Valley—one of the very first major freestyle contests. She was still just a junior then, so could only enter in the 16 and under class. “I still have the telegraph from Doug Pfeiffer that says, ‘Yes, you qualify to compete,’” she tells me, “so, my mom and I went up there and I did my thing and mom was cold, so we had to go home. And I never really knew where I had placed (laughs) but I had a good time! Then, forty years later, Brian Gilmore who did the film Dog Days of Winter, tells me he found the results and that I was second that day!”

Genia then entered in a number of local contests around New England, and in her junior year, attended an instructor’s clinic in Killington, Vermont. When she finished training, in typical Genia style, she ranked third in a class of 300 instructors. Not surprisingly, while still only seventeen, they offered Genia a full-time job. She agreed to part-time, working as a ski instructor on weekends and holidays while working at a local ski shop closer to home.

Teaching others to ski fit Genia perfectly, as her later years in the sport and beyond would reflect—she loved helping others as much or more than she loved to ski and compete. “I loved it. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world,” she told me.

A Champion Arrives
Then, in 1973 she was invited to the freestyle nationals in Sun Valley Idaho. The first day of the competition was the ballet event. She finished sixth that day. “I was ecstatic because I wasn’t last, and I was excited because there was more to come,” she said. The second day was the moguls event and she finished fourth. “I was thrilled because I was fourth and that was better than the day before… and I still wasn’t last!”

After that, there was just one freestyle event left—the aerials. It was in this event at that she would meet another up-and-coming freestyler who would also become a major force in the freestyle skiing universe. As Genia describes the encounter: “The third day was the aerials, and I had to beat this Suzy Chaffee chick. I say that tongue-in-cheek, because she was a competitor—she was the top competitor—and that was who I needed to beat. We had never met. Lo and behold, I won the aerials, and that was my first national title.”

One of the notable differences between Genia Fuller and the other freestyle skiers at that time was that in the ballet events, unlike the other competitors, Genia did not use ski poles. Looking at her performances, I’d say it was wise move on her part because regardless of whether she happened to win or lose in a particular ballet event, one thing was certain—you, and the judges, could not forget her. Being “poleless” put her in her own unique category.

After winning in Sun Valley, Genia’s first taste of corporate sponsorship occurred when Nordica sent her a new pair of ski boots—a mere shadow of much greater things to come.

From this point forward, Genia’s freestyle career trajectory was skyward. She was offered the prestigious position of Freestyle Director at Park City West in Utah, only to be followed by an invitation by film producer Willy Bogner to travel to St. Moritz, Austria, where she and Suzy Chaffee would star in the ski film “W”.

When Genia returned from Europe, she went full time on the full freestyle skiing tour, and her first event—the first of the season—would become one for the history books. It was the 1974 Freestyle Championship event in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. As the phrase goes today, Genia “put it down” at Waterville by taking first place in all three events; aerials, moguls and ballet, and the combined, overall competition trophy.

Genia Fuller made freestyle skiing history that day in doing what no other competitor, male or female, had or has ever duplicated, by winning in all three individual events and the combined title in a single competition. As she recalls that day, she said, “I just kind of came from out of the woodwork; I didn’t know what was going on; I was almost embarrassed. I thought, ‘this is really strange.’ There’s no instruction manual to tell you how to behave or how to feel…you just kind of go with it, but it was like, ‘oh my goodness…’”

The wins continued for Genia Fuller throughout the 1970s. Looking at her overall record in freestyle, she won so many events that I would need additional pages just to list them. She won the season-long aerial title in 1974, and she went on to win three World Freestyle championships, in 1974, 1975, and 1978. She then won the Japan Championships three times as well, in 1977, 1978, and 1979.

Genia was named Skiing Magazine’s Freestyle Skier of the Year three times; in 1974, 1975, and 1978, and was featured in numerous publications where she shared her techniques and offered advice to other skiers.

Genia’s 1976 and 1977 seasons were cut short due to illness, but she still managed to finish 5th in 1976 and 4th overall in 1977. Had she not been ill during those years, while we’ll never know for sure, I’d bet her chances for title wins during those years would likely have been much better than even.

While her talent and strength as a freestyler did the talking for her as a competitor, her radiant smile, good looks, and overall positive nature made Genia a natural for major commercial sponsorships that benefitted the entire skiing industry. She attracted sponsors—aka money for the sport that benefited all the competitors —like few others before her. Colgate Palmolive, ABC Television, and other major sponsors came aboard, in large part because of Genia’s effort.

She appeared in ski films and on TV shows like, Women’s Superstars, Battle of the Sexes, and the ABC special, The Lady is a Champ. Her appearances went a long way at popularizing freestyle skiing. Even in the off season, Genia was the consummate, unofficial ambassador of freestyle skiing, performing in over 500 dry-land ski shows and exhibitions throughout the world.

After a spectacular career in freestyle skiing, Genia transitioned to other passions: music and emergency preparedness and aid—but that part of her story I will leave to a future issue(s) of ALIVE.

Genia Fuller Crews was and is a fearless trailblazer. She was one of pioneers of a new sport; what was the foundation that all freestyle skiers and snowboarders today stand upon. And she was and is still one of the strongest advocates for the recognition of women in sports. When I asked her about what she thought about her impact, she said:

It’s really amazing. Women have come a long way but we still have a long way to go. Women in the freestyle tour were kind of shoved to the background a lot, and the last year that I competed, I had to fight for stupid little things for the women. The last year that I competed, at the last contest at Silver Star, they didn’t bring up the medals for the women, so they weren’t going to put us on the podium. So I said, ‘You know what? There’s not going to be a podium until you send somebody down and get those medals.’ And the press wasn’t happy, and I remember crying all the way down afterwards because it was just so stupid. But we put women on the map; that women could be glamorous and women could be athletic—it was a wonderful era for that. And the women of today have continued that. But still in smaller ways, they’re still not at the forefront of where they should be. There’s room for much, much more.
The women that are pioneers that kind of set the younger kids up for success later on—on a little easier road, so to speak—Billy Jean King and Chrissy Everett and Martina—look at what they accomplished. It just makes me proud to have been a part of that; in that maybe I have helped somebody have an easier time succeeding, or maybe smoothed a pathway or maybe given people options.

The entire ski industry and women in general have a lot to thank Genia for. She was and is still is a class act and a terrific role model. As one of freestyle skiing’s clearly dominant competitors, and a pioneer of the sport with an unmatched record, her humility is remarkable. Genia was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2016.

I find it difficult not to use clichés in describing how it felt to ski with Genia Fuller. It was exciting, amazing, exhilarating, and humbling. I’d ski ahead of her and she’d follow, practicing the most graceful ballet ski maneuvers you could ever imagine. In the forty years that have passed since that experience, I have skied many times, and every time I do, fond memories of that day reappear.

