<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://jeffmartinauthor.com/images/my-dog-ate-my-nobel-prize.jpg" /></div><br />Tonight my favorite little downtown boutique, <a href="http://dwellingspaces.net/">Dwelling Spaces</a>, will erupt in a fit of literary glee with a fresh-and-never greasy side order of that Tulsa patriotism that's the driving force behind so many of the fun projects and partnerships thriving in this city right now. <div><br /></div><div>Case in point: <a href="http://jeffmartinauthor.com/">Local writer, social media aficionado and champion of books and all that is Tulsa Jeff Martin</a>.<br /><div><br /><div>In case you didn't already know from <a href="http://www.booksmarttulsa.com/">Booksmart Tulsa</a> meetings, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Customer-Always-Wrong-Retail-Chronicles/dp/193336890X">The Customer is Always Wrong</a>, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2009/07/well-titled-well-covered-bonus-edition.html">his recent splash in The New Yorker</a> (check out slide 3 of 5) and <a href="http://goodbyetulsa.com/">my favorite new local blog, Goodbye Tulsa</a>, and <a href="http://www.philbrookmuseum.blogspot.com/">his work to make Philbrook Museum a pioneer among the social media-treading public spaces</a>, this Jeff Martin guy is quite a talented individual. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me count the ways. </div><div><br /></div><div>Did you know that Jeff Martin:<br /><br />-Was born in 1980?<br />-Made millions on the stock market?<br />-Lost millions on the stock market?<br />-Stopped a Chinese tank at Tiananmen Square?<br />-Managed Michael Dukakis's 1988 presidential campaign?<br />-Co-wrote Aliens 2: More Aliens with James Cameron?<br />-Had a torrid and brief creative relationship with Disney's animation department?<br />-Disguised himself as a midget, joined NASA, and became the first-ever child in space, all in tribute to the Challenger space shuttle tragedy?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://jeffmartinauthor.com/images/event.jpg" /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Who knew such accomplishment was roaming freely among us.<br /><br />Back to what I was saying about the explosion of Dwelling Spaces tonight. Get there at 7 to celebrate the launch of Martin's latest book, <i><a href="http://jeffmartinauthor.com/my-dog-ate-my-nobel-prize.php">My Dog Ate My Nobel Prize: The Fabricated Memoirs of Jeff Martin</a></i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the novel will always be my first love, I am totally digging on the memoir form right now. It's become such a huge literary space, at least to me, since I consider pretty much all the forms of social media, from the dinosaur that is the long-form blog (sorry, TDT.com, but it's true) to the microbloggyness that is Twitter, along with reality television, as belonging to or growing immediately from the memoir genre.  </div><div><br /></div><div>It's fun. There's just something about that line, "based on a true story," whether that's actually said or implied. It draws us in. It gives us a forum in which to try on another life, practically without consequence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway. Jeff Martin can write this thing, a memoir. If you're not reading him, you'll probably never manage Michael Dukakis's 1988 presidential campaign or be the first-ever child in space or go torrid on Disney's animation department.</div><div><br />Want a free copy of <i>My Dog Ate My Nobel Prize</i> before pretty much everyone else? <b>Simply enter the title of your favorite book in the comments before 4pm today (Tuesday)</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you put something that's in Oprah's book club, watch out - Jeff Martin will be hunting you, Lord-of-the-Flies style.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://jeffmartinauthor.com/images/jeff-martin.jpg" /></div><br />Be afraid.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll announce the winner from the My Dog Ate My Nobel Prize launch party tonight at Dwelling Spaces.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy reading, everyone. </div><div><br /></div><div>Photos from <a href="http://jeffmartinauthor.com/">Jeff Martin's home on the Web</a>.</div><div><a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/2009/02/local-encounters-plus-giveaway.html">Click here for more about Jeff Martin at TashaDoesTulsa.com</a>.</div></div></div>