Steve Alten Newsletter
January 2009
In This Issue
New MEG Store
Pray This Alten Prediction Doesn't Come True
Living Tips: One Act of Kindness Can Change the World
Living Tips: Keep Perspective
RECIPE of the Month: Beef Stroganoff
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It was thirteen years ago this month that I completed the first draft of MEG. With no connections in the publishing industry, I bought a book on how to get published. In the coming months, I would send out 65 query letters seeking an agent and be rejected 64 times. The one interested agent wanted $6,000 to help me edit what he felt would make a great book and movie. I didn't have the money, so I sold the Chevy convertible my dad had bought me when I was seventeen.
The New Year is a great time to make resolutions, but real goals require commitment. As I always tell high school students when I visit their schools, goals require three steps: 1) Decide what it is you want. 2) Set a beginning and end date. 3) Make a step by step plan. 4) Work the plan and never, ever give up.
One of my goals is to walk down a Hollywood red carpet to watch the premiere of the MEG movie. The success of MEG: Hell's Aquarium could have a significant impact on that goal. In the coming months, we'll be announcing a new contest that you can enter that may help some of you achieve your goals. One thing I know MEG: Hell's Aquarium is far and away the best of the MEG series. (Release date: May 19th, 2009).
Remember, in order to achieve a goal, first you have to set one!
Enjoy your update.
New MEG Store
All new logos and items, using top quality U.S. manufacturers. The new MEG poster
for 2009 is also available. Proceeds from items sold support the Adopt-An-Author
program, a free nationwide non-profit that encourages teenagers to read.
Go to SteveAlten.com by clicking the link below and click on the New Meg Store link to the left.
See NEW Store...
Pray This Alten Prediction Doesn't Come True
The Yellowstone caldera, described in RESURRECTION, is a super-volcano that
could wipe out millions and devastate the planet. The caldera has erupted in
spans of 600,000 years and is due. This week, the University of Utah Seismograph
Stations reported that a notable swarm of earthquakes has been underway since
December 26th beneath Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, three to
six miles south-southeast of Fishing Bridge, Wyoming. This energetic sequence
of events was most intense on December 27, when the largest number of events
of magnitude 3 and larger occurred. The largest of the earthquakes was a magnitude
3.9 (revised from magnitude 3.8) at 10:15 pm MST on Dec. 27. The sequence has
included nine events of magnitude 3 to 3.9 and approximately 24 of magnitude
2 to 3 at the time of this release. A total of more than 250 events large enough
to be located have occurred in this swarm. Reliable depths of the larger events
are up to a few miles. Visitors and National Park Service (NPS) employees in
the Yellowstone Lake area reported feeling the largest of these earthquakes.
I'll be detailing how we STOP this runaway effect in PHOBOS. Might have to
get going on that book sooner than I thought.
Living Tips: One Act of Kindness Can Change the World
I've been doing extensive research for GRIM REAPER these last ten months and
found an interesting fact: All three major world religions - Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam - originated from one man - Abraham. Turns out the Father of Religion
NEVER intended to create a religion. It's overwhelming to think how much blood
has been spilled under the guise of religion, each act of violence pulling us
farther away from God, not closer. Kabbalists, who decoded the secrets of the
Universe found in the Torah, state that there was one universal message that
each great leader was supposed to pass on from God, and it had nothing to do
with religion:
Love Thy Neighbor As Thy Self.
Man, have we screwed up but it is never too late. Remember, a simple act of
kindness can go a long way.
Living Tips: Keep Perspective
When I was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease, I never felt sorry for myself,
mainly because I have come across so many people who are suffering far worse.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND seeing SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE, one of the best movies I have
ever seen. Meanwhile, take a look at this article. Remember, there are people
out there who would LOVE to have our problems. BTW: I am very active and very
positive about dealing with this "challenge." No worries.
Read this story...
RECIPE of the Month: Beef Stroganoff
From Paul - Serves 6-8 people
4 lbs of lean sirloin of beef
8 tablespoons of butter
1 lb fresh mushrooms sliced (or 2 4oz cans drained)
3/4 cup of tomato juice
2 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
4 teaspoons of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of sour cream
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 packages of wide egg noodles
2 cans of beef consommé (beef bouillon is also OK)
(Flour if necessary to thicken sauce)
Trim fat from beef. Cut into thin strips. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add mushrooms and sauté until golden brown (or tender if using canned). Add remaining butter and melt. Add beef and sauté stirring constantly for four minutes. Add tomato juice and garlic. Cover and summer until meat is tender. Add salt, pepper, soup and lemon juice (heat thoroughly). Add flour to thicken if necessary. Add sour cream just before serving. While meat and juices are simmering, cook noodles in beef consommé. Serve noodles in just enough consommé to keep them from sticking together. Serve in chafing dishes - one for the stroganoff and one for noodles.
*IF YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail me at MEG82159@aol.com
Put RECIPE in the subject line.
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That's all for now. Stay well, stay safe and know this author appreciates you very much.
Sincerely,
Steve Alten