Thanks, Genia, for this interview… but thanks mostly for that invitation to ski with you.

Today, Genia Fuller Crews lives in Simi Valley, California. She is still involved in promoting and serving the ski industry, serving on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Hall of Fame. Outside skiing, Genia is an EMT and a CPR, First Aid, and EMT Instructor. She is well immersed in disaster teams and disaster / emergency preparedness activities for Ventura County.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Hall of Fame annual induction event will be held April 12-15 at Squaw Valley USA. For tickets visit https://snowsporthistory.com/event/tickets/ . For information about the U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Hall of Fame, visit http://skihall.com

To watch some of Genia’s incredible skiing, you can watch:

The Lady is A Champ at https://youtu.be/BUWZARS_yEk

Skiing Free at https://youtu.be/nfEDSjJQHO8

Genia’s Hall of Fame induction is also online at https://youtu.be/sppiBnWPgZE

Hot dog! Let’s Go Skiing!

March 8, 2018 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

I was a sophomore in high school the first time I went skiing. I went to Echo Summit with my best friend and his family—it was in 1971. Echo had a rope tow and a poma lift (aka platter lift), both of which required considerable skill to master just going up the hill, as I remember it! I still have my first lift ticket—a thin strip of red and white paper with a hole in it that cost all of six dollars and fifty cents. That same year, my friend Keith and I also skied a time or two more just down the road from Echo, at Sierra Ski Ranch—what is today Sierra at Tahoe, a first class ski resort near the summit on Highway 50 (see their ad in ALIVE Magazine).

I fell in love with skiing—so much so, I started a business in 1976 with a goal of being able to earn enough money to pay for my lift tickets and gas. I chartered buses and took groups of skiers up to a variety of ski areas. My company was called BASA—the Bay Area Ski Association. People seemed to like what we were doing, and by 1990, along with my wife, Peggy and an amazing team, we were running a fleet of seven of our own buses, running trips five days per week to six different ski areas in the Sierras.

BASA was like an airline (the way they used to be) on wheels—we had hostesses on each trip who served breakfast on the way up and dinner during the ride home. And where today most lift tickets alone cost over $100, in the late 1980s a BASA trip cost just $49—and that included round trip transportation, a full day lift ticket, breakfast, and dinner.

The recent Winter Olympics inspired me to write about my love of skiing, share a bit of skiing history about “hotdogging,” and of a serendipitous experience I had years ago involving one the sport’s most decorated champions (see page 26).

And immediately following that article, be sure to check out the information about the upcoming U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction event, to be held at Squaw Valley USA, this coming April 12-15, 2018. If you’d like to meet some of the top skiers and snowborders of all time, this is your chance. And in case you already miss seeing him on TV during the Olympics, the induction ceremony emcee will be none other than Olympic Medal Winner Johnny Mosely.

I hope you enjoy this issue of ALIVE as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Until next month… keep your edges sharp!

For tickets to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame event, go to https://snowsporthistory.com/event/

All About Book Publishing

February 8, 2018 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

“I have a manuscript but would NEVER pay to have my book published.” Those were the words of a young author in response to my mentioning to him that in addition to publishing this magazine, ALIVE publishes books too, but in most cases the author pays the front-end cost to have their work published.

While we still hear the sentiment expressed by this young author occasionally, it is really just a throwback from a bygone era when it was assumed that a handful of large publishing houses served as the gatekeepers in the industry. I say “assumed,” because unbeknownst to many, largely due to technological advancements, this is no longer the case, as smaller, independent publishing houses like ALIVE now compete, toe to toe, with better-known publishers like Random House.

In fact, what this author didn’t realize was that, had he chosen to submit his manuscript to us at ALIVE Books, assuming we approved his work, in as little as 90 days his book would have been in front of the same book buyers around the world as the current best-selling authors’.

The Three Paths of Book Publishing

There are three ways to go about having your book published: traditional, subsidy, and self-publishing. All three have advantages and disadvantages, and the path you take largely depends upon your reason(s) for wanting to see your book in print. Some authors simply want to see their work bound in a book format with the intention of sharing it with family and close friends; some have a desire to share a story or communicate an idea with as many people as possible, and some—the majority—have commercial success in mind, even if as only a “side benefit” of reason number two.

Path #1: Traditional Publishing

In the past, the traditional route was considered the only path. This is where the author begins the process by sending query letters—essentially a “sales pitch,” intended to capture the attention of a literary agent or publisher. The query letter includes a description of the proposed (or completed) work and the intended audience for the work, and some information about the author (a bio). The idea here is, if the author’s pitch is compelling, they will then be afforded an opportunity to have a publisher review the author’s manuscript, and if it is “good enough,” the publishing house may agree to publish the author’s work.

If one hopes to have their work considered by one of the larger, better recognized publishing houses like Random House or Harper Collins, it is essential that the author be represented by an experienced agent.

Unfortunately, this path is usually a long and unfulfilling process. Few authors “make the cut,” as most agents and large publishing companies are so inundated with queries that they reject all submissions they are unable to classify with 100% certainty as “marketable.”

The most likely candidates to have their work represented by established agents and then considered by major brand publishing houses are celebrities and personalities with well-recognized names (the Clintons, Trumps, Kaepernicks, and Kardashians) or authors who have already demonstrated—through previous subsidy or self-publishing success—that their work sells. The simple truth is, publishing is first and foremost a business and the days of “speculating” on unknown authors are long gone. The only relevant question any Madison Avenue publishing house asks about an author’s manuscript is: “How many books will sell upon release?”

For example, prior to January 2009, ALIVE Magazine’s fitness columnist was Lorrie Sullenberger, the wife of the now famous pilot, Sully, who successfully landed his plane in the Hudson River. Prior to the landing, had Sully approached one of the major publishing houses with a query letter about writing a book about his experiences as an airline pilot, it’s likely he would have received the typical response—a rejection letter.

However, by the happenstance of a flock of geese colliding with his plane and his subsequent artful skill in landing that plane, Sully became an instant celebrity. At the risk of sounding crass, Sully became a marketable commodity. He was offered a two-book deal by a major publishing house.

While traditional publishing provides advantages—namely brand recognition and the ability to have books placed onto the shelves of major book retailers and warehouse stores like Costco, the profit margin for authors on each book sold can be very thin indeed—miniscule, in fact. The big houses are betting on mega-volumes of units sold—preferably millions of books—so they are looking for authors that fall into just a few, select categories. First, they are looking for authors that have either proven themselves in a literary-marketing sense; ones who can re-produce work that will be eagerly snatched-up by their fans (the Grishams, Kings, Steels, Pattersons and Rowlings). Next, they are happy to publish the works of someone well known and currently popular; actors, sports stars and politicians for example; or anyone making news, like Sully, right after his remarkable landing.

