Caffeinated and Adult Beverages -- All in a Day's Work at GroundFloor Media

What do 25 blue & white models and 500+ volunteers have in common? They all helped GroundFloor Media execute two major client events last week.

Friday, May 19 was Cold Activated Bottle Activation Day nationwide, and GroundFloor Media helped Coors Light promote the new, innovative bottle in Denver through a unique consumer promotion, in which models -- painted white and blue -- informed adult consumers around Downtown Denver about the new bottles. Special ink on the label of Coors Light’s new Cold Activated Bottle turns the mountains from white to blue when the beer is cold enough to drink, preventing adult consumers from ever drinking a warm beer again!

As if that weren’t enough excitement, we executed and celebrated the second annual Starbucks Passion for Parks event on Saturday, May 19. More than 500 volunteers turned out to help revitalize the Burns and Sopris Gardens of City Park in Downtown Denver. Starbucks made a $100,000 contribution to Denver Parks & Rec to make the revitalization possible, and nearly half of the 500+ volunteers were Starbucks partners (employees). Several GroundFloor Media team members worked and volunteered at this great event, making us very proud to work with a community-minded client like Starbucks.

The highlight of the Passion for Parks event was the unveiling of a mosaic designed by East High School student Megan Carlson. It will be permanently placed in a historic fountain that had previously been filled with concrete because the plumbing no longer works. Megan’s artwork is absolutely breathtaking and brings the fountain back to life!

It was amazing and gratifying to see so much being undertaken at once over such a short period of time! Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

GFM’s Beltway Connection

It was a big day in Washington, D.C., for GroundFloor Media’s very own Wendy Artman and the Artman family as Wendy’s husband, Carl Artman, was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs on April 18. Although he was supposed to be the focus of the day, the Artman rabble rousers (otherwise known as Wendy and Carl’s children) stole the show as they posed for cameras and entertained a large crowd of Tribal leaders and government employees by jumping off the stage and doing their best impressions of Superman!!

Their Dad gave a motivating speech on his goals for Indian country in the coming years – fighting meth problems on reservations, providing better educations for Indian children, and relieving the bottleneck processes that plague the Bureau of Indian Affairs. But somehow, that speech managed to put the boys to sleep. This made Wendy very happy since both refused to stop moving or talking during the formal event.

Congratulations, Carl! And a big thanks and congratulations to Wendy, who just celebrated her third anniversary at GroundFloor Media!

-- Jim

“Forty Under 40”

GroundFloor Media was surrounded by a few of our client stars at the recent Denver Business Journal presentation of their annual “Forty under 40” honorees March 16.

The winners? Drum roll please… Nick Agro of Whirled Peas Catering, Phil Smith of Starbucks Coffee Company and Karl Maier of Market Force Information, Inc. – as well as past winners, Whirled Peas’ Marc DesRosiers and GFM’s own Laura Love. Thus, the GFM table was literally bristling like an entrepreneurial Energizer Bunny – though the Fantastic Five managed to quiet their Blackberrys just long enough to applaud the achievements of the other deserving honorees during the two-hour luncheon.



And no honoree seemed more deserving than Slavica Park. The Dean of the English as a Second Language Department at Emily Griffith Opportunity School, Ms. Park sparked a wave of humility throughout the capacity crowd when she stood to accept her place as one of the 2007 honorees. A 34-year-old refugee of the Bosnian civil war, Park arrived in Denver in 1997 after surviving sniper attacks and other horrors of war – not being able to speak a word of English. However, in 10 years she has not only mastered the English language but has presided over the school’s program, significantly enlarging the department and doubling its funding. Now that’s starting something from the Ground Floor!

Being one of the (just slightly) older members of the GFM table, Jim Dissett applauded loudly when DBJ Publisher Scott Bemis jokingly remarked that – since honorees seemed to get younger every year – perhaps the paper should start at “Fifty Under 50” program in the near future. Jim’s all for that, Mr. Bemis. After all, some folks don’t hit their stride until middle life – just ask Whistler’s Mother.


Here’s to next year and to another round of Denver’s up-and-coming leaders taking their places beside a proud “Forty Under 40” alumni group. Let’s just hope none of them have to face down sniper fire to make it to the podium.

