B. Lynn Goodwin's Blog: Writer Advice's Flash MEMOIR Contest, page 26

TALENT Migrates–Or Some Things Are Beyond My Control

B. Lynn Goodwin

When I told Eternal Press I wanted to put TALENT into bookstores, they needed to give me a new ISBN #. That meant the print copy of TALENT would be on a new, separate Amazon page. At first I panicked. I didn’t want to lose my 22 reviews. In fact, I’d like to collect more. I also didn’t want to lose the ease for shoppers, but some things are beyond my control.

So here is TALENT’s new URL where you can find both the Kindle book and the print versions: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=TALENT+%2B+B+Lynn+Goodwin. You’ll see 2 editions listed.

The Kindle edition (only $2.99) is the one with 22 reviews. The new print issue is below it. The price is still $12.50. The publication date is moved back to November 1, and with the help of my trusty reviewers, I’m getting reviews on the page.

Can you post one? 

What? You haven’t read the book? Well, what are you waiting for? Teenagers love it. Adults say it takes them back to high school. One reviewer said, “Talent is an absorbing read that keeps the reader turning pages from beginning to end.”

What will you say?

Please help us get the book into bookstores, libraries, and schools. Support TALENT [contact-form] with reviews and personal purchases for yourself, your kids, your grandkids, your neighbors, your friends, your local theatre troupe, performers, and everyone seeking his or her talent.

Together we can make this happen and turn my moment of panic into a winning situation.

 

 

 

Twas the Week Before Christmas Vacation…

And all through the school

Every creature was stirring

And not eating gruel.

I learned about gruel in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

 

The cool were restless

And so were the geeks

Awaiting vacation

Which would run for two weeks

Have you ever noticed how two weeks sounds like forever when it’s starting? 

Link to TALENT on Amazon

So I don’t know if the Masons are going to spend Thanksgiving in Tahoe with Mom’s parents or in Mendocino with Dad’s. Or maybe visiting aunts or uncles. We have a pretty big family, but we don’t see them much except on holidays. I see them more on Facebook than I do in person.

Anyway Mrs. G has this really cool exercise that she has people do on the last day before Christmas break. Everybody gets to play two roles: first you are a little kid–any little kid–sitting on Santa’s lap. Then you are a department store Santa with a different little kid on your lap.

She has us warm up first by being a bratty little kid, and then a shy little kid, and then a refugee kid, and then a rich kid, and then a smart kid, and then a sad kid, and then an excited kid. You get the picture. We try out all kinds of kids and no two are the same on stage.

Then she’ll have us try out Santas: a jolly Santa, a burned out Santa, a hungry Santa, a college-kid Santa, an old man Santa, and even a drunk Santa who sleeps in the mission.

When it’s all over, she asks us to say who we believed. I visited the class last year when they were doing this. Amazing as it now seems, I believed Rob. Everything changes. If you don’t believe me, read TALENT.

Write back and tell me what you think.

 

 

Characters Are Thankful Too

TALENT on Amazon

Some of us who are characters in TALENT wanted to let you know what we’re grateful for this year.

We all agree that we are grateful to be out in the world.
We’re grateful to our author, B. Lynn Goodwin, a former drama teacher, who shared our story.
We are grateful that we are alive in her mind, and that we live on, even though her book is out there.

Some of us have more personal things that we’re grateful for, and here they are:

Sandee— I’m grated that I know how to drive. I know it sounds small, but it isn’t. Want to know why? Read the book.

Diego— I’m grateful for my drums and for the fact that Mrs. G needed more boys for the show, and I’m grateful for Sandee. She’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind.

Tessa–I’m grateful that I’m not like everybody else.

Nicole–I’m grateful to have a solo in the Variety Show we’re doing this spring.

Jenn–I’m grateful I’m doing a duet with Nicole in the Variety Show that San Ramos High is doing at the end of May. You should come and see it. When we sing together we’re going to rock the world, IMHO.

Mr. Mason–I’m grateful that my son was proud to serve his country. I’m grateful I raised him right.

Mrs. G— I’m grateful when I see my students growing as both actors and human beings. It’s always amazing to see them transform on stage.

What are you grateful for? 

Another Interview with B. Lynn Goodwin

Guest Author Interview with B. Lynn Goodwin, Managing Editor of Writer Advice and Book Reviewer


http://judithmarshall.net/blog/
By Judith Marshall

Tell us your latest news? My new YA book, TALENT, will be available on November 1, 2015. Fifteen-and-half-year-old Sandee Mason wants to find her talent, get her driver’s license, and stop living in the shadow of her big brother, Bri, who disappeared while serving in Afghanistan. You can read the first chapter at http://blynngoodwin.com/an-excerpt-from-talent/. Check it out and leave a comment if you’d like to.