In all these cases, if all goes as hoped, an author might earn thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, where other media companies (film) become interested, millions can be earned by an author. And the publishing houses, of course, enjoy significantly greater returns in all these scenarios.

But what if you are chosen by a major publishing house and your book doesn’t sell in the thousands? In this case, there are a few other challenges associated with traditional publishing. One of the little-known secrets you rarely hear about is that major publishing houses will remove a book from circulation—take it “out of print”—if it fails to sell in significant quantities within a given period. Likewise, if a book fails to meet the publisher’s sales expectations, major publishing houses will sometimes demand that any “advances” paid be returned by the author. Ouch!

The sad truth is, unless he has already personally sold a few thousand copies of his work, or has the last name Kardashian or Clinton, authors like the young man mentioned previously will likely never see their book published. The only reasonable—and wisest—route open to this young author is self or subsidy publishing.

Path #2: Self Publishing

It is possible to self publish your book. The main advantage to self publishing is that you control 100% of the process. The main disadvantage to self publishing is… you control 100% of the process!

You will earn the highest margin of profit this way, but that is because you will be doing all the work yourself. The steps involved are numerous, and if your plan is to produce a quality product (your book) that sells well and sells enough copies to be commercially successful, you need a very large tool-box of skill sets.

Self publishing means that you will not only write your book, you’ll need to edit it, design and create the cover, design and format the interior pages, obtain the necessary ISBN and bar code, file your copyright, and obtain your Library of Congress Control Number. And then you’ll need to know where and how to have your book printed.

Assuming then that you want to sell your book with a hope of making a substantial amount of money, you’ll need to market it in some way. Remember, even though you will make the most money per book by publishing and marketing it yourself, in order to make very much, you’ll still need to sell a lot of books, and to do that, you’ll need to know how to make your book available through large online resellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and to thousands of ancillary online wholesalers and retailers. Will you know how and where to make your book available to independent bookstores and libraries throughout the country and worldwide? Will you know how to re-format your book as an e-book and be able to make it available that way in the marketplace? Will you be able to create your own website, promotional materials, and press releases? In short, do you already have the knowledge, technical and artistic skills, connections and resources to truly “publish” and market your book?

Self publishing is an option if you’ve written a book. . . and then again so is building your own car if you want to travel. . . but sometimes just being the driver—or author—is a more logical choice.

Path #3: Subsidy Publishing

The final path of publishing is subsidy publishing. Years ago this was considered a second rate method, supposedly used only by desperate authors whose work was not “good enough” or had been rejected by traditional publishers. It was implied that authors who chose this route were having their work published merely for the sake of bragging rights, as in, “hello, my name is Joe Smith, and I am an author.”

The fact is however, many highly successful writers got their start this way, and in light of the realities of the traditional or self publishing routes, this is the most logical, effective, and affordable way for any author to have their work published.

To be sure, there are a plethora of subsidy publishing companies to be found online, most of which offering a menu of various services designed to get your book published. Most have low cost options to start, but just like in self publishing, the more they do for you, the more it costs.

One of the major disadvantages of online subsidy publishing companies is their absence of personalized, customized service. Looking at it from their perspective, because they function and compete solely in the very crowded online universe, they have designed their services with that in mind, so they often limit authors to “A, B or C” cover template options for example, or “Gold, Silver and Platinum” packages, each with narrowly defined options. And in most cases, these services are automated, whereby the author’s work is pushed into a pre-existing format—what could be called the “cookie cutter process.”

Finally, another very important consideration when considering subsidy or self publishing companies online is their ability—or, more accurately, lack of—to market and promote the author’s book. While most of these publishers offer a variety of services, they most often are limited to very basic, simple things, like providing the author with a stack of postcards, or to writing up a “professional” press release. Some will even claim to include a website, which is really just a page on the web that displays the author’s work, with no functionality included.

The fact is, while web-only based publishing services can publish an author’s book, they are limited in what that entails. You won’t be meeting with their art director or designer, for example, to discuss one of the most important marketing elements of any book —the cover; nor will you be able to select a font style from a vast collection of options for the text of your book. And while these online companies claim to offer marketing services, the fact is, they only offer a thin veneer of “marketing-like” resources at best.

Lastly, there is one other type of service to be aware of—authors who have self-published their own book(s) who now advertise themselves as a “publishing company.” While these individuals may have navigated their way though the maze of requirements listed previously so as to get their own book(s) listed on Amazon, this type of service is often akin to someone who wins a case in traffic court marketing themselves as a lawyer. If the first book they published was their own, they may be qualified as someone who can guide an author in the self-publishing process, but they are hardly a publishing “company.”

The Author’s Publishing Quandry

Does all this sound a bit hopeless? Are you beginning to wonder if there are any viable options available to the author who wants to have their book not just published, but effectively and successfully marketed as well?

Let’s get something out of the way, right from the beginning: Regardless of the reason that an author has for wanting to have their book published, the only reason any publisher will agree to take on an authors work is if they believe it will be a profitable venture; plainly stated, the goal is to make money—period.

Large commercial publishers are banking on a proven track record or an author’s “celebrity” status, while online subsidy publishers are just interested in having the author pay to be published in a “cookie cutter” process, and are ill-equipped and will do little, if anything, to help market, advertise or sell books for an author.

An Alternative Answer

After thinking about this dilemma, it occurred to us that with our vast experience in magazine publishing, we could create a kind of “hybrid” publishing company that not only publishes an author’s work, but does so in ways that meet each author’s unique needs and situation; and one that also market books in ways that are truly effective yet affordable.

Enter, ALIVE Book Publishing, where we provide what no online publishing company can—a one-on-one, face to face relationship, every step of the way. We consider every publishing job we undertake to be a unique partnership, so we work with our authors and their projects in a hands-on, individual way. One size does not fit all with ALIVE, so we don’t have set formulas for the projects we accept. We even sometimes even invest more in the project than the author because our ultimate goal is for the author’s book to sell successfully.

And, best of all, ALIVE is uniquely equipped to market and advertise an author’s book like no other publishing company because we are the only publisher with multi-media marketing and advertising tools, and the expertise required to put real power into a local book launch.

A Word About Printing On Demand—“POD”

POD is a smart, efficient and fast method of book production used as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, traditional offset printing methods. POD books are digitally archived and printed individually as they are ordered (on demand). This is the process we use at ALIVE Book Publishing.

Up-front productions costs are low, and because books are stored digitally and then printed and shipped in as little as twelve hours from the time of each order, books are, in most cases, always listed as being “in stock” by retailers.

Although POD books are produced quickly, there is no obvious difference in the appearance or quality of books produced in this way, as compared to books produced in traditional, offset printing methods. Book buyers have no way of knowing if the book they are purchasing is coming from a POD digital archive or from a traditional, offset-produced book inventory.

