Judy Nickles's Blog, page 16

You don't have to hunt for buried treasure...

Having decided to cut back on a few writing-related pursuits in order to enjoy some long-neglected activities (like genealogy), I've uncovered some real treasures.



First, while unpacking some stored genealogy forms, I found the ISBN (numbers) I'd purchased about a dozen years ago when you had to buy them in batches--and they weren't cheap! I'd been quietly sick for years over their loss--but five moves and many real life events almost justified my disorganization. But there they were--fresh as the day they were purchased (and still good), nestled among a ton of blank genealogy forms to be sorted. So the question of whether or not to use ISBN (numbers) as I go 'indie' is now moot.



Second, I attended a meeting of the local genealogical society recently and came away with a whole new concept of incorporating writing into genealogy and preserving my memories and tons of family history for my children and grandchildren. Rather than explaining it here, I'll direct you to Legacy Stories where you can read about it for yourself. You won't regret it. Even if you're not in to genealogy, you still have stories to tell and pictures to share, and someday, a great-great-grandchild will bless you for it! Besides, that's what writers do, don't they? Write?



Third, at the same meeting, the speaker mentioned a ring belonging to her mother and how she wore it daily. When she explained how her mother came by the ring, I felt the stirrings of another short story. It just goes to prove ideas are everywhere. Jot them down in that notebook all writers keep stashed...you DO keep one in your purse or tote, don't you?



Amid all the uncovering of treasures, I've had time to think about myself as a writer, and perhaps the revelation which has come to me is the greatest treasure of all. Growing up and through young adulthood and middle age, and now in my 'golden years',  I've always wanted to write--and so I have. The thought of being published crossed my mind occasionally, but it was never the reason I wrote. So, now that I have five novels and assorted 'shorts' in print (one in ebook), I still want to write for the same reason--because I love it. Publication is, as it's always been, just an afterthought. I'll still pursue it, though not tenaciously, and it won't be the reason I turn on the computer and pull up a blank page.



Writing is a way to express my feelings, to preserve the past, to meet like-minded people, to experience the world more fully. What more can I ask from something that gives me pleasure?



I can't close this blog without mentioning that yesterday I strolled in to Best Buy to inquire about the new Kindle Fire HD, expecting to be told it must be preordered. Instead, I danced out of the store in possession of that very item AND all my books transferred from Kindle #1! Did I need it? Well, not really. My "old" Kindle hasn't reached its first birthday and is sufficient for the basics. Did I want it? YES. It's a new frontier to explore, and I always wanted to live in 'pioneer days'.



For someone who is approaching the milestone of seven decades on this earth--who grew up in an era of clunky typewriters, ten-key adding machines, Saturday morning radio programs, boxy telephones which could be moved no further than the cord would reach, clotheslines instead of dryers, evaporative coolers in summer and gas space heaters in winter, three-cent stamps and air mail or special delivery for a bit more, record players (78rpm, 45rpm, 33rpm) and cool, quiet libraries--the advent of the cell phone, the internet, e-readers, calculators, and all other technology has gifted me with my dream.



Though not trudging along behind a covered wagon pulled by oxen, I am still traveling to the new and unknown, and it is a true adventure!


 ~~~~~
 PS Watch for the new Penelope Pembroke website coming soon! And she may have her own blog, too!


~~~~~

PS PS My website has had a facelift--per the advice I passed on in a recent blog. Check it out! 

What's in Your Fiction Besides Characters, Plot, and Conflict?

Reading an article, "Put Objects to Work in Your Fiction", in the September 2012 issue of The Writer, caused me to reflect on my own fiction.



In Where Is Papa's Shining Star? and its sequel, Finding Papa's Shining Star, I used a china doll as a shadowy but pivotal object in the plot. 'Alberta', named for Bobbie's father Albert who gave the doll to her, wasn't just a toy but rather...well, of course, I won't tell you what she really was! Suffice it to say she survived a lifetime's odyssey of intrigue, finally giving up her secret in FPSS.



The Showboat Affair uses a costumed teddy bear as a symbol of committment and also an emotional catharsis for one of the main characters. 



In The Face on Miss Fanny's Wall, an old photograph on the wall of a bordello-turned-museum sets off a dangerous journey into the past for Tessa Steele.