GroundHog Day at Gold Lake

If Punxsutawney Phil spotted his shadow this year in the annual Groundhog Day ritual, the news didn’t make it to Gold Lake Spa & Resort, where GroundFloor Media staffers celebrated GroundHog Day with revelry and camaraderie on Feb. 3rd. Although the mood was warm, the wine inviting and the company, well…fabulous, the weather was decidedly un-spring like. Arctic gusts topping 40 mph kept everyone on their toes (barely) as they scuttled their way from the parking lot to the resort’s dining room and bar as the night began – and a few hardy GFM-ers even arrived early to take advantage of the OUTDOOR hot pools (hello, Linda, Phil, Stephen and Laura – what were you thinking?).

Once safely ensconced in the warm glow and embrace of the lodge and their fellow teammates, the GroundFloor team did what PR people do best: talked, laughed, shared secrets, laughed, gossiped and mingled. Oh, and did I mention that we laughed?

Laura and Ramonna took to center stage during a break in dinner to hand out statuettes to each team member signifying a “contribution” they had made during the past year. The good-natured ribbing (mine referenced Carl Lewis because I always seem to be racing to get to meetings on time) drew cajoles from the crowd – but perhaps that was mainly because the wine glasses had been happily clinking for some time prior to dinner. We even learned a few things over the course of the evening, too. For example:

**Regan needs a little more practice following the birth of her baby boy to get back up to speed on the party circuit (here’s to spring training)
**Ramonna has her sign language skills down pat (can you say, “read between the lines?”)
**Stephen looks dashing in a bathrobe (not that there’s anything wrong with that)
**The bar closing at 1 a.m. is a very, very good thing (did I say VERY good thing?)

In the morning, we awoke to a healthy continental breakfast – most of which was consumed by Stephen – and enjoyed a hearty wrap-up with each other of the previous night’s events (again, another trait of the PR crowd – we LOVE to re-cap, review and re-evaluate!). Here’s to next year’s GroundHog Day event – and let’s hope that there is a spring in between now and then sometime.

The GFM Rock n' Rollers Limped Home...

The Rock "N" Roll Arizona Marathon - TEAM GFM!!

Well, we survived below freezing temperatures, delayed flights, blisters and Band-Aids placed in strategic locations, Stephen carrying around P.F. Chang’s leftovers for three days, Kristina and Carissa’s intruder, Jim ‘Tools’ with his leopard hat in the hot tub, SJ, well, just being SJ (most of which I could never put in an email), Rebecca as the new hotel IT director, Ro running with bronchitis, Carissa claiming I abandoned her at the last minute, Jim Reilly for just managing to put up with us (always with a smile on his face) and Jen ‘smiling’ as she made it through the finish line! Did I mention Stephen qualified for Boston with a 3:03 time? He even made it on the local news! The rest of us, well, we were just happy to drink a beer at the end of the day. Thanks to this amazing group of troopers. I am so happy to work – and run (hobble) -- with each and every one of you!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=3AcNGzNu3Yueg
Laura

PS – Best of luck to Shawn Wills this week as he tries to make the cut for the golf tournament. You are my hero for offering to run the stadium stairs with Kirby immediately after we crossed the finish line. I thought I would literally pass out the minute she suggested it.

Habitat for Humanity Build

This holiday season, the GFM'ers pitched in to help build a Habitat for Humanity duplex home in Denver. The weather was gorgeous (this was pre-blizzard) and it was a great way to spend the day with colleagues while doing something good for two deserving families.

After selecting our stylish hard hats and safety goggles, Team GFM set right to work framing windows and walls, shuttling gravel from place to place and tamping down dirt to prepare the porches for cement. We soon learned that while using a hammer may look simple, it is actually quite challenging (and a bit aggravating)! In the first three hours, I removed more botched nails than I put in. There is definitely a learning curve to work with here but Lee (one of the site supervisors) was so cute, I mean, patient and helpful. We made great progress and it was time for a lunch break before we knew it.

Right after lunch we erected one of the exterior walls - ah, instant gratification! It was truly amazing to see such a tangible result of our hard work, and we were only just beginning. We continued framing, tamping, sawing and shoveling throughout the afternoon and many laughs were had by all. By the end of the day, we raised two more walls and this place was starting to look like a real duplex! We were all so proud of our hard work... and completely exhausted! The following day, I could barely use my "hammerin' hand" and my shoulders were so sore. It was worth every ache and pain though to spend the day laughing in the sun with friends and doing something truly worthwhile.