Another advantage of the POD component is that authors can inexpensively launch a “pilot study” version of a book into the marketplace and then easily make modifications to that book, if needed.

Our “Hybrid” publishing services can include a combination of POD and traditional, offset production methods, along with a good mix of marketing and worldwide distribution of an author’s book. ALIVE has a vast and powerful array of optional marketing components, all designed to provide the author with a comprehensive, effective and powerful initial book launch, into both the local and global marketplace.

What Does ALIVE Publishing Do?

The typical services we provide for all authors includes personal advice as to the overall concept of the book project; a custom cover design; layout and formatting of the book’s interior pages; the determination of the best price for the book; obtaining the required ISBN and bar code for the book; filing for a Library of Congress Control Number; and POD set-up of every book.

We then advertise all our authors’ books in the Ingram Book Catalog, reaching every bookstore and library in the country. This is THE catalog book retailer use to choose what books they will sell in their stores. We also list all our authors’ books through major online distribution channels like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as throughout an established network of over 35,000 wholesalers, retailers and booksellers in over 100 countries.

We are also able to provide comprehensive editing and formatting in all e-book formats, and we offer a wide variety of marketing and advertising options. We create and run display ads in ALIVE Magazine; create professional, fully-functional order-fulfillment-capable websites, and can produce professional videos for online and TV. Oh yes, and we also have a professional public relations specialist available to work with our authors, also on a face-to-face basis.

Putting it All Together: What Does it All Mean?

While advances in technology have radically changed the publishing landscape to the point where anyone with a computer and a credit card can become a published author, as I noted earlier, this is not going to be enough if an author wants to successfully break into the book market.

If everyone on the planet already knows who you are, you might consider having your book published via the traditional path. If you have all the skills and resources to go it all alone, self publishing may work for you. If you’re only interested in a tiny, short-lived yet possibly expensive ego boost, go ahead and send your manuscript into “the cloud,” and hope for the best.

But if your goal is to be serious about your book project and its chances for success, I suggest you elicit the aid of and partnership with a local publishing company that will be as serious and careful about your project as you are—ALIVE Book Publishing.

Email (eric@alivebookpublishing.com) or call me today at 925-837-7303 for a free, confidential, one-on-one appointment, and tomorrow you may be well on your way toward having your book published!

We’re Ready When You Are

February 8, 2018 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

Walk into any library or book store and you are surrounded by books, right? Well, on one level this is true, but it’s not the complete answer. Aside from bound volumes filled with letters and images, what you are really surrounded by are messages, often from the past; thoughts, ideas, wisdom, stories, and accounts of history as experienced by someone else.

So, let me ask you: what would you like to say to your great, great, great grandchildren? What wisdom would like to share with your kids—and their kids? What stories; what thoughts and ideas, are you passing down to future generations?

In our fast–paced, high-tech world, we sometimes overlook the power of the written word. But as far as we have come, it is still true that printed words are the most enduring and impactful form of communication. Sure, there are classic films; there are recordings, sculpture, paintings and other art forms that endure, but none of these compare with books in terms of volume and detail. It is why all organized methods of education are built around books.

Some, like me, believe there is a foundational, spiritual basis to the power of words—it’s why the Bible is often referred to as, “The Word of God.” Books are the keepers of dreams and aspirations; the conduits of time transcendence through generations.

Perhaps you’ve never seriously considered your impact on the future. What will be your legacy? What would you like to contribute to the world that will be after you are no longer here? What would you like to say now that will reach forward and touch your future family and friends? One of my greatest joys with ALIVE Book Publishing is being able to help people do this every day.

Are you ready to record something for posterity? Isn’t it time to stop just thinking about your legacy?

We’re ready when you are.

From Seed to Harvest

January 11, 2018 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

Be it in business, industry, politics or entertainment, America has produced some incredibly talented role models. Many started their careers with next to nothing, working their way up to the top, now enjoying the benefits of their hard-earned station in society. They now live in a revered place of honor—theirs is a world of fans and paparazzi; of limousines and red carpets. Truly, they are role models to be admired.

Celebrity conjures recognition, making them instantly familiar; they are household names, whether in New York or Los Angeles, Seattle or Tampa… or Alamo, California. Let’s name a few and see if you can’t identify these towering personalities:
Sylvester Stallone; Ben Affleck; Richard Dreyfuss; Dustin Hoffman; Al Franken; Oliver Stone; Kevin Spacey; Jesse Jackson; former president George H. W. Bush; Louis C.K.; David Blaine; Charlie Rose; Nick Carter; Matt Lauer; George Takei; Rep. John Conyers; Steven Seagal; Mark Halperin; Russell Simmons; Roy Moore; Tavis Smiley… oh yes, let’s not forget Harvey Weinstein. And to satisfy the “Resisters” out there, we should probably add President Donald Trump.

Of course you knew where I was headed. This is just a short list of the ever-growing cascade of men accused of inappropriate behavior, sexual harassment, or worse. What began in October of last year as an exposé of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged misconduct with multiple actresses quickly spread throughout Hollywood and beyond, becoming an avalanche of notable men charged with reprehensible behavior. In Weinstein’s case alone, by the end of October, over eighty women—yes, that’s 80 not eight—had come forward, claiming that they had been sexual abused by him.

The “Me Too” movement burst upon America, shining a bright light upon a chronic, ugly problem that has been hidden below the surface for far too long. It’s as though American men have been oblivious to something that women have always known—that the corruption that often comes with power has been manifest throughout male culture for years; that too often, the unseemly moniker of “men are pigs” appears fitting. But Matt Lauer? Really? Here’s a guy with a family and grown children; a familiar face to many Americans every morning, now revealed as either just another actor playing a nice guy role, or a genuine Jekyll and Hyde living a double life.
In some cases men have admitted guilt and apologized. In others, they have apologized but claimed “quazi-innocence” on the basis that they believed their actions were consensual. In other cases, men flatly deny the allegations made against them.

Being Fair
To be fair, in most of these cases we are talking about accusations only; at this point, most of the allegations thus far are just that: allegations. While I have no doubt that many if not most of them are accurate, our inclination toward judgment must be tempered and prudent, resisting the temptation to “pile on” when emotions are running high.

In cases where much time has passed, we need to recognize that memories are sometimes poor records when it comes to accuracy. People tend to forget things—important details—and perspectives sometimes change over time.

In some cases, we need to be cognizant of the reality that time and place matter; that what was culturally acceptable years ago or in another region may be considered a form of perversion today. My mother married her first husband when she was a sophomore in high school, at sixteen. She later divorced and then married the man who became my father, who was a full twenty years her senior. In the 1940s, 50s and even 60s, these age differences were not all that uncommon.