Dancing with Velvet uses a blue velvet dress which the protagonist, Celeste, believes symbolizes a turning point in her life.



In each case, something drives the plot and ultimate resolution of the story.



The article's author, Paola Corso (author of seven books of fiction and poetry), discusses objects of interest used by several well-known writers:


Alice Walker uses quilts in In Love and Trouble, Stories of Black Women.
Annie Proulx's Accordion Crimes actually names the object in the title of the book.
Hat, fruit, dresses, everyday objects found on a dressing table--all have found their way into pieces of writing.

I had to smile a bit as I read, deciding that with my use of dolls, dresses, and old photographs, I was in good company. And a new idea is already percolating since the speaker at a meeting I attended recently mentioned an object sewn into the lining of an old silver chest, the provenance of which is still unknown. But won't it make a good story?



Do buy the latest issue of The Writer and get more information for yourself. And if any of the above-mentioned novels catch your interest, you can preview them at my website.www.judynickles.com



BUY LINKS











Writing as Judy Nickles:

Where Is Papa’s Shining Star?

Finding Papa’s Shining Star

Dancing with Velvet

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=624

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Judy+Nickles

Writing as Gwyneth Greer:

The Showboat Affair

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=917

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Gwyneth+Greer

The Face on Miss Fanny’s Wall

http://champagnebooks.com/shop/index.php?route=product/manufacturer&manufacturer_id=124

http://www.amazon.com/Face-Miss-Fannys-Wall-ebook/dp/B007HE6QQ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333304662&sr=1-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-face-on-miss-fannys-wall-gwyneth-greer/1110186412?ean=9781926996851

What Should Your Website Really Do?

From the September 2012 issue of The Writer, another terrific and timely article:  "Make Your Home Page Pop" by Karen M. Rider. I'm making some changes to my website based on her advice. And, as I set up the new website for my Penelope Pembroke cozy mystery series, I'm finding the whole process much simpler because of her great ideas.



Her first pearl of wisdom is to have a strategy and make that the focus of your home page. What do we as authors want? To sell books, of course! Then give viewers an easily-discernible reason to buy, and don't make them plow through a lot of 'busy' copy to find what and how!



Of course, we have to connect with people right off the bat and give them something for the trouble they took to click through to our website.



Boring not allowed!



Hook those readers. Excerpts are good.



Your website isn't your social media site. Make it professional is what I took from this part of the article.



Hyperlinks are a must--both for anything you have to sell or to offer to your reading public.



Finally, the usual social media venues apply if you want the content of your website to get 'out there'.



Get this issue and read the whole two-page article, especially if you are a novice in the website arena. You won't regret it!



Karen offers more advice on the blog, 'Soul of a Writer' and at her own website

"Finding Unexpected Stories Within Books"

In the September 2012 issue of The Writer , Martha Lundin reviews Michael Popek's book Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages (Penguin, 192 pp, hardcover, $18.95.) What stories can be gleaned from items left behind when their usefulness as bookmarks has passed? He mentions photos, letters, cards, notes, poems, receipts, invoices, advertisements, and even official documents.



The review reminded me of my grandmother's Bible, a hardcover volume which she covered with a soft yellow chamois. How many times did I pop through the back door (our backyards connected with a beaten path where grass ne'er grew!) and find her sitting with it in her lap?



When my parents were both in a nursing home, but before they were willing to give up their apartment, I often walked through the apartment to be sure everything was in order. During one pass, I spotted the Bible on the bottom shelf of a table beside my father's bed. So the next time I visited him, I asked if I could have it. His reply was, "Of course! You can have anything you want." Being the only living child, I knew that, but out of respect for my parents, I would have touched nothing without their permission.



When I brought it home, I leafed through it, somehow sure that I would find something with a message for me. There were anonymous four-digit phone numbers jotted on the flyleaf, none of which I recognized. Between the pages lay cards, notes and newspaper clippings, but nothing jumped out at me and said, "She left this for you!" I'll admit being disappointed, even though I knew I really couldn't expect to find what I was looking for--whatever that was!



Still, after reading the book review, I'm tempted to go back and look again. Perhaps, unwittingly, she left me the idea for a brilliant story, even a novel. Who knows?