Some highlights of the day:

• Lee referring to “KP” as “Kip” all day



• Jim helping the girls remove their botched nails



• Wendy working the tamper like a professional



• Laura framing in her very adoreable, very expensive jeans



• That german chocolate cake... YUM!



• The general instant gratification of seeing those walls go up

Thanks to everyone who made it out for our Habitat for Humanity build. To learn more about how you can help out, visit http://www.habitat.org/

Feliz Navidad!
Sarah

Let it snow!

The weather outside is frightful...

When I woke up this morning and witnessed the blustery scene outside my bedroom window, I never thought I'd be photographing holiday carolers at 9 a.m. To the contrary, I assumed after a few phone calls I'd be safe pouring myself a cup of coffee and quietly watching the wall-to-wall coverage of the blizzard on TV. I admit it: The Grinch in me was itching to come out.

Fortunately, our Starbucks friends never let us forget the true meaning of giving, lest GroundFloor Media be visited by three spirits in the night. Thus I was off at 8 a.m. -- at the birth of the biggest blizzard to hit Denver in years -- to help Phil Smith, Oren McNulty and at least a dozen other Starbucks superstars surprise and delight the good residents of Heritage Club of Denver retirement community with some holiday cheer. Santa was on hand for photos as Phil, Oren and company served cake, coffee, tea and orange juice. And in the end Heritage Club residents, staff and Starbucks folks joined together for Christmas carols as the storm raged outside.

I actually think my heart grew three times its normal size.

So when we call this thing we do every day "work" I'm not certain we're using the correct word. And as I near the end of my third week with GroundFloor Media, I'm quite certain I'm becoming enamored.

My deepest gratitude to the great people of Starbucks and Heritage Club for providing a delightful way to spend a snowy December morning. Merry Christmas to all -- and let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!

-- Jim

The Best Place to Work

I don't want to rub this in to anyone who doesn't work at GroundFloor Media, but I do feel compelled to share the fact that GFM is THE best place to work (although the Denver Business Journal only ranked us as number two)! There are countless reasons each and every day - from our great clients and talented team members to our fearless leader. And the latter is the reason I'm typing today. Laura arranged for a "mandatory" meeting/cultural assessment last week, during which she told us we could not use our phones or BlackBerries. Imagine the sighs that announcement caused! Wendy even emailed us from Washington, D.C. that morning to let us know how "boring" the guy running the assessment was and that we were in for a long afternoon. Moments before the meeting was to commence, Laura called us into her office and presented us with early Christmas presents - gift certificates to our favorite spa, where she sent us for the afternoon for a few hours of total pampering. With the workload everyone has been experiencing lately, this was a much needed respite and SO appreciated. So when things get tough, we can all look back to our relaxing afternoon and remember why GFM truly is the best place to work in Denver - heck, probably in the world!
~Ramonna

GFM Wins #2 Spot for Best Places to Work in Denver

This morning we all got together at the 2006 Best Places to Work Awards breakfast. In true GFM fashion, the team gave me endless amounts of grief for not paying for an entire table. We were seated in the back of the room in 'open seating'.



Hey, we saved $300 and I had no idea we would actually be recognized for this award. My parents were in town visiting and when they realized I didn’t pony up to buy a GFM-sponsored table; my dad asked if I needed to borrow some money. He couldn’t have been more serious. Ahhh.... some things never change.



I believe it just may be a bad idea to give a bunch of us noise makers before 8 a.m. In fact, it’s a really good thing this wasn’t a cocktail event or we would have been asked to leave – I am sure. I still am shocked we were voted the #2 Best Place to Work in Denver. We came in right behind Spire Media in the Small Company category. It was also fun to be a finalist with some good friends including Jason Maples from Strategic Financial Partners http://www.sfpcolorado.com/ and Julie Scates from J2T Recruiting http://www.j2t-recruiting.com/JulieScates.htm


(Julie Scates of J2T and Cindy Bennett of Organic People www.organicpeople.com)



I continue to be amazed by the incredible people I am allowed to work with each and every day. After 5 years and 5 baby boys in 5 months, we were all ready to celebrate tonight.



