Odd Month Reading
I hosted my first Odd Month Reading for the Redwood Writer’s group in Santa Rosa. It was fun–once I got past being nervous–and was able to introduce all the speakers without stumbling over my tongue too much.
There are a lot of great writers out there ready at various stages of launch. I can’t wait to hear more…
“Maybe this time” book review
Just finished “Maybe This Time” by Jennifer Crusie. It’s been a while since I’d read one of her novels and was delighted to have had an original Crusie moment. She is funny. My favorite book in her collection is “Temptation.”
I met her at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference about five or six years ago and she signed a copy of “Faking It” for me. She had launched a book she’d cowritten with a man who typically wrote military adventures. She talked off the cuff for an hour and had the audience howling. While that mixture of genres was an interesting read, I like my Crusie straight.
Field trips for the elderly
Now that my children are grown and “nearly” out of the house and I have taken up writing as a full-time career, I have plenty of time for the leisurely activities of the pre-retired, right? Not quite. We have a new set of twins. The in-laws. I have been trying to learn as fast as I can how to handle aging parents. Come to find out, I knew all along. Parenting is parenting. No matter the age of the recipient.
I remember back in Camp Fire Girls, several eons ago, when I would earn beads. There was an entire section of beads possible for caring for shut ins. I just really didn’t know what a shut in was back then. I believe I had a vague picture of someone resembling the Hunchback of Notre Dame that couldn’t be seen in public.
But now I not only what it is, I have created a set. When I took the car keys away from my father-in-law last August, I made shut ins.
I thought it would be easy for them to call a taxi when they wanted to go anywhere. They live in town so it’s a quick and cheap trip to the church, their friends and the stores. What I didn’t realize was that they are not urban elderly. Unlike the 80-year-old I saw last month who jumped on the Cable Car in San Francisco for three blocks with her bag of groceries and pass around her neck. My in-laws are the rural elderly. They are not comfortable with public transit.
And walking is difficult. So…here I go. Back in the drop-off lanes like a soccer mom. And just like having young children, it’s not enough to just ferry them from doctor visit to school to sports. They need field trips. An outing where the only purpose is to see something new.
A new restaurant works for my in-laws. Their hips and memories are fading fast, but their taste buds remain strong. An old-fashioned soda fountain for root beer floats and time to sit and tell stories they remember from days gone by.
I’m anxious for the weather to get a tad bit better, then I can’t wait to take them to Train Town to feed the goats. And maybe a vintage black and white movie on the big screen? Who knows?
I only know that no matter how beautiful a home is on the inside, you still need to go outside and see new people, places and things. Then you are truly living.
Only my existence
Is being a full-time writer a real job when you are only paid for half of the time?
I’ve tried to explain to others how exhausting five hours of writing can be, or how you have to think sometimes for four more hours on how to tackle a subject or plot point. But still they don’t seem to get it. I suppose if I were back working at an hourly journalism job they would understand. I’d have to report somewhere besides my laptop wearing something besides my pajamas.
I’m sure that the reason other’s opinions matter to me in this area is because I second guess myself all the time. Should I go back to regular full-time work in order to fit in? Is that the only way people will believe me when I say I have a lot of work to do?
It isn’t easy building a freelance career, but I’ve been given a second chance to live as a writer and I’m taking it.
I love words and I’ve tried to think of what sequence would help them understand what I do, but they never will. So, I shall let it go. They don’t know any better. I will take the higher road.
And if that doesn’t work, I’ll use them as a character in my next book.
The Beautiful Evil…Again
My article on The Beautiful Evil by Robbi Sommers Bryant has just appeared on the Redwood Writer’s website. You can find it at http://redwoodwriters.org/newsletter/member-in-the-spotlight/. Let me know what you think!
My Affair With Mickey
I entered the first chapter of my new book My Affair With Mickey in the Redwood Writers Club prose contest and was one of the pieces selected to be in the 2012 anthology.
Each year they compile a book of club member poetry and prose. This year’s book is The Call of the Wild and proceeds will go to saving Jack London State Park in Glen Ellen.
I am particularly happy about this selection because not only do I live near the park, it also plays a large part in my first book Crystal Bound. It’s a great location for hiking, picnicking, etc. and the museum and ruins are wonderful.
As for My Affair With Mickey, I hope to have it ready for editing by the end of the month then off to the stressful process of finding an agent. It could take a couple of years before it’s in print, so it feels great to know that chapter one will be out there soon.
Bootleggers and other travelers
On my recent cruise to the Bahamas…okay my ONLY cruise to the Bahamas…the water, the sand, the lifestyle was fabulous. But there was a funny conversation that started every time we sat in the hot tub with any other couple.
“Did you sneak any alcohol aboard?”
Okay, mouthwash bottles that were really filled with vodka and a drop of food coloring were easy to contemplate. After all, cocktails were $6-$9 each. But the funniest line I heard was a couple from Ohio who would collect wine bottles with red wax tops because the cruise line allows each guest to bring one bottle of wine or champagne onboard.