And perhaps the next time I'm in a used bookstore, I'll find a forgotten lottery ticket. Meanwhile, I'm going to suggested Mr. Popek's book as a purchase by my local library. Reviewers at Amazon.com rated it 4.4 out of 5 stars. Unfortunately, it's not in Kindle, but here's the link to take a look: Forgotten Bookmarks

Welcome Andrea Downing to The Word Place

WRITING
JESSE

Most authors will tell you that
their books in the Romance genre are character driven.  We do not have charts up and down the wall,
index cards pinned to cork boards or possibly even little lists of forthcoming
scenes.  Some will even claim they have
no idea what will happen in the book because the characters act and do things
of their own accord. For myself, I
often have the first line, know well the ending, and the rest, as they say, is—no,
not history—pot luck. 

With Loveland,
I knew the story—and I knew it well.  It
had run through my head so many times, I was practically living it.  I heard the dialogue, knew the people,
mentally walked around the ranch and lived there.  And I could see them all.  They don’t look like ‘this celebrity’ or ‘that
supermodel.’  They look like themselves
and I see them clearly.  Maybe I’m a nutcase,
but that’s the way it is.  But I had one
problem:  Jesse!

I can see my hero Jesse
perfectly, and I know him intimately. 
The brim of his hat is slouched down rather than turned up, his check
shirt is topped by a worn leather waistcoat or vest and, while some of his
friends prefer the striped or checked pants of the period, Jesse has switched
over to the new Levi denims. He has what would now be called “dirty blond’
hair, somewhat long and straggly, and eyes the color of bluebonnets from Texas, where he was
born. And I love Jesse.  I love him
because he is gentle and kind and patient, despite the fact he can lose his
temper at the drop of a stetson, and he’s dependable, smart and caring.  But the trouble is, maybe he’s a little too gentle and kind and
dependable?  Is he coming over as a bit
too much of a pushover?

Someone off in the mists of time
once announced that women like a bit of rough, and that may well be true.  But if you’ve had the kind of life that Lady
Alexandra Calthorpe has had, it might more likely be the case that a ‘bit of
rough’ is definitely NOT what you’re looking for.  You might be willing to put up with the fact
that your man loses his cool every so often—as long as it doesn’t include
throwing you about any.  And you’d
certainly be willing to overlook his previous liaisons with the local soiled
doves as long as it doesn’t continue past your own firming up of relations. 
But, basically, you want someone with the nous to let you have your own
way, be patient with you when you’re wrong, or–-more especially—when you’re
unbelievably stubborn, and someone who’s unbelievably kind and giving and loving.  In other words, you want Jesse.

And therein lies the
problem.  Because while Jesse to me is
real, because he is who he is and can’t be changed, to my reader he might
possibly come over as a little too easy to be manipulated, a bit too kind, a
little too ready to let Lady Alex have her way.   And then again, don’t we ladies all want to
be spoilt?

You tell me. 

**********************************************************************************

NEW FROM THE WILD ROSE PRESS






BLURB





When Lady Alexandra Calthorpe returns to
the Loveland, Colorado, ranch owned by her father, the
Duke, she has little idea of how the experience will alter her future.
Headstrong and willful, Alex tries to overcome a disastrous marriage in England and be
free of the strictures of Victorian society --and become independent of men.
That is, until Jesse Makepeace saunters back into her life...

Hot-tempered and hot-blooded cowpuncher
Jesse Makepeace can’t seem to accept that the child he once knew is now the
ravishing yet determined woman before him. Fighting rustlers proves a whole lot
easier than fighting Alex when he’s got to keep more than his temper under
control.

Arguments abound as Alex pursues her
career as an artist and Jesse faces the prejudice of the English social order.
The question is, will Loveland
live up to its name?

****

EXCERPT





The two men looked
over at Jesse who was leading his own horse into the stable, anger etched in
every muscle of his face. Joe nodded toward the chuck house and they followed
the others in to leave Alex alone when Jesse came out.

She was starting
back to the main house when Jesse grabbed her arm and turned her around. “You
ever do that again,” he said in a voice she had never heard, intense in its
anger, rage just below its surface, “I swear to God, Alex, I’ll...I’ll take you
over my knee and give you a lickin’ once and for all.”