We met at Wash Park Grill and gave a toast to: Evan, Mac, the "naughty mommies" who were out for the first time in quite a while, the co worker who uses words like ‘flummoxed’ on a daily basis, the colleague who isn’t afraid to get a TB shot and weigh herself just so she can work inside Children's Hospital for us and our newest GFM team member, Jim, who may clearly regret his decision to join us come the New Year.





What a fun way to kick off the holidays - Laura

Team GFM wins SF Oyster Urban Adventure Race!

Last weekend, Stephen Price traveled back to his old stomping grounds in San Francisco to race in the San Francisco Oyster Urban Adventure Race with old friends, Kathy Longaker and Andy Tubbs, as Team GroundFloor Media. After plenty of carbo-loading – food and ‘beverage’ on Friday night, they took it easy and prepped for the 8am start Sunday morning. What is an “urban adventure race”? Think of a mini-Amazing Race/scavenger hunt where teams make their way all over the city by foot, bike, skate, kayak,… searching out checkpoints, solving riddles and whatever else is required.

Team GroundFloor Media arrived at the REI parking lot (transition area) about 7:15am – plenty of time to set up food, water, bikes, skates and prepare mentally for the 40-50 miles of racing to come. At 7:55am all the teams were given the first ‘clue card’ – make their way on foot to Coit tower and find out from there what is next. Team GFM started out strong and was the 2nd team to arrive in the Coit Tower parking lot. The mystery clue was hidden 2 blocks away, taped on a car that led the teams to Chipotle – too bad it was closed! From there it was a sprint back to REI to get the 2nd clue card – Team GFM arrived 10 seconds behind Team Outward Bound, but laced up the skates faster and left the transition area in first place. By the time they returned from the skate along the Embarcadero with the required Pier 39 brochure, Team GFM was leading by 25 minutes.

The rest of the morning was spent paddling in the bay, riding bikes to the Golden Gate Bridge, running to the top of the windiest street in San Francisco – Lombard, and visiting Ghiradelli Square for some chocolate. The race directors threw a wrench into the whole thing when they allowed the teams to split up and perform individual tasks – one person on foot, one on skates and one on a bike. Stephen Price ran out of REI on foot in search of an oyster – a real oyster – anywhere he could find one. Two dollars and one fancy restaurant later – he returned back to REI and was soon joined by Kathy and Andy having returned from their missions.

One short run later, Team GFM returned to the REI parking lot, having won the inaugural San Francisco Oyster in a time of 5 hours and 13 minutes (over an hour ahead of the 2nd place team). Overall the event was a huge success - everyone had fun and lots of money was raised for Outward Bound. Thanks to Laura for supporting Outward Bound and Team GroundFloor Media!!!

GroundFloor Media Summits Ice Mountain for Coors Light

What a day! Working with Coors Light, GroundFloor Media commissioned a 15-ton "ice mountain" prior to the big football game on Sunday, October 15. Fans were able to come by and pick up a free bag of ice (or two) to fill their coolers for pre-game celebrations. 7NEWS started the day with us, as Chef Mick broadcast his cooking segments from the ice mountain. Later in the day, fans were also able to tour the one-of-a-kind Silver Bullet Train. A good time was had by all!
~Ramonna

GFM Brings Home Four Silver Pick Awards

September 21, 2006 - The Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America handed out its major annual honors Thursday night during the gala 2006 Gold Pick Awards Ceremony, held at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. GroundFloor Media took home four Silver Pick Awards for our work with Starbucks, Morris Animal Foundation, Zima and Umbria. A big thanks to our clients, Phil Smith of Starbucks and Angie Hoagland of Zima for attending the ceremony with our group. Jen Wills was also recognized for her hard work on the PRSA 2006 committee – even though we had to practically force her onto the stage. I almost set the table on fire, but Jenny saved the day. We think Ramonna was sitting with us, but she spent her entire time working on her Blackberry and Sarah made GFM proud during the trivia portion of the night.

The stork has set up residency at GFM!

Yes, not only has the stork landed, but he's going to have to stay awhile! We were lucky enough to all be together to celebrate the remaining four pregnant women (three left at the time of this writing - Congrats Amy!)on August, 23rd. Everyone indulged in fabulous cupcakes and punch while the soon - to - be mommies got down to business opening gifts. We can't wait to meet all of the little ones in the coming weeks. Thanks, everyone, for celebrating with us!

