Lavinia Thompson's Blog: Seeking reviewers! , page 26

~Poem~ Wildflowers Scattered, Estranged (Memoirs of a Small Town Girl)

This is the first of a series of my poems that I'll be posting under the "Memoirs of a Small Town Girl," which will be my next self-published poetry book after "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle."

Are you still stealing kisses from boys?

Do you wonder where life in a

small town goes when butterflies fly

into September skies?

Felt like a runaway wanting to

take some one way train

a thousand miles away.

As we sat in that coffee shop

you said you were staying behind.

I remember shaking my head saying

you'll be stuck here forever.

I'm leaving, never looking back.

You should do the same.

Are you turning to face your mistakes?

Summer nights once spellbound,

always said I'd be off chasing dreams.

Haven't talked to you since

your wedding made you better

than the old friends we had.

I made a break for the county line after graduation.

watched the water tower silhouette vanish,

wondering where we'd end up some day.

I remember the biggest scandal was

when a family friend stole kisses

from a married man.

Are they still talking about that

like it happened yesterday?

He went home to his family;

his sons threatened her.

No one acknowledges it was his decision too.

She said he simply said the right things.

Her mother died not a month before that

after spending years caring for her.

She never married but we all get lonely.

I remember rumours, how mad they made me.

No one knew who she was.

She was alone but didn't forget.

Are you living lost,

a girl become a woman too soon?

They all marry young, raise kids,

attend church, deny the heart's truth.

Staring distantly out your kitchen window

to our high school, I'll never go back

or there'll be no getting out again.

I refuse to end up like you.

You don't even know who you are,

like blossom trees that grow back

the same every year. I've always been like

wildflowers scattered, estranged.

I'm not meant for the life you chose.

I remember wanting to burn down the town.

You didn't have to be a rebel

to make a run to the county line;

never going back again.

Spellbound release date change and some thoughts

So a few updates have come up in the last few weeks.

First off, the release date for Spellbound by Fire has been changed to Nov. 16, 2011, due to publishing and scheduling changes with my publisher.

Secondly, I now at least have a secure internet connection which means more blogging and more marketing for my books. I feel that I missed out on that over the summer not having a proper internet connection.

And the cover art for She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle is near done, just adding a few more little touch-ups to it and it will be done. I will share it with everyone as soon as I can!

The next step on my self-publishing journey is editing, typesetting/formatting and eBook conversion before I will be able to have the book released in eBook format. Print version will wait a little while for me to see how it sells in digital format.

 Something that must be said…

Something in the news caught my eye recently. A 15-year old girl in Alberta committed suicide not long after confessing that her father sexually abused her. For some wacked up reason she was put back into the custody of the same father. What is wrong with our society that when a young girl cries abuse no one listens and they put her back into the hands that she claims stole her innocence? It's unbelievable.

It's tragic that she took her own life in order to avoid being hurt anymore. It's infuriating that no one listened to her. It's scary because she could have been anyone's daughter, sister, best friend, or cousin. It isn't enough that the hands of a parent who should have cared about her and loved her instead tortured her to the point where she no longer wanted to live. Society and the justice system had to turn their backs on her and leave her to deal with it- alone.

Hers isn't the only story. The media doesn't normally report on suicides out of fear of copy cats. This was an odd one that made it through the cracks of all the news and junk that usually gets reported on and I'm glad it did get mentioned. People need to be aware that no community is immune to child abuse and/or domestic violence. None. We all need to do our part to raise awareness and help those as much as we can. Stories like this are a sombre reminder of the attitude that is given to abuse a lot of times. It is also a reminder of how much work needs to be done before people will finally understand just how serious this issue is, even in our own towns and neighbourhoods, and often, in our own homes.

 

 

 

 

Another self-publishing project!

I want to do another poetry book.

Yes, I know, I just finished one. I can't wait for "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle" to come out in October. And I have to work on "Spellbound II", which is currently at chapter 4 and going well. The rewrites are going smooth and I am catching up quite quickly. Regardless of anymore projects I take on, "Spellbound II" is my main focus for now.