But instead of wine, they would fill the bottles with rum and vodka, then…here’s the cool part… would reseal the bottles by melting a red crayon.
It may seem like a lot of work to save a few bucks, but since the bar bill for a couple can be about $600 per cruise week, maybe there’s a reason. Being a beer drinker, I’m afraid I’m out of the creative bootlegging business. But it is fun to see the lengths people will go for a cheap drunk.
Gilligan’s Island
Day cruise options from Nassau in the Bahamas are immense. But I was lucky enough to blindly pick the right one.
The Blue Lagoon.
It wasn’t until after I booked that I discovered it’s the lagoon where they filmed the opening shipwreck scene for my childhood favorite TV show Gilligan’s Island.
The drive out on the smooth ocean takes about 30 minutes over water so clear blue and bottom so sandy white, you’d swear it was only a few inches deep. Several long fish could be seen gliding slowly through the water, ignoring the boats motors. We wanted to try one of the local beers for sale on the ferry, but they didn’t have change for a $20. So, they just gave us the beer and said we can pay on our way back. This set us up for the laid back island style we were about to be greeted with.
We entered the lagoon and docked and immediately knew that 2 1/2 hours would not be enough.
Walking to the lagoon beach we passed a grove of about 40 palm trees holding about 20 deep blue hammocks. We ended up nestling into a pair of the many multi-colored adirondack chairs, grabbed a bucket of Sands beer and dipped our feet into the clear lagoon.
I tried to find ways to be shipwrecked. But no overnight accommodations are available–although I would have been very comfortable in one of the many hammocks.
Very few people were on the tiny island with us, lending to the wonderful isolation.
We did meet a young couple from Tunisia. Their young daughter wore a Disney princess swimsuit. Which just goes to prove that it’s a Small World after all.
My book idea on … toilets
Someday I will write a book on toilets around the world. Let’s face it, we all wonder about the drop toilet and the bidet.
When I find time for this I will add that the women’s restrooms at the Orlando International Airport have the best feature I’ve ever seen.
Inside each stall is a machine for sanitary supplies. No kidding. And that’s not even the best part.
They are free.
Author interview-Robbi Sommers Bryant
My article on Robbi Sommers Bryant–author of The Beautiful Evil–will appear in the April newsletter of the Redwood Writers.
Robbi Sommers Bryant tackled both the publishing industry and the psychological thriller genre at the same time with her fourth novel, The Beautiful Evil. Based on Pandora’s Box from Greek mythology, The Beautiful Evil follows one woman’s journey into herself.
“I don’t write for people to like it. If I did I wouldn’t be writing about the dark side,” Bryant said. “For a lot of people it’s too much.”
The new genre of the psychological thriller leans more to the Stephen King side, according to Bryant. Her audience would enjoy Black Swan or Criminal Minds.
“The suspense is going into your dark side,” Bryant added.
Bryant traditionally published three other novels in the erotica genre under Robbi Sommers.
“Even my erotica had twists and turns, dark and light, humor,” Bryant said.
Traditional and self-publishing both have their positive and negative aspects for the full-time writer.
“I started Ruby Paradise Publications so I can represent the book as a publisher,
Bryant said. “I have really enjoyed what I’ve been learning. I can write whatever I want to write.”
Marketing has changed in the 12 years since her last novel was published.
“I would take myself on a lot of book tours,” Bryant recalled. “I’d travel and stop at bookstores doing readings and making appearances. Now you really have to put yourself out.”
Bookstores no longer sell books in the same way and same potential for success, particularly for self-published works. Bryant sells on Kindle, Amazon and selected bookstores.
“In person is still my best marketing tool,” Bryant added. “I went after every interview I saw online/radio/blog talk. Anyway I could get out there.”
Six months after the release of The Beautiful Evil, Bryant changed the cover of her book.
“I won a contest and was able to work with a marketing professional,” Bryant said. “He said my first cover made the book appear more of a fantasy novel than psychological thriller.”
Changing the cover was important, she said, as that is what initially attracts readers.
“Selling a book is like you’re a grain of sand jumping up yelling ‘look at me!’” Bryant said.
Bryant also lowered the price of her eBook to 99 cents.
“It’s not about making the money. It’s about getting out there,” she added. “I’ve gotten some very good reviews, but still nobody knows about it.”
Bryant belongs to three writers’ groups including Left Coast Writers, Redwood Writers and Baipa and is a strong believer in Twitter.
“Also, have at least one marketing buddy,” Bryant said. “I’m in a marketing collective and we teach each other what we’re learning and trade ideas.”
When she asks for feedback on her manuscripts, she requests that the reader hold the positive feedback.
“It’s not going to do me any good,” Bryant said. “Tell me what you don’t understand, then I can fix it.”
The Beautiful Evil won Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Book Festival. The book sells for $15 or $10 for Redwood Writers.