“How dare you!” She
shook him off. “How dare you talk to me like that! How dare you! Who the hell
do you think you are?”

Jesse jabbed his
finger at her to emphasize he meant what he was saying. “Who do I think I
am?”he snarled back. “Who do I think I am? You ever, ever take a gun off me
again and point it at someone, you’ll find out who the hell I think I am. You
know that coulda gone off? You know you coulda killed someone? I told you—out
there yonder—I told you, you never point that thing at anyone less’n you mean
bus’ness.”

“I did bloody well
mean business! They were destroying that horse. Furthermore, I knew, and you
knew, and they both knew, there wasn’t a shot under the hammer. You taught me
that, didn’t you? So there was no chance of an accident!”

“That don’t matter
none. You coulda pulled the hammer back twice. Way you was, you were nothin’
better’n a loose cannon, Alex. You ever do a thing like that again—”

“You’ll what?” She
shook with her rage as tears pooled against her will. “I apologized to them
both and they accepted my apologies. It’s none of your concern—”

“None of my
concern! You pulled my gun! You ever do that again— Don’t you walk away when
I’m talkin’ to you!”

She turned back to
him after a few steps. “You’ll what? You’ll what, Jesse? What will you do? I
want to hear it! Say it again. What will you do?” And she stood there in the
evening darkness, facing him down, wearing him out like she’d faced down the
stallion.

***** 

BUY LINKS:





http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=991




http://www.amazon.com/Loveland-ebook/dp/B008VEXSB0/ref=la_B008MQ0NXS_1_1_title_0_main?ie=UTF8&qid=1344968757&sr=1-1




http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loveland-andrea-downing/1112486451?ean=2940014874021




 Find Andra Downing at:





http://andreadowning.com




 




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The Adventure Begins

Well, I'm not sure if it will be an adventure or a tortuous journey, but I've set out upon whichever! Actually, after getting started with the Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker, free right now at Amazon.com, I am sort of like the 'little engine who could': I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! Here is what I find most interesting and encouraging:



Smashwords takes your original Microsoft Word source file, usually in .doc format, and converts
it into multiple ebook formats such as .EPUB, PDF. .RTF, .PDB, .MOBI, LRF and TXT, as well
as into online HTML and Javascript formats. After you publish your book with Smashwords,
your book will be readable on any e-reading device, including personal computers, the iPhone
(via the popular Stanza e-reader app), Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Android smart phones, etc (This quote taken directly from the book which can be shared as long as no one is charged for the info!)



Two more ebooks by Mark Coker, also currently free at Amazon.com, are Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success and Smashwords Book Marketing Guide--How to Market Any Book for Free



Kindle Formatting, The Essential Visual Guide by Everything Indie is $2.99 at Amazon.com. Reviewers give it good recommendations except for the fact that it doesn't cover how to insert a cover into the upload. It does sound worth the price, however.



I'm going the Smashwords route first. Once I get everything formatted and uploaded, hopefully well enough for inclusion in their Premium Catalogue. Here's more about that, also a direct quote from the style guide:



Premium Catalog (NEW! ): This new catalog is distributed to major online retailers and other
distribution outlets. There’s no cost for consideration, but your book must satisfy higher
mechanical standards required by the retailers such as having a quality book cover image, good
formatting, a proper copyright page, and other requirements clearly outlined in this Style Guide
and on our Distribution page at http://www.smashwords.com/distribution. If you're a serious
author or publisher, you want your books included in Smashwords Premium Catalog because it
offers your book unprecedented exposure at no cost.



I'd be interested in hearing from any of you who have gone this indie route!



And a quick off-topic note: for anyone who thinks her blog is an abysmal failure based on the comments/lack of same, take a look at 'stats' in the new Blogger program. I may get zero comments and have almost 20 views in one day! Last month, The Word Place racked up 450 views (and mine aren't counted)! Perhaps not as great as others, but not too shabby either, so I press on!

Random Writing Information

Some of you may know that I write for Sandra Sookoo's Front Porch Saturday every second Saturday of the month. Yesterday I posted "Gossip and Genealogy--Mutually Exclusive". Does genealogy relate to writing? Where do you think many of my characters and situations come from? You'll have to scroll down, since the regular Sunday post is already up, but you might find an idea or two.