As editor of Writer Advice, I’m happy to announce that the Fourth SCINTILLATING STARTS Contest is accepting submissions until November 10. Details and the Submittable Link are in the gray box at www.writeradvice.com. We’re also opening a Blog Tour page on the TALENT website, found at blynngoodwin.com. For a few months I’d like to focus on YA, NA, and MG books.

I’m currently working on a memoir. Can a 62-year-old who’s never been married find happiness with a two-time widower who she met on … gulp … Craigslist?

How did you come up with the title for your YA book? Sandee equates talent with singing, dancing, and acting. She can’t see that she has a talent for problem solving. It will serve her well for years to come.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Everybody has a talent. Some are more obvious than others. It important to remember everybody matters, and each of us has something unique to share with our family and the community. Sometimes it’s hard to see the good you do and get perspective on the problems you face when you are in the midst of coping with everything.

How much of the book is realistic? TALENT is quite realistic. I used to be a high school drama teacher and I’ve directed Oklahoma! That said, my stage manager didn’t (oops! SPOILER ALERT)—She did not have Rob’s issues…). Nor did my stage manager have an assistant. We were not engaged in a war when we did the show. There are no zombies in this book, although Sandee seeks help from a (oops! SPOILER ALERT)—You’re going to have to read the book to find this one out.

What book(s) are you reading now? I just finished Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir and am reading Jennifer McMahon’s The Winter Sisters. Next on my shelf is The Girl on the Train. Did I mention that I review books for Writer Advice and Story Circle Network and have shelves and tables full of books sent for review?

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Debut author David Arnold captured my interest with his YA, Mosquitoland. You can read my interview with him on Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. It’s on the home page right now and will move to the archives at the beginning of January.

Any other current projects? In addition to running contests for Writer Advice, working on my memoir, teaching Independent Study for Writers through Story Circle Network, http://www.storycircleonlineclasses.org/index.php, doing Manuscript Consultations for Writer Advice, I am planning on writing a second book using the characters in TALENT. I don’t think I mentioned that several of these characters originally appeared in a series I wrote for Dramatics Magazine. It was called “Dear Diary” and included excerpts from Sandee’s diary describing fun activities in drama class.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? My advice is to keep writing, keep digging, keep sharing your stories. Who will tell your stories, from your point of view, if you do not?

Do you have any suggestions to help existing writers to be better? Revise, wait, and revise again. When you know it’s the best it can be, submit it. Know who you’ll submit to next if it is rejected.

You can learn more about Lynn at  www.writeradvice.com

Books can be purchased at Talent

 

 

An Interview with Lynn Goodwin: Author of Talent

lgood67334:

Thanks for the interview, Jill.

Originally posted on Writers on the Journey Blog:

Can you give us some highlights from your new book, Talent?

Fifteen-and-half-year-old Sandee Mason wants to find her talent, get her driver’s license, and stop living in the shadow of her big brother, Bri, who disappeared while serving in Afghanistan. You can read the first chapter at http://blynngoodwin.com/an-excerpt-from-talent/.

It’s a good book for teens, parents, military families, and those who love shows and drama. There’s no crowd like the drama crowd. I know because I used to teach drama in high school and college.

Describe your most memorable moment as an author.

Just one? Every time I make a scene work or create a moment that rings true or read a compliment from a reader or a client, I store it away and all of those moments have formed a collage in my head.

What authors have most influenced your writing?

I’m often influenced by whomever I’m reading. Today…

View original 759 more words

Wise Advice?

November 13, 2015

B. Lynn Goodwin
Here’s the wise advice:

“Remember that writing things down makes them real; that it is nearly impossible to hate anyone whose story you know; and, most of all, that even in our post-postmodern era, writing has a moral purpose.”

— Andrew Solomon, at the Whiting Awards

Do you agree?

Nicole: Definitely.

Sandee: Pretty much. I guess I need to get a few more people’s stories. Maybe I don’t know everyone as well as I thought I did.

Rob: Is there such a thing as a post-postmodern era, or is somebody making that up?

Diego: I wish I could say that to Bowen. She’s my math teacher, and she’s always telling me I’m wrong, even though my answers are written down. Or am I missing the point?

Tessa: Mostly it’s true, unless you blurt out things you don’t really mean when you’re writing a rant or something.