We also need to give cursory thought as to the motivation of some accusers. While their claims may very well be truthful, charges like these can be used as a weapon, intended to exact revenge or damage someone’s reputation for political, personal, or other reasons. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

Much of the media has already piled on, serving as prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner, all, apparently, because a juicy headline is of more value to them than the truth. And when these kinds of charges are made, it is human nature to accept them as fact, even though we have no way of really knowing yet if the charges are legitimate.

I am not excusing any of these men, as I expect many of the claims to be valid or close to accurate, if not completely so. I am merely suggesting that we ought to reserve judgment when there is so much at stake. Once a charge of sexual misconduct is made in the court of public opinion, a person’s entire career can be all but destroyed, simply on the basis of having been publicly accused—even if facts later vindicate the person charged.

What’s Going on Here?
As for the behavior and what’s going on here, I have a few theories. First off, I would ask if you are familiar with “The Law of Sowing and Reaping.” It’s an idea that says, if you plant seeds for corn you’ll get stalks of corn and eventually reap a harvest of corn; plant beans, you get beans. It’s a simple law that likewise applies to human nature, as a philosophical principle and spiritual law.

Now consider for a moment, what seeds, by and large, in terms of men’s roles and standards of character, has American culture has been planting for the past half century? This isn’t something difficult to discover as anyone over the age of fifty can testify to the fact that polite and even the most basic, civil behavior has declined significantly over the past few decades.

Some would argue that this is due to the secularization of American society, and it is easy to point to behavioral markers that support that theory. In the 1940s, basic Judeo-Christian mores were accepted throughout nearly all of American society and institutions, including public schools. At that time, the seven major problems reported in those schools were:

1) Talking out of turn
2) Chewing gum
3) Making noise
4) Running in the halls
5) Cutting in line
6) Violating the dress code
7) Littering

By the 1980s, that list of seven major problems in public schools became:

1) Drug abuse
2) Alcohol abuse
3) Pregnancy
4) Suicide
5) Rape
6) Robbery
7) Assault

Any way you slice it, what we have is a culture-wide degradation of values. As modern society has progressed technologically and financially, self-respect and respect for others has diminished.

For example, the other day I heard another story about increasing problems on our BART transit system. The report said that crime is a widespread problem and that there are now significant problems of trash, public urination, and even defecation on trains. It wasn’t that way twenty years ago. Why are these problems happening now? What’s changed? The trains haven’t… but the people and society have.

We shouldn’t be surprised at widespread inappropriate behavior by these men, given what has been a steady decline of morality and virtue. A weak or lacking moral framework combined with societal power bestowed by wealth and celebrity (one void of personal responsibility) is a certain recipe for the type of behavior being reported by women all over America.

The Era of Mixed Messages
Aside from a decline in morality, I would also lay some of the blame for this bad behavior by men upon our society for conveying mixed messages when it comes to roles and behavior, and for not accepting the reality of men’s basic nature.

What, exactly, is a man today, anyway? Does anyone even dare say? Right now, the State of California, by law, recognizes gender as a personal choice. You now have the option to be identified on your driver’s license or official ID as male, female, or “nonbinary,” which essentially means you are something other than male or female—it’s your choice.

If it is no longer appropriate to think about each other in terms of traditionally-defined genders and roles, then who’s to say what behaviors are appropriate? Is it sexist or demeaning for someone to open a door for someone else? Is someone who chooses to be a homemaker of less value to society than someone who practices law?

While the traditional roles of men and women began changing long ago, those changes accelerated in the 1960s during the sexual revolution, and has continued unabated ever since. Today we have reached a kind of critical mass in terms of confusion and mixed messages when it comes to social and gender roles, all while ignoring the basic, natural differences between men and women.

As the lines between male have female have become blurred socially I would argue that they have not done so physiologically. I imagine I’ll get some flak for saying it, but despite what some claim, men and women are different physically and as an extension of those differences, each are better suited for different roles. These differences also have a lot to do with human behavior—in this case, the “inappropriate behavior” of some men.

I am not a psychologist, but I would say men are, in many ways, more hormonally- driven than women. They also tend to be more ego-driven and insecure than women, seeking and needing recognition more than women.

While the trend in Western society is to try and alter or break long-standing, traditional gender roles, I’d say much of this bad behavior is evidence that there are physiological forces at work here that want no part of that trend.

The testosterone levels in men have a lot to say about how they behave, and throughout human history this fact is self-evident. It is why wars are started and fought by men and why soldiers, traditionally, have mostly been men. Men are more likely to commit crimes than women. According to research conducted by Bloomberg:

Females have lower arrest rates than males for virtually all crime categories except prostitution. This is true in all countries for which data are available. It is true for all racial and ethnic groups, and for every historical period. In the United States, women constitute less than 20 percent of arrests for most crime categories. Females have even lower representation than males do in serious crime categories. Since the 1960s in the United States, the extent of female arrests has generally been less than 15 percent for homicide and aggravated assault, and less than 10 percent for the serious property crimes of burglary and robbery.

Indeed, even the exception—prostitution—supports my claim, as unlike violent crimes, it is not a crime of passion (hormone-induced). And aside from it being “legally” considered a criminal act, it can be further argued that women are merely being logical and businesslike, creating a marketable service that profits from what is, in many cases, a hormonally-induced weakness in some men.

While warfare, crime, and violence are largely the expressions of men’s hormone-induced aggressive behavior, I would also argue that these same physiological factors have much to do with men’s propensities toward sexual indiscretion. While both men and women commit adultery, the reasons and incidence are very different. A survey conducted in the United Kingdom revealed:

Once women decide to cheat, they are significantly more likely to play the field in search for love compared to cheating men, who report wanting sexual excitement, boredom with their marriage and the need for an ego boost as being the top reasons for being unfaithful. Women, on the other hand, are far more likely to list improving their self-esteem, romance and emotional fulfillment as the main reasons for cheating.

Another survey about extra-marital affairs conducted in the United States said:

The ratio of males to females is greatest among those older than 65, with 14 men for every woman. The ratio is 4-to-1 among those in their 50s, 3-to-1 for spouses in their 40s, and evenly divided among people in their 30s.

Even turning back to biblical times, it seems that it was common knowledge that men, specifically, had a problem with controlling their sexual urges, as Jesus himself said:

But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28

Notice, Jesus did not say “looks at another person.” He said, “looks at a woman,” certainly speaking to men.

Dressed for Sexcess?
Besides the law of sowing and reaping, there is another principle that applies to physically-induced behavior in men. It is the idea that you become what you think about most of the time. Put another way, you character is largely shaped by your thoughts. (Years ago, a friend of mine humorously proclaimed that there must be exceptions to this, because if that law had been true when he was in high school, he would have become either a girl of a beer bottle. I can easily relate, as I recall that much of my thinking and imagination during those years was similarly focused.)