######

Now to the business at hand for this week: sharing information on writing. This week's hints come from the June 2012 issue of The Writer . Founded in 1887, it's still relevant for writers today. If you subscribe, you also receive weekly web updates like a writing prompt and additional instructional articles.







Lisa Shearin discusses "When writing a novel, how much research is too much?" The answer, of course, depends on the genre of the piece and whether or not you're writing about real places and things. I tend to err on the side of caution because I want to get it right. Even if only one reader finds an error in what I've written, that's one reader too many. I find travel brochures as well as online websites great resources for describing a setting correctly, especially if I've never been there. (And if I have, relying on my memory isn't always the best idea, so I double-check facts!)




Monte Schulz advises interspersing setting with dialogue in an interesting list of "5 Rules to Write By" on page 9. That advice hit home with me because dialogue is what I do best, and I often have to remind myself to set it up in place and time. 




In "The Amazing Disappearing Essential Ingredient", John Jakes (Kent Chronicles, North and South) opines the importance of characters which endure beyond plot. Oddly enough, when I reflect on my own novels, I may have to look up a piece of the plot, but the characters remain part of me forever--perhaps because I "gave birth" to them. 




Finally, freelance writer Howard Scott writes "Sell Books the Old-Fashioned Way" and shares how he managed to sell 27,000 copies of what he describes as a "small niche (self-published) book" through independent book stores. Most writers dream of seeing their books shelved neatly in a bookstore--and we all want to sell more! 




Even if you don't want to subscribe to a writing magazine, check your local library to see what's in their periodical section--and suggest The Writer to them if it's not there. I lend my copies to friends with the understanding they come back home. I might even share a copy with you by mail--if you put up an arm and a leg and maybe even your first-born as collateral! 

#####




Disclaimer: I receive no remuneration of any kind when I recommend a book or periodical on this blog.

#####

 

New in 2012: The Face on Miss Fanny's Wall (Champagne Books, Amazon.com, eBook only, as Gwyneth Greer, $5.99) A tale of buried family secrets and revenge

Dancing with Velvet (The Wild Rose Press, Amazon.com, print and eBook, as Judy Nickles, $14.99 and$4.99) A story of love and loss and survival in World War II




Read the first chapters free at www.judynickles.com

A Rose by Any Other Name

Looking for just the right/appropriate/authentic name for a character? Look no farther than this


Here's the complete list of what they have, plus you'll find lots of interesting information on names at the site.



 






















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































All right, so I've (you've) never heard of some (most of) the origins, but there's always a first time



Happy character naming!


*****

And this just in--writing friend Pat Wahler has her THIRD acceptance in a year from Chicken Soup for the Soul.  Her story will appear in this book due for release in October 2012.





Find her at www.critteralley.blogspot.com



We can all use as many POSITIVES in our lives as we can get!

Going Forward

For a long time and for various reasons, namely the phenomenal success of an author with whom I'm acquainted online, I have been considering dipping my toes into independent epublishing. To that end, I've written a series of six cozy mysteries set in a small mythical Arkansas town:


Penelope Pembroke and the Bogus Biker
Penelope Pembroke and the Stubborn Schoolhouse Spirit
Penelope Pembroke and the Feedstore Floozy
Penelope Pembroke and the Possum Hollow Hullabaloo
Penelope Pembroke and the Larcenous Legacy
Penelope Pembroke and Sam's Song

Right now, I've rewritten five of the six and am working on a new twist for the final book which winds up the series. I'm also working to learn about the New World of independent epublishing--mainly how to do it! I have a fat folder of information in My Documents as well as several ebooks downloaded to my Kindle.



Books on Kindle


Format Your eBook for Kindle in One Hour by Derek J. Canyon
eBook Cover Success: A Step-by-Step Process to Create Your eBook Cover  by Shelley Hitz
How to Sell More Books on Amazon: Top Strategies for Selling Books and Kindle Books on Amazon and Maximizing Your Profits by Dana Lynn Smith (The Savvy Bookmarketer)
The Beginners Guide to eBooks by Gary McLaren
The Newbie's Guide to Publishing by J.A. Konrath
Smashwords Book Marketing by Mark Coker
How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months by John Locke
The Complete Guide to SELF-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote, and Sell Your Own Book by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier

I have read some--not all--of these books and have found something useful in each one. So far, I wouldn't say I've wasted my money.