"She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle" finished off at 125 pages and 84 written pieces. But I have so many poems from all these years just hanging around in random folders not doing much other than sitting there. In their eBook "Be the Monkey," Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler say that the best thing for a writer to do to profit financially is write, but if that writing doesn't get used, there is no profit.

So I want to do another poetry book.

It's an idea for one I've had for a while. A bunch of these unused poems explore what life was life in a small town, the restlessness to leave it, actually leaving and returning once or twice before actually breaking free for good. I think it's something many of us can relate to, whether you were a small town kid or not. There's always a subtle yearning to see the rest of the world. I lived for almost a decade in a town where people were born, grew up, married young, had their kids, raised their kids and died all in the same town. Meanwhile, I always yearned to get out of there and go see bigger and better things.

The funny thing is, of all the great cities like Ottawa and Vancouver I always wanted to see and dreamed of living in, I ended up in a small town anyways. I was born on the Sunshine Coast and I feel at home here.

This poetry book, which I am naming "Wildflowers Scattered, Estranged: Memoirs of a Small Town Girl," probably won't be out until next year because of "Spellbound" and "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle." I'm thinking towards spring time it'll be released. This will be my second self-publishing project.

Speaking of self-publishing, I have noticed a few writers on Facebook and Twitter who are teetering on the decision of whether to self-publish or not. That great three-part discussion by Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath called "Be the Monkey" is a lengthy read but definitely worth the time reading. It's what convinced me to go self-publishing.

It is available in eBook for free: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2011/03/ebooks-and-self-publishing-dialog.html

It is a very in-depth look at the book publishing industry by two men who know the industry well. I highly recommend it to anyone trying to make the decision of whether to self-publish or not.

Well, seems as I've added another project to my own plate, I guess it's back to writing for me!

 

 

She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle: DONE

That "Just finished a book" feeling…

Well, this afternoon I finished the manuscript for "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle." Each poem has been meticulously edited and arranged in the specific arrangement I want them to be. The manuscript is sitting at 125 pages. So, I'm sitting here in a coffee shop in front of my laptop thinking…what do I do now?

There is a list of things left to do before this book is released. My release date is still set for the end of October and it looks like things are right on track to meet that date. My to-do list from here on out looks a bit like this:

-       August- manuscript finished. Cover art to be done this month. Applied for an ISBN number for the book.

-      September- editing. ISBN number should be given.

-      Beginning of October- editing should be done. Typesetting and eBook formatting to be done.

-      End of October- release date, to be released first as an eBook.

As I said before, I am finding this all to be a big matter of organization and keeping track of what has been done and what is left to do. It's also a matter of doing one thing at a time, which makes things easier to manage and easier to pay for without going broke all at once. Starting out is the most expensive part of self-publishing. I have a feeling once this is off the ground and the marketing is well underway, things will go fairly smooth.

With the work on the manuscript done, I can focus back to Spellbound by the Sword and into the piratical adventures of Billy. The book hasn't been all abandoned in this time. I've had some ideas stirring around my head, with some credit being owed to my fiancé's pirate computer game I've been watching him play. Funny where some ideas come from…

Anyways, that's the update! The last of my caramel latte is dwindling to mere drops now that this poetry book is finished. I love that "just finished a book" feeling.

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Well, this afternoon I finished the manuscript for "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle." Each poem has been meticulously edited and arranged in the specific arrangement I want them to be. The manuscript is sitting at 125 pages. So, I'm sitting here in a coffee shop in front of my laptop thinking…what do I do now?

 

There is a list of things left to do before this book is released. My release date is still set for the end of October and it looks like things are right on track to meet that date. My to-do list from here on out looks a bit like this:

 

-          August- manuscript finished. Cover art to be done this month. Applied for an ISBN number for the book.

-          September- editing. ISBN number should be given.

