Richard Whitten Barnes's Blog, page 2
September 29, 2013
Getting the Picture on Breast Cancer
09/29/20130 Comments
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I am fortunate to have Cheryl Norman as my guest blogger this week. Cheryl bills herself as a writer of Romantic Fiction, but there is plenty of mystery and action in her novels.
This month is a particularly good time to feature Cheryl's views on breast cancer and her new novel, REBUILD MY WORLD.
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Getting the Picture on Breast Cancer
By Cheryl Norman
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. As a breast cancer survivor, I do my part to encourage women to take responsibility for their health.
By now you know the drill. Eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, get an annual mammogram, and perform monthly BSEs (Breast Self-Examinations). Mammograms can save lives. The recommended age for one’s baseline mammy was 40 when I had my first. Later it was raised to 50. Now there’s talk of lowering the age to 30. My dear friend Bobbie was just 38 years old when she died from breast cancer. Brenda’s sister was 32. Waiting until 40 to start mammography didn’t help either woman. Would earlier mammograms have mattered?
But I caution you about mammograms. They aren’t enough. Three years ago, I had my annual mammogram and it was clean. I was dismissed with a “see you next year.” But my high school health instructor instilled in us impressionable teenage girls the need to monitor our bodies. Monthly BSEs familiarized us with what felt normal so we’d know when something didn’t. Fortunately, I took her advice to heart and made monthly BSEs a habit.
Two months after my clean mammogram, I found a suspicious lump during my routine monthly BSE. I had a biopsy and immediate surgery for what turned out to be a fast-growing form of breast cancer. I shudder to think how things would’ve turned out if I had waited ten months for the next mammogram. Now I’m 3½ years without a recurrence. My oncologists told me I was a smart woman not to depend solely on mammography.
In my romantic suspense novel REBUILD MY WORLD, the hero’s mother ignores symptoms until it’s too late. By the time she’s diagnosed with cancer, she’s waited too long. Fear, inconvenience, family responsibilities, and any number of factors cause women to postpone screenings and doctor appointments. You’ll hear arguments that women don’t receive the same level of medical attention as men. That’s no excuse. Make noise. Be heard!
Bottom Line: Take responsibility for your health, and I’m not just addressing women. Men get cancer, too, even breast cancer. If something isn’t normal or just seems “off,” visit your doctor and have it checked. If you aren’t satisfied with your doctor’s level of attention, change doctors. Delay in treatment can mean the difference in life and death. Truly. I’m not being dramatic.
And if you do have cancer, don’t despair. There are many of us survivors around to support and encourage you. Get treatment immediately. The earlier cancer is detected, the better your chances of beating it.
As for my hero’s mother in REBUILD MY WORLD, well. . .she has other reasons for not seeking treatment. She’s harboring a thirty-year old secret that threatens the happiness of her son and the woman he loves. If you like murder mysteries, romance, and complex family drama, give REBUILD MY WORLD a read. It’s available in both print and e-book versions. Visit cherylnorman.com for more information.
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You can learn more about Cheryl's writing by clicking / tapping on her new b
Picture
I am fortunate to have Cheryl Norman as my guest blogger this week. Cheryl bills herself as a writer of Romantic Fiction, but there is plenty of mystery and action in her novels.
This month is a particularly good time to feature Cheryl's views on breast cancer and her new novel, REBUILD MY WORLD.
Picture
Getting the Picture on Breast Cancer
By Cheryl Norman
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. As a breast cancer survivor, I do my part to encourage women to take responsibility for their health.
By now you know the drill. Eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, get an annual mammogram, and perform monthly BSEs (Breast Self-Examinations). Mammograms can save lives. The recommended age for one’s baseline mammy was 40 when I had my first. Later it was raised to 50. Now there’s talk of lowering the age to 30. My dear friend Bobbie was just 38 years old when she died from breast cancer. Brenda’s sister was 32. Waiting until 40 to start mammography didn’t help either woman. Would earlier mammograms have mattered?
But I caution you about mammograms. They aren’t enough. Three years ago, I had my annual mammogram and it was clean. I was dismissed with a “see you next year.” But my high school health instructor instilled in us impressionable teenage girls the need to monitor our bodies. Monthly BSEs familiarized us with what felt normal so we’d know when something didn’t. Fortunately, I took her advice to heart and made monthly BSEs a habit.
