SamHaskell.com

Hello Friends,

I was blessed with another wonderful week on the Promises I Made My Mother rainbow book tour!  Last Sunday I appeared at the Miss Indiana Pageant where I signed and sold 150 books purchased to raise money for scholarships. I then meet my publicist Nancy White Perkins in Memphis, TN, Tupelo, MS, and Oxford, MS for three book signing events at Davis Kid Booksellers, Reed’s Gumshoe Book Store, and Square Books of Oxford….sold over 400 books during these events.  My birthday was Wednesday June 24th, and I celebrated with Mary, Mary Lane, Marsha and Frank Tindall, Patty and Will Lewis, Robert and Margaret Khayat, Tatum and Lain Brown, Lynda Mead Shea, and Dianne Scruggs at City Grocery Restaurant in Oxford.  We then went to the Ford Performing Arts Center to see Mary Lane’s performance in the Gilbert and Sullivan Musical “Iolanthe”.  On Thursday morning, I left for Pittsburgh and an appearance at the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant….sold over 125 books there, got up the next morning and flew to Columbus, Georgia….and appeared at the Miss Georgia Pageant where I signed and sold 102 books, got up Saturday and flew to Jackson, Mississippi to host a charity event with Eli Manning and Emerril Lagasse to benefit Batson Children’s Hospital of Mississippi.  We raised over a million dollars, and the event purchased 250 books which I personally signed for all the sponsors and donors.  On Sunday, I appeared at the Miss Colorado Pageant in Denver, and they bought and sold over 200 books for me to sign to raise more money for scholarships.  Thanks for letting me share the good news of personally selling and signing over 1,000 books during this past week of the tour

stay tuned!

Love,

SAM

Hello family and friends,

Mary and I have just finished week number five of the national rainbow book tour. We were in New York last week for a guest appearance on the Joe Scarborough Show, “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, and for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Presentations at the United Nations International School.  His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Miss America 2009 Katie Stam joined me for the festivities.  We then attended a private fundraising gala at the Brook Club in Manhattan for The Award, hosted by Mr. Bruce Bent of Palm Beach, Florida.  Mary and I then flew to London as the guests of HRH The Prince Edward Earl of Wessex and HRH “Sophie” The Princess Edward Countess of Wessex.  We had five fabulous days of Royal events including Her Majesty’s Birthday Parade and The Trooping of the Color, lunch at Buckingham Palace follwed by a walk in the historic gardens there, the Most Noble Order Of The Garter Ceremonies at Windsor Castle, and the first day of Royal Ascot in Her Majesty The Queen’s Box…with Her Majesty!  We attended the races with Edward and Sophie, The Earl and Countess of Derby, and The Earl and Countess of Southesk.  Mary won 90 pounds sterling on an Australian Horse in the second race!  His Royal Highness The Prince Charles Prince Of Wales had interesting questions about my book, Promises I Made My Mother, after hearing all about it from his brother Prince Edward. One of Her Majesty’s Admirals had inquired about my book after hearing me interviewed on a New York Radio show.  Mary is heading back to Los Angeles today to start rehearsals as the lead in the West Coast Regional Premiere of “Light In The Piazza”….running in July, and I am heading to Muskegon, Michigan for several book signings surrounding the 2009 Miss Michigan Pageant.  I’ll update you again early next week.

All best,

SAM

Hello friends,

Greetings from the road. I’m thrilled to announce that the book just moved up the LA Times Best Seller list to #10! I was recently in Jackson, Mississippi to do the keynote address for the Mississippi Manufacturing Association’s Convention, and to host VIP Magazine’s Philanthropist of the Year Awards.  We just visited Mary’s hometown of Beaumont,Texas where I spoke to the Beaumont Rotary Club, and where Mary and I both appeared at a benefit concert to raise money for the Betty Greenburg Community Theatre.  Mary sang a selection of standards from her Concord Records album, “Inspired”, and I did selected readings and told stories from Promises I Made My Mother.  We had a sellout crowd and we donated all of our proceeds from book and CD sales to the Community Theatre.  It was great to spend a couple of days in one place.

Mary’s Mom, Shirley Donnelly, and her sisters Leslie Wilson and her husband Bill, and Pride Parr and her husband Richard were all there to celebrate with us.  We then drove to Monroe, Louisiana for a special event to kick-off the 2009 Miss Louisiana Pageant.  Dewanna Little and Darris Warren hosted a wonderful fundraising dinner for the Miss Louisiana Scholarship Organization, and I donated all proceeds from my book sales in Monroe to them.

Mary rejoined me on the tour Thursday, and we headed to Birmingham, Alabama for the Miss Alabama Pageant, a signing at Books A Million, and three appearances for Riverchase United Methodist Church.

Then we fly to New York for me to appear on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Talk Show starring Joe Scarborough.  I’ll get in touch will you again next week!  Love, SAM