The point is, most men’s character is influenced by a physical, sexual attraction to women, and as many of these celebrities’ inappropriate behavior incidents suggest, it is often to a degree where they are willing to risk everything—their marriages, careers, and reputations—all for the sake of satisfying a sexual urge or to manifest some expression of aggression.

Numerous studies have confirmed that men are more visually aroused than are women by provocative or suggestive imagery. Roughly three times as many men admit to watching pornography than women, and between 88 and 92 percent of those seeking treatment for sexual addiction are male. For many men, sexual imagery is like a moth to a flame.

In light of these facts, it is appropriate, indeed it is important, to look at how women are largely portrayed in media—or should I say, “marketed”—and to consider what, if any, effect this has upon men. In stark contrast to the lip service delivered by those wanting to appear politically correct, the old axiom of “sex sells,” is truer than ever. Prime time television often features scantily-clad women and/or sexually explicit performances. Most sit-coms’ episodes are fixated upon portrayals laden with sexual innuendo.

Right about now, I’d guess you’re thinking that I am prudish to the extreme—some judgmental cave-dweller. The fact is however, I am not shocked by what I see today, but I do think this affects men and how they think about and behave towards women. If you compare what’s generally acceptable today in terms of dress, media, and behavior, to what was common just twenty years ago, you must admit there have been vast changes.

While public service announcements ask society to reconsider and recast women’s roles by teaching little girls about science and technology, Hollywood and the fashion and music industries are becoming ever bolder at portraying women as sex objects. Other than National Geographic, I’d bet you can’t name a single woman scientist that graced a magazine cover. On the other hand, based upon how they are usually depicted, what’s being sold when we see Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, or Nicki Minaj on the screen or in print?

“But it shouldn’t matter how women are dressed,” some will cry, “you cannot blame the victims in these cases.” While I would agree with the part about not blaming the victim, I would say that how one is dressed can be a factor in all of this.

The idea that we should not judge people based upon how they look may be a noble aspiration… but that is all it is and all it will ever be. The truth is, people judge and assess each other based upon appearances. And the clothes we wear, and how we wear them, are part of the criteria of judgment.

How one dresses is a form of communication. It says something about the person, their priorities, and values. A man wearing an expensive, designer business suit is saying something quite different from the man wearing oversized sweatpants that ride below his backside, showing off red underwear. Likewise, a woman wearing comparable upscale business attire is saying something different from the woman wearing a sheer, low-cut blouse and a short, tight, leather skirt and high-heeled boots.

Perhaps you remember the bestselling book, Dress for Success, by John Molloy, first published in 1975. It sold millions of copies and was followed by several revised and other editions intended for both men and women. These books are about how to dress and use one’s appearance as a communication tool to advance one’s career. The same principle that works so well in helping one create a positive impression also works in reverse. Inappropriate dress can send the wrong message, or suggest something you may not intend. The point is, what you wear communicates something.

Hairstyles say something. Shoes say something. Tattoos and piercings say something. It may be wrong, but people look at how you look, and they assess and infer things about your motives and character. There are no objective standards here, and all this judging and interpreting can differ widely from person to person. But make no mistake, people do this. You do this all the time and so do I.

Based upon how you look—what you wear and how you present yourself—a person may conclude that you are wealthy, or not. They may believe you are highly intelligent, or not at all smart. They may think you are single or married; gay or straight. And it may even suggest to someone, “I am available. I am looking to connect in some way with someone of the opposite sex.”

Where Do We Go from Here?
I do not excuse these men or suggest that they are merely slaves to hormonally-driven forces beyond their control. This is hardly the case. But I will argue that we ought to look hard at ourselves and the direction we are moving as a society, as we have created and allowed a fertile environment for precisely this type of behavior.

Most of Hollywood’s product, along with much of popular culture, mocks monogamy and any notion of traditional families. Sleeping around is no big deal—in fact, one risks being labeled a reactionary doofus to suggest otherwise. But isn’t it ironic (and hypocritical) that some of the enablers and promoters of this behavior—the media—now seem obsessed with exposing their celebrity cohorts for impropriety. Perhaps the one thing that sells better than sex is scandal!

When a society appears to be stumbling along, rejecting long-held beliefs about familial relationships, and now even gender; when if fails to establish clear standards of behavior anchored by those same long-held ideals, and when it fails to elevate virtue above self-fulfillment, it is by extension, failing at to provide the social fabric necessary to produce virtuous men.

Certainly, these men have erred. Some have committed crimes. Many have harmed women with some perhaps believing that what they were doing wasn’t wrong. Ultimately, however, they must bear the responsibility for their actions.

But, we, as a society can and ought to do a much better job at fashioning our culture in ways that help prevent this type of behavior from happening in the future. We must recognize and openly discuss the natural differences between men and women, and seek ways to address those differences—particularly regarding how we communicate with each other, not only though our words, but by the actions we take and the impressions we make. We must respect women and see them as whole persons, not as marketable products used by the entertainment industry. And we must remember our own imperfections, and be cautious about throwing stones while living in homes of glass.

And, we must guide our young people in ways that foster self-respect and genuine respect for others. And this doesn’t mean just parents—it means every adult who would like to see our world become better must accept some responsibility for making it so. Becoming a volunteer leader in a youth organization like scouting, the Boys and Girls Club of America, or the YMCA, might be a place to start. In order to have a society with men who respect and honor women, they must be taught when they are boys, and these organizations provide a way to do just that—especially if they aren’t learning it at home.

And if you are a single mother, I highly recommend that you involve your son in one of these organizations, and you join as a volunteer leader, if at all possible.

Last of all, if you are a father with a son, don’t shirk, defer, or delegate your most solemn responsibility. No one can or should replace your role and example. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received on raising my son was this: Know that your most important role is to lead by example, and one of the best things you can do in order to help your son grow to become a good man is love, honor, and respect his mother.

Our children are watching. Today we are planting the seeds of male behavior for the future harvest of generations to come. Let’s make sure the seeds we plant are good seeds.

Author’s Note to Dads: Before our son was born, never having raised a child before, I thought about how we should raise him—about how I, as a father, should raise him. I listened to my father and other fathers I respected, and sought out resources. I subscribed to Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family newsletter, and read books. I read the Bible and a book entitled, Raising a Modern Day Knight, by Robert Lewis. If you are a father seeking guidance, these resources can help a lot.

12-9-17 bookpub

December 10, 2017 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

Looking Forward to Future Conversations

December 10, 2017 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

I remember reading an interesting article, years ago, about longevity. It touched upon the scientific considerations of aging and how, due to a better understanding of nutrition, along with advances in science and medicine, human life expectancy was steadily increasing.

The discussion then went on to broach the topic from a philosophical perspective, asking the question, “If you could live forever, would you want to?” My first reaction, I suppose, was probably a common one: “Well, of course! Who wouldn’t?”