Links  


BookBaby  
Smashwords
Publish Your Own eBooks (free weekly newsletter which I recommend)
The Savvy Bookmarketer Newsletter (free--highly recommend this source for all types of publishing information--you can check the archives for articles on epublishing)

I am NOT a fan of self-publishing--i.e. the vanity publishers who will publish anything if you fork over the big bucks. They do, I know, on occasion publish some excellent books, but whenever I see a display of books published locally, I check the imprint. If it is a pay-to-publish book, I don't buy it. It may be a great book, but there's no guarantee.






I AM a fan of small independent publishers who do POD for print and have an eBook catalogue. I've had a happy association with The Wild Rose Press for four books and hope someday to have more. (If you write romance, check out this author-friendly publisher with wonderful editors and savvy business practices--they are flourishing!)



So why am I experimenting with independent epublishing? Consider:


Penelope Pembroke doesn't fit the romance guidelines for TWRP, which is where I'd send them if they did.
Six books equates to AT LEAST six years of queries, submissions, edits, galleys, and all those things which give birth to the finished book. By the time #6 came out (assuming I found a publisher for them), those who had read the first ones would have forgotten them. By independently publishing them, I can have all six up at the same time...offer the first one free...and hopefully hook the readers of #1 to want the other five!
 In addition, I have a whole series of stories geared for children, teens, and young adults, which I can offer in small increments--half a dozen per volume, for example;and I have one full-length adult novel which doesn't seem to fit any subgenre.

 It all makes sense to me, and it won't cost me anything except time and hard work. Time I have; hard work I don't mind. And, with some venues, I can get print books if I wish to have some on hand for conferences and other events.



Again, I don't expect to become rich and famous--just enjoy myself--and perhaps make some good sales along the way...

The Summer That Wasn't

I had high hopes for this summer. My calendar was full, and the months stretched out before me like a scenic vista, beckoning me down its pleasant paths. But things came crashing down with a family medical emergency. I cancelled appointments and drove more miles than I'd driven in years, spent money I was hoarding for other things, finally got home and was beginning to recover my physical stamina and emotional equilibrium when there was a second emergency. This time other family members jumped in, and I kept my 5-year-old granddaughter--and also picked up a nasty bug that hasn't wanted to leave. Now it is the end of July, and I'm just now taking care of cancelled appointments and necessary chores.



The summer is over. It went on without me.



Although...the silver lining is...I had a  (writing) epiphany.



When I retired five years ago, I decided to see if I could get published, and I did. Now, five full-length novels and assorted "shorts" later, I find myself burned out--oh, not on writing but on the accompanying necessity for promotion promotion promotion. And I'm just spinning my wheels. I've had decent sales, but I don't write what gets the five-star reviews and tops the charts at Amazon, etc. No matter how well-plotted, how tight, how well-written my stories are, they lack the one necessary ingredient--namely, heat. That's a fact of life, and it's okay. (And it's not going to change!)



I've been spending too much time on promotion/marketing and not enough time writing just because I love to do it. I never started out to be a best-seller, to be rich and famous, only to achieve a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction, and I've done that. Now it's time to embrace my first love again--to write because I love writing and to let the rest go.



So what have I accomplished?


Five of six Penelope Pembroke cozies rewritten and destined eventually for independent epublishing
Writing scrapbook begun
Writing notebook taking shape 
Nanowrimo novel plotted for November

What am I looking forward to in the fall?


Beginning to submit file of short stories to various magazines and anthologies
Getting the Penelope books 'out there'
Organizing a syllabus for various writing workshops and offering them to libraries in the vicinty
Reading more
Delving back into long-neglected genealogy which, like writing/promotion, takes one's full attention

And how do I feel about my decision? FREE! I'll stay in touch on a few (a very few) writing sites, read the blogs of authors I feel I 'know' despite having never met, tweet updates, blog. Facebook, by the way, is history.



Five years ago when I began my writing journey, I read a quote from Margo Dill who said, "If you write, you are a writer." I wanted to be a writer--and I am.



One never gets too old to learn.