John and his love for books

Denver Post
colorado sunday | you oughta know
Novelist Shors: coast to coast

By Dana Coffield
Denver Post Staff Writer

Ever since he was a kid, devouring a book or two a week, John Shors, 37, has had questions for authors. Sadly, most of his queries to authors - with the exception of a letter to Larry McMurtry - went unanswered. Now that he is a published novelist he has pledged to answer all readers' questions, mostly by talking to book clubs. So far, the Lafayette author of "Beneath a Marble Sky," published in 2004 and out in paperback in June, has appeared at 200 book club meetings, in person or on the speaker phone, all over the country.

Book clubs. Sounds like a cheap ploy to meet women. Considering that I've talked to 200 book clubs and about 2,000 people, 1,998 of which were women, yeah, I think that if I were single, it would be a great idea.

Do you think you'll make your goal of talking to 1,000 book clubs in the next two years? I am inundated with e-mails these days from book clubs and individuals.

I'm doing at least one book club a day. There is incredible demand out there.

What's in it for you? It definitely helps sales, but I also sincerely want to give something back to readers. If people enjoy the book, and enjoy the experience of having a conversation with the author, then they've had a good reading experience they might not otherwise have had.

How is this different from a booksigning, where you read a chapter and then take questions from the audience? I still enjoy signings and there is a place for them. But if you have a dozen friends together, and everyone's had a cocktail or two, and the author is right there, you're going to have a more intimate discussion than you would have in a standard booksigning. People ask questions that they would not ask at a booksigning and then they ask a follow-up and another follow-up and another follow-up.

You mean people actually read the book? Aren't most book clubs about socializing without the kids around? I think most book clubs typically talk about the book for 15 minutes, then move on to other things. When I'm chatting with the clubs, though, people actually talk about the book in great depth. I think if you know the author is going to call or visit, it compels people to finish the book.

How does having you in the conversation improve the discussion? The publishing industry recognizes there is a big need among readers to talk about the book. In my book, there is a reader's guide at the back for book club discussion. It's a starting point, but it's not the same as having the author call in and be asked a wide array of questions.

What's one of the big questions? Was the female voice your idea?

And? It wasn't by accident. About 80 percent of the fiction market is female. If you're not writing a Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler book, you'd better appeal to women if you want to write a novel.

So how did you develop the feminine voice for the main character in your book? I rewrote the book 56 times. It took me five years. I had to figure out how to write from the first person in the voice of a 17th-century Hindustani princess. I did a lot of research and learned that she would have spoken very formally. I wanted to recreate that without getting too carried away. I had to make the language elevated without getting to the point that it slowed down the story. Finding that happy medium was brutal.

What else do your readers want to know? We talk about the book, but people also want to talk about the publishing industry. A lot of readers have a dream of publishing a book, but they don't know about the process. They want to know if they need to get an agent, and how that works. They want to know how long it takes to publish. They want to know about the movie deal.

The movie deal? You know Eriq LaSalle, who played Dr. Peter Benton on "E.R."? After he read the book he flew to India for three weeks and then his company, Humble Journey Films, optioned the book. We've been working together for about a year.

Have you been lucky enough to quit your day job? I'm still working as a senior public relations manager at GroundFloor Media, just enough to keep my feet wet. The lion's share of my time is devoted to my book. I have one opportunity to hit a home run; I need to give it a good swing.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTHOR WILL SPEAK

John Shors will talk about "Beneath a Marble Sky," his elegant tale of love and intrique wound around the true story of the construction of the Taj Mahal, at any book club that will have him. Whether he's joining the discussion in person or by speaker phone, he asks only that there are at least eight people present at the meeting.

"I think you get a better conversation with more minds in the picture," he says. If your club has too few active members, he suggests banding together with another group. For details about booking Shors, visit beneathamarblesky.com or send him an e-mail at shors@aol.com.

GFM Celebrates Five Years

GroundFloor Media can not throw a bad party - we just don't know how to. I think we all would agree that our five year celebration at Wash Park was a great one! Between the clowns, face painters and the magician to keep the kiddies busy, we were all able to celebrate yet another year filled with GFM and client memories.