But then the article’s author challenged his readers to re-consider, suggesting that everything we love about life and living—everything that adds meaning and makes life precious—is so because it is finite. He proposed that the knowing that this glorious ride that we call life will someday end is the “stuff” that gives all of the value and meaning to it. It was wholly the yin yang argument—that we can only understand the fullness of joy by experiencing sorrow; that we only love others, and life itself, because we know we will someday lose them and it.

As a Christian who believes in eternal life, I must admit this idea was something I wrestled with. If it is the finite nature—the urgency—of life that gives it its richness and meaning, then is the notion of eternal life one void of meaning? Or, would living forever be an existence without passion?

This past October, I was once again forced to consider these questions, when I received a troubling email from a dear friend and colleague, ALIVE columnist, Edwin Cohen. True to his style, Ed’s email to me was clear and direct, with the same touch of humor found throughout all of his “And Then I Wrote” columns in ALIVE. His email came just eleven days after he had submitted his article for the November 2017 issue. The subject line of his email was simply, “Bad News.” It read:

Hi, Eric, etc.,

It looks like my November article will be my last and, indeed, will be published posthumously. This sickness I have had for the past two months cannot be cured. I have an appointment today, 10/10, to make some final arrangements with my doctor.

We had in my opinion a good run together and I loved the fact that despite our coming from vastly different backgrounds we could disagree with respect and dignity.

Thanks for everything,

Ed Cohen

Upon minutes of reading this, I swallowed hard and called Ed. We spoke briefly about his condition, but then talked about what mattered most between us, both painfully aware this would likely be our last conversation in this life. Always the epitome of a gracious gentleman, Ed thanked me for the opportunity to write for ALIVE—something that was clearly a benefit to our magazine, as it will forevermore be lacking without his monthly articles. I know our readers will miss him, as do all of us at ALIVE already.

As mentioned in his email, Ed and I came from very different backgrounds, and were pretty far apart on most political and many other matters. But our mutual respect and willingness to discuss matters openly with one another kindled a bond of friendship that I will sorely miss. We even joked about running for office together on the same ticket, debating who would occupy the top slot.

Returning to that vexing question about eternity, after considerable contemplation and prayer, my conclusion is that the answer is: While this life on Earth is finite, the promises of a loving God are true, and we will all experience life, albeit in a different way, when this “session” is over.

And true to the nature of our relationship, as I am a Christian and Ed is a Jew, we once again found common ground in that final conversation, as we agreed to look forward to more lively debates to come… leaving the question about who will be on the top of the ticket, temporarily still unanswered.

Edwin Cohen

February 2, 1931 – November 10, 2017

Edwin Cohen passed away on Friday, November 10 after a several-month battle with multiple illnesses. He touched many lives through teaching both in and out of the classroom. Ed was an inspirational role model for his two children and five grandchildren.

Born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, Ed moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey with his parents and then to Los Angeles when he was seventeen. He earned his AA from El Camino College, his BA and MA from CSU Long Beach, and then his PhD from the University of Southern California in Speech Communication.

In between his AA and BA, Ed proudly served in the United States Army and traveled abroad, entertaining with the USO show. He taught in high schools and colleges for forty-two years before he and his wife, Shirley, retired to the adult community of Rossmoor in Walnut Creek.

He wrote and published six non-fiction, academic books, one book of poetry, two full length plays, and many articles in academic journals and newspapers. During the last part of his career, Ed lectured on cruise ships, enabling he and his wife, Shirley, to visit many exciting places around the world, and he was a popular contributing writer for ALIVE Magazine.

Ed is survived by his devoted and loving wife, Shirley; two children, Lisa Cohen Bennett of Richmond, California and David Cohen (Laureen) of Oakland, California, and five grandchildren, Gabrielle Cohen, Jacob Cohen, Noah Bennett, Alexandra Bennett, and Martin Cohen.

The family suggests that donations in Ed’s memory be made either to St. Judes, Mazon, the Weizmann Institute of Science (through the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science), or a charity of your choice.

Another Wake-up Call for Californians

November 11, 2017 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

Sunday, October 8^th was a warm, pleasant day in the quaint lakeside town of Lakeport, California. We were there for a bit of sightseeing and to attend a quilt show where my wife, Peggy, had four quilts on display. We had lunch at a small café, enjoying a panoramic view of Clearlake.

On the way up we saw the scars of the fires that had devastated thousands of acres in Lake County in 2015 and 2016, and we noted how warm it was and how the wind was gusting. With bone dry vegetation everywhere, I remember commenting how reminiscent it was to that Sunday in October, 1991 when the sirens began wailing as a firestorm began that would engulf the Oakland hills.

We started the trip home at dusk, heading home via Calistoga and through the Napa Valley, traveling on the Silverado Trail. Traffic was light but the drive was more difficult than usual, as swirling clouds of dust, leaves and dry grass blew across the road. I kept thinking about how dangerous the conditions were—how one idiotic, careless flick of a cigarette butt could cause a catastrophe.

Turning on the news that night, we learned that we had just traveled though was to become the catastrophe I had feared, as veteran KTVU 2 sportscaster Mark Ibanez, who lives in the Napa Valley, delivered a live, eye-witness telephone report of the developing firestorm to on-the-air news anchors Heather Holmes and Frank Somerville. It was the beginning of what was to become the worst rash of firestorms in California.

By Monday morning, as we all learned, numerous fires had started throughout Northern California, burning uncontrollably. Glen Ellen and Kenwood were burning as was much of Santa Rosa. We immediately thought of my aunt and cousin who both live in the Oakmont community of Santa Rosa, and my cousin’s son and his family who live in the Skyhawk subdivision, near Oakmont.

As it turned out, after having evacuated and living one of the most anxiety-filled weeks of their lives, thankfully all of our family members were safe and their homes were spared—thanks to the selfless courage and tireless effort of firefighters and other first responders. But we all know, not everyone was so fortunate.

This past weekend we visited my cousin and aunt in Oakmont, seeing the aftermath of the fire as we traveled there. The devastation is almost indescribable, and just knowing that so many people are having to deal with so much loss is heartbreaking.

Like previous fires, these are another wake-up call to all Californians. We live in a region prone to fire, especially during this time of year, so we need to be prepared at all times. Undoubtedly there will be fires in the future, so we need to be vigilant and pro-active at being “fire safe,”—and thankful for the firefighters and other first responders who stand guard, day and night, to keep us safe.

Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

October 12, 2017 by Eric Johnson 3 Comments

I could have used a number of different titles for this article, no doubt many of them clichés, such as; “When the Genie’s out of the Bottle…” or, “Wrong Time, Wrong Place,” or, “Yes, You Can, but Maybe Your Shouldn’t,” or, “You Can’t Fix ___,” Okay, we won’t go there.