Two months after my clean mammogram, I found a suspicious lump during my routine monthly BSE. I had a biopsy and immediate surgery for what turned out to be a fast-growing form of breast cancer. I shudder to think how things would’ve turned out if I had waited ten months for the next mammogram. Now I’m 3½ years without a recurrence. My oncologists told me I was a smart woman not to depend solely on mammography.
In my romantic suspense novel REBUILD MY WORLD, the hero’s mother ignores symptoms until it’s too late. By the time she’s diagnosed with cancer, she’s waited too long. Fear, inconvenience, family responsibilities, and any number of factors cause women to postpone screenings and doctor appointments. You’ll hear arguments that women don’t receive the same level of medical attention as men. That’s no excuse. Make noise. Be heard!
Bottom Line: Take responsibility for your health, and I’m not just addressing women. Men get cancer, too, even breast cancer. If something isn’t normal or just seems “off,” visit your doctor and have it checked. If you aren’t satisfied with your doctor’s level of attention, change doctors. Delay in treatment can mean the difference in life and death. Truly. I’m not being dramatic.
And if you do have cancer, don’t despair. There are many of us survivors around to support and encourage you. Get treatment immediately. The earlier cancer is detected, the better your chances of beating it.
As for my hero’s mother in REBUILD MY WORLD, well. . .she has other reasons for not seeking treatment. She’s harboring a thirty-year old secret that threatens the happiness of her son and the woman he loves. If you like murder mysteries, romance, and complex family drama, give REBUILD MY WORLD a read. It’s available in both print and e-book versions. Visit cherylnorman.com for more information.
Picture
You can learn more about Cheryl's writing by clicking / tapping on her new b
Decisions in Publishing
09/25/20130 Comments
First, many thanks for all the folks who signed on to read Katherine Pym's interesting take on researching for her novels.
Next week I'm hosting a mystery writer, Cheryl Norman. October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and Cheryl's next book has a character who is dealing with it. Cheryl has some strong ideas on the subject she will share.
Back to the subject of this post:
I have been telling folks my next book will be self-published. Well, it ain't so...at least for this time around. The big advantage, as I see it, for a relatively unknown writer to self-publish is that you make more on every book. At my point in my writing (as well as in my life) I am not too concerned about getting rich.
Wings ePress has done a good job for me, producing a good product, both electronic and soft cover. I scoped out all the costs involved in a self-pub. Frankly, I don't know how Wings does it for just the set-up fee they charge if the author wants his/her book in print.
So there it is. Big talker has to eat a little crow.
...anddon't miss Cheryl's post
First, many thanks for all the folks who signed on to read Katherine Pym's interesting take on researching for her novels.
Next week I'm hosting a mystery writer, Cheryl Norman. October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and Cheryl's next book has a character who is dealing with it. Cheryl has some strong ideas on the subject she will share.
Back to the subject of this post:
I have been telling folks my next book will be self-published. Well, it ain't so...at least for this time around. The big advantage, as I see it, for a relatively unknown writer to self-publish is that you make more on every book. At my point in my writing (as well as in my life) I am not too concerned about getting rich.
Wings ePress has done a good job for me, producing a good product, both electronic and soft cover. I scoped out all the costs involved in a self-pub. Frankly, I don't know how Wings does it for just the set-up fee they charge if the author wants his/her book in print.
So there it is. Big talker has to eat a little crow.
...anddon't miss Cheryl's post
September 15, 2013
Katherine Pym
Richard W. Barnes
Please do yourself a favor and read author Katherine Pyms comments on her writing. She is an exceptional writer of Historical Novels. You won't be disappointed.
http://richardwhittenbarnes.com/blog-...
Please do yourself a favor and read author Katherine Pyms comments on her writing. She is an exceptional writer of Historical Novels. You won't be disappointed.
http://richardwhittenbarnes.com/blog-...
September 11, 2013
Back to Work?
Back to Work?
