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taking me back to old places

Where did this come from, I wondered as I started reading the novel Piano Tide, by Kathleen Dean Moore. How did I not hear about this book before? As I read it, I was back in Pelican, Alaska, a boardwalk only little village reached by boat only, houses lined up above the tide, one bar around which most social life revolved. When I was there, we walked to a small cabin perched in the cove, and even this cabin seemed to appear in the book. There is also a similar bear enclosure in Sitka, where I used to live. How did someone who didn't live in Southeast nail it? But she did. 

There's... Read More...

I'm in an Anthology!

Recently, I was asked to read for Women's History Month. I'm sure the attendees were expecting something from Fire in the Heart. I mean, what could be more historical than firefighting in the dark ages (Okay, the 1980s)? I looked at the book and sighed. I am sure I haven't done especially well by it. I've not been too proactive for book signings, and I haven't marketed like I should. I did a lot of that for Geography and I am not sure it paid off. Without a full time job, you can do a lot better, I'm thinking. When you are awake for only three or four hours of the day that don't involve... Read More...

Writing Blurbs for Authors

It finally happened! I got to write a blurb for another author (of course, I volunteered to do it, but still!). 

Blurbs..does anyone read them? It's hard to say, but publishers sure want them. They issue the command for you to go out and find them, preferably from authors with big platforms. I have been fortunate that everyone I asked, with the exception of one person whom I thought would, but said no, and the famous people, who never answered (Pam Houston! Call me!) did indeed come through. There are a couple of people whom I thought for sure would write one after getting a free... Read More...

"are you writing very much?"

This was the question asked by a local poet as he ran unhappily on the treadmill at the gym. As I slogged through an elliptical session, commiserating with our mutual dislike of the gym, but also its necessity in an icy world, I pondered his question. Was I writing very much?

Well, no. It feels like I've been wrestling my latest novel forever. I've bounced wildly back and forth with plot ideas. I had to kill a darling and some great prose because the concept just did not fit with the story. I've tried first and second tense. I got rid of a character. It's exhausting!

But that... Read More...

Your soul on the page

This is such a great description of how to write a good essay.

https://brevity.wordpress.com/2018/01/08/cut-to-bleed/

People tell me all the time I am brave to put personal things out there on the page. I don't see it as bravery. I see it as essential, if you want your readers to believe.

Of course, I don't write about everything. There are things I will never put on a page. You have to choose.

You can't have a wall around you as a memoir or essay writer. People will call you on it, as my... Read More...

Amazon sales rank and other mysteries

So, authors have a strong opinion about Amazon. Through details that I don't quite understand, but involve discounted prices, books sold on Amazon don't pay as much to authors (unless you self publish). And it's best to support independent bookstores, which live in a community and nourish that place. HOWEVER. People are not going to stop buying on Amazon. It's simple and easy. It is almost the first question people ask when they want to buy my book. Amazon is not going away--and speaking as one who tries to buy books in her local store, but as one who also lives far, far away from most... Read More...

Are Book Readings Worth It?

Eons ago, when I rode the Park Service Visitor Center desk, I could see them arrive. Frazzled. Overwhelmed. On an itinerary--five parks in five days! Plopping their elbows on the counter, they would ask the Question That Cannot Be Answered.

"If we (pay for the cave tour, drive to Hurricane Ridge, take the bristlecone pine walk, etc etc) is it worth it?"

I would stare them down. Just like, "How old do you think I am?" when asked your age, there is NO RIGHT ANSWER to this question. How much is something worth? In the case of book signings, it is tempting to... Read More...

I forgot to use Twitter!

A recent conversation in an online writer's forum went like this:

New author: "I was told by my publisher I needed to use Twitter."

Other authors: "Twitter is great, you can connect with others, retweet, blah blah."

Me: Ugh.

Confession: I kind of hate Twitter. It seems to embody everything I don't really like in the modern world: low attention span, reduce important things down to a common denominator, or enable people to talk about minutiae. In addition, does anyone really want to be that connected that they follow the random musings of several hundred people?... Read More...

"How's your book doing?"

This is probably the most FAQ I get! And my response is to shrug and say "I don't know." 

When you self publish, you know this. But with traditional publishing, you are basically on a need to know basis. Yes, you can bug your publisher, but after a while it feels like..nagging. Or you can patiently wait for your once a year royalty statements (this in itself requires an amount of trust in the company). I know that Geography of Water hasn't been all that successful in terms of the book publishing world and this is largely due to lack of publicity (someone told me yesterday that it... Read More...

How I feel about asking for money to write

I eagerly opened up a blog I had been following for a while. Its owner had been engaged in an athletic pursuit, not one that is particularly noteworthy, since hundreds of other people do it, but still, worthy of some praise. I wanted to see how this person had fared on the journey. Instead of stories of the trip, there was a request for....Patreon! 

I hesitate to lump this service in with Kickstarter and Go Fund Me, but it is kind of the same premise. I guess you can convince yourself you are supporting the arts. Or something. But seriously, asking strangers to pay so you can write... Read More...

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