From early morning media drops to east coast and west media tours to etching logos into ice sculptures to moving to Denver to tree climbing in Evergreen, one thing is sure, GFM has a culture that can't be beat. Thanks to Laura, my team members and our clients for making GFM a great place to work!

Did anyone else see the hot popcorn popper from the machine fall into the pond? Let's just say, it steamed and then sank very, very quickly to the bottom - Oops!

Click on the following link to view the party slideshow. http://www.boulderphotography.com/imageproducts/groundfloormedia/

Another Great Day at the Park!

It was great to see everyone come together Saturday, Aug. 12 – Starbucks partners, Denver Parks & Rec workers, City officials and community members – as we celebrated all of the great improvement projects undertaken during Starbucks’ Passion for Parks volunteer day at Garfield Lake Park on Friday, Aug. 11.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and City Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez joined Denver Parks & Rec Manager Kim Bailey and Starbucks Regional Marketing Manager Phil Smith for thank you remarks and a ribbon cutting ceremony. And then they joined kids from The Bridge Project and the Metro Denver Boys & Girls Club and community members as they placed their handprints in cement to commemorate the event. The plaque and surrounding handprints are really look awesome!

Nearly 200 people enjoyed a great lunch provided by Starbucks and some Cold Stone ice cream. And everyone enjoyed the new trees, repaved basketball court, freshly painted pool house and trash-free park – complete with new recycle bins, which represent the first public-park-based recycling program in Denver.

It was certainly a day to enjoy and be proud! Thanks to everyone who played a part.

~Ramonna

Starbucks Passion for Parks

I have to take a minute to brag on our Starbucks team. Led by Carissa’s attention to detail, the team coordinated Starbucks’ inaugural Passion for Parks event in Denver, a dream of our client’s since the RFP process last October. It was a huge success, with more than 200 volunteers coming together to refurbish Garfield Lake Park. More than 50 new tress were planted, existing trees were mulched, the pool house was repainted, the picnic benches were repainted and new gravel was spread around them, new sand was spread throughout the playground and everyone had a lot of fun! Additionally, thanks to Starbucks’ $75,000 donation, improvements to Garfield Lake Park also included initiating the first public-park-based recycling program in Denver, laying down new asphalt for the basketball court, installing new backboards and rims on the basketball court, replacing the baseball backstop and installing much-needed benches and picnic tables in key locations around the park.

We will host a community celebration Saturday, Aug. 12 from 10am to 2pm to enjoy the improvements to the park and celebrate the success of the program. Bring your family and enjoy sports challenges and complimentary lunch!

Hope to see you there!
~Ramonnna

John Shors is a Superstar

Personal touch

Boulder author John Shors is marketing his debut novel one book club at a time

By Greg Glasgow, Camera Staff Writer
July 23, 2006

When he was a young man reading three books a week, John Shors always wished he could sit down with his favorite authors and ask them questions about their work.

So when he grew up and became an author himself, Shors made it a priority to make a personal connection with his own readers. Since his debut novel, "Beneath a Marble Sky," came out in 2004, the Boulder-based writer has spoken to nearly 200 book clubs around the country, either in person or on speakerphone. He's appeared in person at clubs all over Colorado, and by phone to readers in California, Washington, Texas, Iowa, Florida, New York and Georgia.

"Typically if readers want to connect with authors they go to book signings," says Shors, 37, who has lived in Boulder since 1999. "In my opinion, book signings are very (impersonal) — it's a group of 20 strangers in a room. And you have people walking through looking for books, and it's not a very relaxed, casual atmosphere. And I don't think it fosters the best kinds of discussions.

"I always felt like if I published a novel, I would like to make myself available to book clubs, to give something back to readers, to kind of give them that experience that I wanted, which was to interact with an author and have the ability to ask an author all sorts of questions about the book and the publishing industry in general.

"So I was very serious about trying to give that back to readers."

The right story

Shors started off speaking to clubs attended by friends and family members. Members of those clubs told friends and family around the country, and the word spread.

On the morning of June 3, Shors spoke to a local book club on the outdoor patio at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. With Boulder Creek rushing by about 10 feet away, the women sipped bright red hibiscus Champagne and nibbled at omelets and fruit plates as Shors spoke about his book.

