Lately, I haven’t been too social on the Social Media networks… I do hope to catch up with everyone very soon though!

My original intention was to have my book finished by July 20th, on the same day that man landed on the moon, 40 years ago.

I ended up finding so many great sources of information that I decided to postpone, then postpone, and then postpone again, several times, my release date, so that I could make sure to rewrite and include the new information, as well as do the proper research for copyright information, submit requests for permission to use certain articles and then re-edit my bibliography to give proper attribution to the new sources added. Whew.

Well, I’ve decided to delay the release one final time. The new release date will be August 21st, early 2010.

I’m still sorting through and collating all the great stories, interviews and archived reports that I’ve collected over the past few weeks, but I’ve had this persistent, nudging feeling that just kept bugging me and bugging me that something was still missing. (No, it wasn’t indigestion, though I thought it could be at one point).

The book started off as a way for me to record my dad’s story of his involvement with the Apollo 11 mission. In my discussions with him, he clearly remembers a lot of things, but there are some things that he can’t recall, especially after 40 years. The one thing that he can’t seem to remember was the name of the exact part that he worked on, and where it was used on the space mission. He knows that it was a remote sensor (telemetry) part, but that’s about it.

I’ve done numerous searches on the Internet, over the past several weeks, but have been coming up with a blank. Along the way, I’ve stumbled across some other related information which has been somewhat helpful, but not quite the answer that I’m looking for. I feel like the information is out there somewhere, but not exactly clear just yet where to find it…

I guess I’m looking for closure on identifying what exactly the part was and where it was used.

So, I’ve decided to make the trip to Washington D.C. this month to visit the NASA Headquarters Library and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to see if I can track down the information that I’m looking for, and to also see first-hand some of the exhibits and artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission, and show my kids too, so that I can bring it full circle.

It’s one thing to read about it, it’s another to write about it.

I’d like to take it one step further and see the items from Apollo 11 up close, live and in-person. And, hopefully, find that one missing piece that my dad worked on. Then, I think I’ll be ready for closure, to circle around again one more time, and finally complete my mission (i.e. writing).

Then it will be time. The book will take flight.

Have you ever felt the same way? The need to search for that one missing piece? The nudging? The need to bring closure to a situation?

Sometimes, some things run parallel in our lives for a reason…

Let me know your thoughts on this.

As always, thanks.

~Eva
(hat tip to @7thscreen who is looking for closure and help in finding his missing Beatles car)

NJ Social Media Tour Schedule coming soon…

I’ve had several book ideas swirling around inside of me for quite a while now, and I do believe the time is NOW to put it down on paper and release it to the world.

After several scrubbed book launch dates from July 20 through August 7, if all conditions are right this time, my first book will be self-published with a new release date of August 21st, early 2010 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11.

The title of the book is: Reaching for the Moon and the Stars: The Legacy and Influence of the Apollo Generation and will include a collection of untold stories, unsung heroes and dreams fulfilled during that time period.

Inspiration From Everyday People In Our Lives
A lot of different factors came together at the same time to compel me to move forward with the idea of writing the book. My dad is one of the major inspirations for the book and I’ll be sharing his story and his influence along with other similar stories of regular everyday folks who happen to have played a part in the historic Apollo mission. I’ll also feature the stories of observers from the ground who remember watching that great moment and how it influenced the choices they eventually made in life and the examples that they have set for the next generation.

How Social Media Plays A Part
Although the book is not about Social Media, what I have been discovering over the last week or so, is the tremendous circle of influence and invaluable resources coming from my Social Media contacts, both old and new.

Connections Made Using Social Media
A connection on Twitter led to the influence of futurist Rod Pitman (@7thscreen), who has shared his vision and knowledge as a transmedia storyteller, which in turn, inspired me to conceptualize and create this project. In addition, interviews are well underway via phone, email and Skype with various people that I’ve connected with through Twitter and Facebook including Apollo experts, space enthusiasts, engineers and grown children of the original Apollo generation. I also met Rick Wolff, a graphic designer on Twitter who I’ve commissioned to design the book cover that you see above. There will be many other people to acknowledge in the next few weeks from both on-line connections, as well as off-line contacts, including my local printer in New Jersey who is on stand-by ready to print the book, research assistants following up with ISBN numbers, copyright and permissions, and others I have yet to meet who will assist with the many details that need to be taken care of.

Creating Reality: A Single Collective Vision
The learning curve is pretty steep since this is my first venture in writing and publishing a book but I look to the inspiration of the Apollo generation who did the most amazing thing of creating reality… by having many people focused on a single collective vision.

I hope to do the same thing, albeit on a much smaller scale, of seeing my published book in bookstores, in libraries, in classrooms and in the hands of children and adults alike, so the legacy can be passed along to future generations. In order to create this reality, I’ll need to rely on a little help from my friends… and all of us focused on a single collective vision.

What’s your vision? What’s your dream? Make connections, collaborate, create, share a collective vision using Social Media. Ask me how. I’d love to help.

~Eva Abreu
Email: eva {at} evaabreu {dot} com

Image from Flickr CC www.flickr.com/photos/19762676@N00/1225274637 thanks to austinevan