As wannabes all over the country now appear to have been infected with “Take-a-Knee-itis,” I feel an obligation to offer some advice that I am ashamed to say I should have offered to Mr. Kaepernick, way back when.

Before offering my advice however, I must say that I am perplexed by much of the discussion and apparent confusion on the part of team owners and NFL executives about team players’ “rights.” Because these are paid employees with contracts that specify standards of behavior, both on and off the playing field, based upon previous actions by the NFL, I believe that modification of the players’ rights of free speech and expression are within the bounds of employer policy.

For example, the NFL said “no,” when the Dallas Cowboys wanted to wear small decals on their helmets to honor the police officers murdered in July 2016. Cowboy owner Jerry Jones concurred, stating, “There are tons of things out there that need to be recognized. Once you open that Pandora’s Box, how do you ever stop?” Were the players’ intentions noble? Sure. But do they have the freedom to express themselves, even when they’re at work? Apparently, in some cases, no.

It’s much like in any business. An unhappy customer may stomp in and call an employee every name under the Sun—“Idiot,” “Nitwit,” “Useless Piece of Garbage.” But the employer won’t (if they plan to remain in business) tolerate an employee being disrespectful of that same customer—regardless of whether or not they “deserved” the same comments in return.

So, back to the exercise of free speech during professional sports events. Will the league and team owners fall in line and support players if they decide to “make a statement” by temporarily donning t-shirts over their jerseys (when they’re not actually playing), with a giant, emblazoned message on both sides proclaiming, “JESUS SAVES?” Come on! At least this is a positive message with a suggested solution for all that ails humanity.

Many voice their support for the kneelers’ rights to express themselves at these events. But what about messages we may not agree with? The ACLU says that Nazi symbols and Confederate flags are in bounds when it comes to free speech. Or how about a big, black ISIS flag? This is America, after all—surely there are people who support these causes too.

I am old enough to recall the raised black fists during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics. Are all hand gestures protected?

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do something. When the “I won’t stand for our flag” thing began, I believe Kaepernick acted solely on emotion with little thought of the long term ramifications. Maybe he should have consulted with a PR firm before launch! As soon as it was revealed that he had never even bothered to register to vote, his credibility was, as they say, “toast.”

Beyond that, when he justified his protests by referring to the September 2016 police shootings of Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott, by saying, “This is a perfect example of what this is about,” he merely dug his lack-of-credibility-hole deeper. In both cases, Kaepernick accused the police of murder, but the investigations in both case by both local law enforcement and the United States Justice Department, exonerated the officers in both cases.

I won’t get into lots of facts and figures about racism in America today, because in truth, that isn’t really the point here. This is more about the perception and impact of “Taking a Knee.” Is it having a positive effect on professional football? No. Ratings, viewership and attendance are down. There is even a movement now circulating among veterans groups to boycott all football games—in person and on TV—on Veteran’s Day. The vast majority of American’s are clearly saying, “I support his right to do it… but I think it’s disrespectful.”

Now for the Advice

If you’re goal is to draw attention to inequity or injustice, be certain that what you’re offering as evidence truly exists somewhere beyond the social media universe. And don’t accuse anyone, police or otherwise, of being a “murderer,” until you hear a judge and jury foreman say it first.

Think long term. Does your action really encourage the response you’re hoping for? Kaepernick drew attention to his point by doing it once or twice. Now that has become some kind of “in your face whether you like it or not conga-line spectacle,” it has no real meaning other than division.

Where Do You Stand (Or Kneel)?

There is an even larger issue here also having to do with perception, but in a different way. What does the American flag and the National Anthem represent? What do they stand for? How does Kaepernick see America? How do the “kneelers” see America? How do you see America?

I don’t deny that there is work to be done. There always will be, so long as human beings are running the show. It seems there will always be plenty of reminders of our flaws, but is this the right place and time to be reminded? Does this protest draw us together to address a real problem, or does it mainly serve to divide, foster resentment, and make people dislike the messenger(s)?

Certainly, one of the things that makes America great is our right to differ. I tend to lean toward seeing the glass as always half full. I don’t deny the empty part; I just think it’s more productive to count our blessings and recognize those who enabled us to have the “water” in this glass that is America, in the first place.

To that end, I happen to believe, strongly, in standing at attention and saluting our flag; in singing along with the Star Spangled Banner and saying the pledge, because these are ways to say “thank you” to the patriots who have given so much so that I can live here, today, in this time, in this America. These are actions I am inspired to do. To my way of thinking, these are the things I can do. These are the things I should do.

Classics

October 12, 2017 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

What makes a car a “classic?” Does it have to be a certain age? How many cars have you owned in your lifetime? How about your parents? Do recall certain cars they owned that you wish you had today?

My first car was a 1968, red, VW Beetle. My older half-brother had purchased the car new from a dealer. It had a sticker price of about $1,700. He sold the car to our dad who let me drive it until the engine blew. He told me that if I rebuilt the engine, the car would be mine. So I bought the then-famous How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, by John Muir (no, not that one), and set about de-constructing and re-constructing the car’s engine in our backyard. Halfway through, the scene looked like one of those “exploded diagrams,” with parts strewn in every direction, everywhere on our back patio.

Somehow, I managed to get it all back together (with new parts of course) and was soon back on the road, “Cruisin’ the Creek” (that was driving up and down Main Street in Walnut Creek on Friday night), along with several hundred other hormone-fueled male and female “cruisers,” all hoping for at least a second glance by some—any—member of the opposite sex!

Looking online today, I see listings for my old “Bug” with price tags ranging from about $7,000 up to $18,000. Maybe that’s about the same price as the original MSRP, adjusted for inflation. I don’t really know, but I think old VWs are moving into, or are already within, “classic” territory. I suppose it isn’t and won’t ever be a “classy” classic, like an older Ferrari or a Corvette, because it wasn’t and never will be as “sexy.” But hey, I can tell you, the girls thought it was “cute!” It got the job done.

Speaking of sexy and classic cars, my parents had a number of cars I really do wish I owned today. How about a brown and white, 4-door, 1956 Chevy Bel Air? Or a pink and white Buick Coupe of the same vintage. They had some good ones! I recall a nice metallic blue GTO, and a pretty unusual red, 1961 Triumph Herald—a convertible with a leather top that my little brother managed to fall through while trying to get away from me when I was chasing him across the ceiling rafters in our garage. We even had a white, 62 Corvair Station Wagon—now, quite rare. Prior to my VW, I even took the driving test for my first license (1970) in my parents’ 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood.

Americans have a love affair with cars, to be sure. So much of our culture is really anchored by them. What would American Graffiti have been without the cars? And what would America be without Route 66 and everything connected to that iconic Highway?

Lots of great cars with lots of terrific memories—I suppose that is what makes any car a real classic.