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Week 1 of Reading Harry Potter has begun. $386 raised so far for March of Dimes.

Friday officially ended the first week of my attempt to leverage the general love of Harry Potter for the benefit of premature babies. Watch all about my scheme in the video below. The gist is that for every $2 in donations I receive, I’ll read one page from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

I am proud to say that after this first week we have raised $386! That’s 193 pages I have to read by March 29^th. My plan is to make a video at the end of each week where I will talk about my feelings toward the book at that point. Full disclosure: I honestly have no desire to read this book. But, because so many people seem to love it, I’m giving it a chance.

Please, consider donating. Even a few dollars helps. Simply click over to www.calebjross.com/potterbaby to donate (NOTE: the page will be under the name Jennifer Ross).

If you can’t spare a few dollars, please, please, please consider sharing the video above. The more people who see the video, the more money we can potentially raise for March of Dimes.

March 23, 2013
Pixar’s Rules for Storytelling 3 – You won’t know your story until you’re at the end of it.

Click the image to watch the video

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule #3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

It’s painful to know that during an entire first draft of a novel or story, very little of that first draft will survive. At least, it won’t if you’re a good enough writer.
A writer cannot make sense of a story until the story exists. Otherwise, we’re looking at a pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces and trying to know the final image without putting the pieces together.

(Additional metaphor here)

With this, the third video in my 22 part series, I step up my game with a fake mustache.

March 21, 2013
They call me “Hipster Casanova.” Well, maybe not everyone, but Claire Wilkinson does.
In celebration of the release of his novel My Pet Serial Killer, Michael J Seidlinger is stopping by to transform me into a fictional serial killer, one of My Pet Serial Killer main character Claire Wilkinson’s ex-boyfriends? I’m…honored?

Alias/Known As: “Hipster Casanova”

Real name: Caleb Ross

Number of victims: 29

Description:
- Met victims at literature readings and art gallery events.
- Spoke with a clear and alluring accent said to be very charming by those that turned down his offers.
- Used self-deprecating, laid back conversation to let victim’s guard down.
- Often used the opening line, “Do I have something stuck between my teeth?” to start a conversation.
- Courted victim for approximately a week while waiting for inspiration to mount.
- Upon finding inspiration, approached victim with proposal to be a part of latest work of art.
- Used bladed weapons, nails, and other items to puncture, carve, and write into victim’s skin.
- After body was carved into with words and floral designs, made cast molds of the victim’s body to be later hardened into saleable pewter sculptures.
Be Mine

“I’m saying, ‘You can’t just covet that body. Take the surgical knife and carve!’

He’s coming up for air and saying, ‘She tastes like strawberries!’

And I’m shaking my head wanting to move things forward.

‘You’ve gotten your taste now what are we going to do?’

He’s sighing a loud sigh and I’m hearing it, raspy and apprehensive.

I’m asking him, ‘Hey, what’s wrong with you?’ He’s not telling me.

Enough is enough. I can’t have him acting up like this.

‘What does a pet do, hmm?’”

Buy My Pet Serial Killer by Michael J. Seidlinger at Amazon.com now!
March 19, 2013
Wordless Book Reviews #4: Amy Sage Webb, Paul Tremblay, and Gil Reavill
Click the image to watch the video book review

A few days ago someone suggested I do more Wordless Book Review videos. I hesitated, mainly because it seems I’ve beaten that dead horse too much. But then I realized that I have access to a huge library of sound effects. Hence, Wordless Book Reviews: Sound Effects Edition.

Books Reviewed/Sound Effected-ed:
March 19, 2013
If you haven’t checked out my YouTube channel, now is a good time

YouTube recently unveiled changes to the channel layout (again). The most potentially impacting change (aside from the visuals) is the addition of a Channel Trailer, which is simply a video that auto-plays to people who have not yet subscribed to a channel. Once you subscribe, you’re no longer susceptible to the auto-play. This sounds like more an incentive to avoid being annoyed than it is to subscribe to a channel, but who am I? Not YouTube apparently.

Anyway, the change did motivate me to make a Channel Trailer of my own, which is something I probably should have done long ago. Check it out. This trailer summarizes my channel nicely, in just around 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Admittedly, that amount of time is practically feature-length in the world of YouTube trailers, but I’ve never been one for brevity (as evidenced by this unnecessary parenthetical statement you are currently reading).

Click the image below to watch the trailer. Then subscribe to my channel, dammit!

Click the image above to watch the Channel Trailer

March 17, 2013
I’ve never read Harry Potter. You can change that.

Click the image above to watch the video

So, you say you love Harry Potter and that everyone should read it? Now is your chance to put your money where you mouth is.

Every year I help raise money for a foundation called The March of Dimes. My child, who you can see hilariously featured a few videos from my daily vlog channel (linked above) was born about 5 weeks early, and so benefited greatly from the research and advances in care for premature infants, which is what March of Dimes does.

Normally, I just beg friends and susceptible strangers for donations. This year I wanted to do something different.

For every 2 dollars I receive in donations, I will read 1 page of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. At the end of each week, I will tally the donations, read the appropriate number of pages, and then record a video where I will offer my thoughts on the book so far.

If I don’t receive enough donations for The March of Dimes to read all 309-ish pages (that’s about $618, depending on the edition I read) then I won’t finish the book…ever. I’m not kidding. So, it’s in your hands Potter fans.

To donate, simply go to http://cjrlit.com/potterbaby, all lowercase to donate. Any amount of money helps.

Also, if you put your youtube channel name in the message box when you donate then I will mention you and your channel in my final Thank You video after APRIL 28th.

The deadline for donations is APRIL 28th!

Please, share this video. It’s the only donation drive of its kind that I’m aware of.

Donate now by clicking here

March 15, 2013
Pablo D’Stair’s 2007 book about a cat is being reissued

I’m always eager to promote Pablo D’Stair’s work. It’s my kind of stuff. So of course I’m going to let everyone know that his novel, Candour, is being re-released with a fancy new cover from Goodloe Byron.

About Candour:

An unnamed man suddenly begins succumbing to the horrors of a nightmarish disease. Secluding himself in his apartment rooms, his only companion is his cat, Alastair Cello, who he determines to keep unaware of his impending death.

BUY IT HERE – a hardcopy straight from the printer is 47% off list price ($4.24, down from $10) by entering the following DISCOUNT CODE: SSZ8VB6L

March 14, 2013