09/11/20130 Comments
After a three month hiatus, I'm back to the task of editing, tweaking and getting ready to publish my historical fiction manuscript, Forgotten Roots. The venue of this story is St. Joseph Island, Ontario, both in the early 1800s and in the present time.
St. Joe is where my book, Bad Medicine, was set, and also where my family spends as much time as possible in the summers. The view from our front deck looks out onto the St. Joseph Channel. Tough duty.
Not that "back to work" is a bad thing. As much as we look forward to our summers, returning to my little office where my computer is set up with its quiet surroundings is a pleasure. So now it's back to doing what writers do: Juggle available time with self-promotion, blogging, editing, re-writes, and if there is time left...actual writing.
Next week:
Meet Katherine Pym, historical writer extraordinaire, is my guest blogger.
09/11/20130 Comments
After a three month hiatus, I'm back to the task of editing, tweaking and getting ready to publish my historical fiction manuscript, Forgotten Roots. The venue of this story is St. Joseph Island, Ontario, both in the early 1800s and in the present time.
St. Joe is where my book, Bad Medicine, was set, and also where my family spends as much time as possible in the summers. The view from our front deck looks out onto the St. Joseph Channel. Tough duty.
Not that "back to work" is a bad thing. As much as we look forward to our summers, returning to my little office where my computer is set up with its quiet surroundings is a pleasure. So now it's back to doing what writers do: Juggle available time with self-promotion, blogging, editing, re-writes, and if there is time left...actual writing.
Next week:
Meet Katherine Pym, historical writer extraordinaire, is my guest blogger.
The Self-publishing Trend
It is intriguing to see the number of successful books, both fiction and non, that are not being promoted by a major publisher, or any publisher for that matter.
I have had a good experience having four of my books published by an "Indie" but am a little fearful that the day of the indie is waning if more and more authors opt to go it alone.
Amazon has what looks like a hold on the business of self-pub, and they do a very good job of it. the advantages I see are:
Almost zero cost for an e-book.
A much greater profit for the author.
Control over pricing and promotional giveaways.
For those (like me) who want a soft cover edition, there are printers out there who should be happy to accept your business as well as that of an Indie. The same is true (but less so, I suspect) for commercial artwork.
I'd like to hear from other writers about their feelings on this (I have a manuscript in the oven), but also from readers. What do you think about buying a self-published book vs. one from Random House,, or even an independent?
I have had a good experience having four of my books published by an "Indie" but am a little fearful that the day of the indie is waning if more and more authors opt to go it alone.
Amazon has what looks like a hold on the business of self-pub, and they do a very good job of it. the advantages I see are:
Almost zero cost for an e-book.
A much greater profit for the author.
Control over pricing and promotional giveaways.
For those (like me) who want a soft cover edition, there are printers out there who should be happy to accept your business as well as that of an Indie. The same is true (but less so, I suspect) for commercial artwork.
I'd like to hear from other writers about their feelings on this (I have a manuscript in the oven), but also from readers. What do you think about buying a self-published book vs. one from Random House,, or even an independent?
September 4, 2013
My Genres
It's important to have a niche, they say, when you have a blog. I can understand that. If you want to attract readers, they must come to your site for a reason. As I don't have a lot to say about a given subject that isn't about politics or religion (let's stay well clear of those areas) I had the idea that avid readers might want to meet some less known writers.
Over the course of the foreseeable future I will be inviting gifted writers from mostly my own genres of Historical Fiction and Mystery/Thriller/Crime. These won't be the usual interview formats. I'll give the writer a free hand to tell you about his work and why he/she thinks you might be interested in buying a copy. Heaven knows new writers need a place where they can toot their horn
Yes, I'll stick my oar in the water, as well, but I won't hit you over the head bout buying my stuff. There's enough on my site about that already.
Over the course of the foreseeable future I will be inviting gifted writers from mostly my own genres of Historical Fiction and Mystery/Thriller/Crime. These won't be the usual interview formats. I'll give the writer a free hand to tell you about his work and why he/she thinks you might be interested in buying a copy. Heaven knows new writers need a place where they can toot their horn
Yes, I'll stick my oar in the water, as well, but I won't hit you over the head bout buying my stuff. There's enough on my site about that already.