Mr. Mason: Sometimes it makes things real, but if I wrote that Bri never got injured it would be a lie. Are you sure this is supposed to apply to all writing?

B. Lynn Goodwin: It’s more likely to be true in memoir than in fiction. If you write something that you think is true that turns out to be fiction, that means writing helped you process more deeply. Generally it is true. Like every rule, it can be challenged.

What do you think? Click on “Leave a comment” or “lgood67334” at the top of this post and tell us when this applies in your life, or when it doesn’t, or both. 

What Are You Waiting For?

B. Lynn Goodwin

I decided to ask my characters a question, the way the Question Man in the newspaper used to. I went to San Ramos High, and found all of these people on the campus or in the parking lot, and I asked each of them, “What are you waiting for?”

Sandee: A role. Any role. And for mom and dad to realize that I’m still here.

Diego: A paying job as a drummer, okay?

Rob: Graduation.

Jenn: Opening night. I can’t wait. I actually have some lines in this show, and I’m the only girl in the 10th grade who does.

Nicole: College—Even if I can only go to Pine Mountain. College and more singing gigs.

Mrs. G: I’m waiting for something different from each of my students. I’m waiting to see a professional performance from each of my student actors. I’m waiting for our production of Oklahoma to come together, and before too long I’ll be waiting to meet the new freshmen.

Mr. Mason: I’m waiting for Brian to come home.

Mrs. Mason: I’m waiting for Brian to come home so we can be the family we always were. I’m waiting to feel whole again. Six months ago I would have said I was waiting for Sandee to grow up, but now I think she’s maturing a little too fast.

Dr. Henderson: A school day with no problems.

B. Lynn Goodwin: I’m waiting for TALENT to appear on Amazon. Until that happens, you can still get a copy at http://www.lulu.com/shop/b-lynn-goodwin/talent/paperback/product-22424256.html#ratingsReview. Lulu is the distributor for Eternal Press.

I hope you enjoy TALENT. Feel free to like it on Facebook and Twitter. Click on the Contact button to tell me what you think of it, okay?

A Word From The Author

B. Lynn Goodwin

For some time I’ve been eager to share TALENT with the world. Apparently, sadly but not surprisingly, life is what happens while you’re making other plans.

TALENT was scheduled for release on November 1. I thought it would be posted on Amazon that day, but it’s been “rerouted.” That’s the best way I can  explain it at the moment. The good news is that you can purchase a print copy of TALENT at http://www.lulu.com/shop/b-lynn-goodw.... Feel free to cut and paste that URL.

You can share a review on the page, if you like, and repost it on Amazon when the book is available there. Send your e-mail address to Lgood67334 AT comcast DOT net if you’d like to be added to the list of people receiving updates. I’ll keep the e-mails to a minimum.

If you read the description below the cover at Lulu, you’ll see that TALENT is still published by Eternal Press, an imprint of Caliburn Press. They are sub-contracting for distribution, as I understand it, and Lulu will distribute to Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, Kobo, and elsewhere. Everything takes time, and e-books as well as paperbacks will be available on Amazon in 2-4 weeks, I’m told. I was as surprised as you may have been when it did not appear yesterday, but some things are not within my control.

Write to me if you have questions and I’ll do my best to answer them, okay? I’m doing all that I can do to make the book available to you.

Halloween

October 31

Jenn’s hosting a Halloween party tonight. She gets to use the stage at her parent’s theatre. She’s invited everyone in the cast of Oklahoma! to be there. Of course we have to go in costume. She’s going to be a prairie chick. Mrs. G won’t let anybody take their show costumes off campus, but lots of the kids can do a sort of an imitation of them.

So where does that leave me? A headset is not a costume. What’s a techie supposed to do?

Diego came up with this amazing idea. He said we could go as two telephone poles and asked if I had a brown turtleneck to wear with dark pants . I said, “Sure, but what’s the point of being two telephone poles?”

“We’ll sew strings to our sleeves and when we hold up our arms, they’ll look like wires running between two telephone poles. Like the poles that run alongside the tracks in the valley. It’s historical and everything.”

“I know what a telephone pole is,” I said as a  trembling little flurry tickled my stomach. He really wants to do this. He wants to be tied to me. I can’t wait to see what the party brings. Maybe he’s growing up more than I realize. And if he wants strings running between our shirts, he won’t get to spend any time alone with Jenn. This is going to be a night to remember.

An Excerpt from TALENT

Source: An Excerpt from TALENT