"Beneath a Marble Sky," which came out in trade paperback on June 6, is a work of historical fiction set in 17th-century India, as the Taj Mahal is being constructed. It also is a dual romance: The emperor's daughter, Jahanara, the book's narrator, falls in love with the architect of the structure; she also tells of the relationship between her father, emperor Shah Jahan, and her mother, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth. The emperor built the monument in memory of his wife.

Shors began his talk to the book club by discussing his inspiration for the story: While on a backpacking trip through Asia with his future wife, Shors went to the Taj Mahal and heard the story of its creation. He knew he finally had the setting for his first book.

"Writing as a 17th-century Indian princess is not the most natural thing for me to do. But I'd been waiting a long time," says Shors, whose next novel, which is 95 percent done, is a love story set in modern Nepal. "I knew that I wanted to write a novel, but before I invested five years into it, I wanted to find the right story. And I was willing to be patient for that. When I was at the Taj Mahal and I heard this incredible story behind its creation, I knew I had the right story.

"Everything else just kind of fell into place."

Shors spent four years researching and writing the book, and despite early promises from a "hotshot agent," ended up selling it himself to a small New York publishing house called McPherson and Company. He figured if the book did well in hardback he could sell the paperback rights to a larger publisher, and that's exactly what happened.

"We won a national award, we were on the Denver Post bestseller list for a good chunk of the summer, we sold the movie rights, and all of those things put us in a really good position to sell the trade paperback rights," Shors says. "We put those on the market about a year ago, and Penguin Books came along and bought those rights.

"It kind of takes things to the next level, in terms of distribution and marketing and so forth. The book is in every bookstore in the country, and it gives me the ability to really hit the home run or try to hit the home run. That's what's good about that deal."

Every book club, he says, wants to know about the movie deal. The rights were purchased by former "E.R." star Eriq La Salle, whose Humble Journey Films is still trying to raise money to get the film made. No director or stars have yet been determined.

Back at the Teahouse, club members had other questions for Shors: Why tell the story through a female protagonist? What did you want people to get out of the book? What parts of the book really happened, and which parts did he make up? They're all questions he's heard before, but he's all too happy to answer them, realizing that each group he speaks to represents five or 10 people who may not have bought the book otherwise.

"When I touch one person that's excited about the book club program, she will go out and tell her eight friends about it and they'll go out and buy the book," he says. "So it kind of gives me a nice bounce in terms of my sales numbers because all I have to do is excite one person about the opportunity, and instead of selling one book I've just sold 10 books.

"I think I'm giving something back to readers, for sure, but it's also good for me. And that's one of the reasons I'm doing it."

The Oprah effect

Book clubs always have boosted sales for authors, but their true power became evident in 1996 when talk-show host Oprah Winfrey started her own virtual club, recommending books such as Jane Hamilton's "The Book of Ruth," Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon" and Jacquelyn Mitchard's "The Deep End of the Ocean." Oprah's seal of approval meant huge jumps in sales.

Winfrey is now credited with creating a huge boom in book clubs, whether they're informal meetings between friends or family members, groups sponsored by book stores or schools, or online.

The concept has even taken over whole cities: Locally, the "One Book, One Boulder" program is now in its second year; Julie Otsuka's "When the Emperor Was Divine" is the 2006 selection for a community-wide reading and discussion project that culminates in October with art exhibits, a film series and an appearance by the author.

"Book clubs of all sizes — from five friends sitting around a dinner table to an entire community adopting a favorite book — have become incredibly important when it comes to spreading the word on a book and author," Craig Burke, vice president and director of publicity for Penguin's New American Library division, which released the paperback edition of "Beneath a Marble Sky," writes in an e-mail. "Books that have become major bestsellers in the last few years, like 'The Kite Runner' and 'The Secret Life of Bees,' were embraced by reading groups and 'one city, one read' programs."

Word of mouth

Katy Ferris, a member of the club that had breakfast at the Teahouse, said Shors' appearance was a highlight of her five years in the group. Usually they just read a book and discuss it, but to actually have a dialogue with the author made it a whole different experience.

"That was completely unique. It was a treat, because we've never done that before. We've never had an author come to our book club. It's so fun," Ferris says. "...I actually wrote down questions while I was reading (the book). Typically, if we bring questions it's after the fact and someone got online and printed them out.

"This was nice because you actually thought of things at the time, and I would jot them down, knowing I would have the opportunity to ask him later. It made it such a unique experience."

Shors is taking that unique experience to the next level with the paperback, which includes an author's note at the end inviting readers who enjoyed the book to contact Shors about speaking to their book clubs. So far, he says, about 15 people have taken him up on the offer.

"John is the kind of author publishers dream about — he's dedicated to finding interesting and innovative ways to promote his book," Burke writes. "John had success calling book clubs and reading groups when the hardcover edition of 'Beneath A Marble Sky' was published, so as we geared up for the paperback publication, he understood how important these groups can be to the longevity of a book.

"John has made reaching out to his readers a real priority, and participating in book group discussions by telephone offers him the opportunity to interact with readers all over the U.S. without having to travel. Today's readers are looking for ways to connect with an author, whether it be in person, on the phone, or over the Internet. That's why we've seen a huge rise in interest for author blogs, online discussion boards, and author and book pages on such popular Web sites as MySpace."

Shors cites bestsellers such as "Cold Mountain" and "The Kite Runner" as books that started off slowly but gained popularity through word of mouth. Of course, he hopes the same thing happens with "Beneath A Marble Sky."

"If people didn't like the book, then none of this would work," he says. "But people like the book, so the whole issue is getting information out there that this book exists. My whole thought process has been to generate this grassroots buzz, and that's why I've done the book club program. ... When people read it, they want to tell other people about it.

"And a lot of books, that's how they get going and how they become bestsellers."

Contact Camera Staff Writer Greg Glasgow at (303) 473-1342 or glasgowg@dailycamera.com.

Copyright 2006, DailyCamera. All Rights Reserved

From Special Olympics to Starbucks...

So - by now you've figured out that our amazing Special Olympics experience was fueled in large part by Starbucks. Trust me, it's hard to keep long hours and keep up with 3,000 athletes, 30,000 spectators and 200+ media on a continental breakfast alone... The beauty about our love affair with Starbucks is that it doesn't end with morning coffees and afternoon pick-me-ups, the company is a GFM client!

I have the pleasure of working on the Starbucks team and believe me, it really is a pleasure (and no, they don't bribe me with free grande soy chai lattes to say that... hint, hint.) I continue to be amazed at the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility. Having a long background in nonprofit work, believe me that I can sniff out a real philanthropist quickly - and Starbucks is the real deal.

Yesterday (Thursday, July 13) we held a press conference to announce a $75,000 gift from Starbucks to Denver Parks and Recreation to revitalize Garfield Lake Park in southwest Denver. One-third of the residents in the area around Garfield Lake Park are under the age of 18, so the park is a real community gathering place for these young kids and their families. Yet, this park that's so beautiful on the surface really needs a facelift. At the conference we announced revitalization projects that will include resurfacing the basketball court, planting more than 50 trees, installing the first public park-based recycling program, replacing the backstop and many, many more amazing projects that will really make an impact. Volunteers will help us complete many of these projects on August 11 and we'll "reveal" all the updates to the community with a big park-based celebration on August 12.

With more than 20 Starbucks store managers in attendance we had a great and enthusiastic crowd. On a surprisingly busy news day (that included breaking news in the middle east and a visit to Denver by Katie Couric that coincided with our event), we were able to draw print, radio and broadcast reporters which also made us pretty excited to get the ball rolling!

Special thanks to Kim Bailey from Denver Parks & Recreation and to Rosemary Rodriguez who is current City Council President and District 3 Representative for proving to be amazing and inspirational spokeswomen. Phil Smith, regional marketing manager for Starbucks, did a great job, too. Phil and I shared a laugh about my attention to detail (okay - so it's more of an obsession...) but I think in the end it all paid off. (Oh, Phil, for the record I had Total cereal with sliced strawberries and soy milk for breakfast. I promised to keep you in the loop!)

We need volunteers to help revitalize the Park on Friday, August 11 - so if you'd like to sign up please call 303.331.4061 or e-mail dprvolunteers@ci.denver.co.us. You can also learn more about Starbucks' overall commitment to parks by visiting www.starbuckslovesparks.com.

Stay tuned for more updates! And, so you all know all the details, I'll be having chicken breasts and steamed broccoli for dinner - but I'm still deciding between grilling or baking the chicken. I'll update you on the next blog entry!
- Carissa