-          Beginning of October- editing should be done. Typesetting and eBook formatting to be done.

-          End of October- release date, to be released first as an eBook.

 

As I said before, I am finding this all to be a big matter of organization and keeping track of what has been done and what is left to do. It's also a matter of doing one thing at a time, which makes things easier to manage and easier to pay for without going broke all at once. Starting out is the most expensive part of self-publishing. I have a feeling once this is off the ground and the marketing is well underway, things will go fairly smooth.

 

With the work on the manuscript done, I can focus back to Spellbound by the Sword and into the piratical adventures of Billy. The book hasn't been all abandoned in this time. I've had some ideas stirring around my head, with some credit being owed to my fiancé's pirate computer game I've been watching him play. Funny where some ideas come from…

 

Anyways, that's the update! The last of my caramel latte is dwindling to mere drops now that this poetry book is finished. I love that "just finished a book" feeling.

My adventure at a writer's festival

I finally got to the local writer's festival today after being restricted by my work schedule for the past few days. It was an incredible opportunity to network with some local and non-local writers.

What struck me was the number of self-published authors who were present. One of the writers I was talking to said there were about 21 self-published or "independent" writers at the festival this year. I guess it shouldn't be so much of a surprise, seems as self-published authors are all over the place. Still, it struck me how self-published authors nearly outnumbered authors from traditional publishers.

I bought a ticket to see a self-published author by the name of Alexander MacLeod. In the festival booklet under his bio, it talked about how he packed a bunch of copies of his book, Light Lifting, and travelled across Canada selling books out of the trunk of his car and attending any writer's festivals he could. I got the chance to ask him whether this was an effective selling strategy or not.

"It's all about getting the word out," he told me. He went to explain that his book did quite well in sales as a result. It was a 2010 finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, a huge leap for a self-published author. He talked about how much he appreciates independent writers as well.

Another author I spoke to, Elizabeth Elwood, published her crime series through iUniverse. She got a review by Barbara Kay of the National Post just by sending copies of her books out to both big newspapers and little ones. She joked about how at one book signing her table was set up right beside a huge shelf holding Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series.

Attending the festival was a great learning experience for someone like me just entering the world of self-publishing and especially interested in learning the marketing aspects of it. It seems each writer is different in how they approach marketing their book, whether the strategy works or not. I read somewhere how doing in-person book signings and book promotional tours is something that is dying with the amount of internet advertising writers can do. MacLeod has proven that theory wrong.

While the internet is a brilliant free advertising tool, word-of-mouth is also an effective marketing strategy. It's one thing to sit in front of the computer all day, blogging, on Facebook and Twitter. It's another to get out there in person and interact with readers. We all have to remember that not everyone is on Facebook and Twitter.

Festivals are also a great way for writers to connect with each other. Writing is an isolating obsession, but it's healthy to get out of the house and interact with other writers who know the frustrations and agonies that can come with writing.

The next writer's festival in my area is the International Writer's Festival in Vancouver this October…and I can't wait! Spellbound by Fire will be released then and She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle might, with good timing, be out. I can't wait to try my hand at in-person marketing at a writer's festival and do some more networking.

 

My self-publishing journey: an update

I've been sitting in Starbucks since about 1:30 pm putting together the manuscript for "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle." Altogether, it's been a productive afternoon. I am about a third of the way finished assembling the manuscript. I have also put together a list of what I have left to do for the book and how much it's going to cost. It looks a little like this:

Because I have already arranged it, my first priority is the book cover, which will cost me roughly $100, give or take.

After putting together the manuscript I need to get it edited professionally. This will coast me about $450. Because it's a poetry book, I have been told that it will likely only need a light edit which will cost about $3.99/page.

Following that will come typesetting and eBook formatting, which together will cost roughly $250.

That's just the technical stuff and doesn't include actually printing the book, which might have to wait. I plan on selling "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle" as an eBook first and I will invest what money is made from that into getting print copies of the book done. Before printing, I estimate the cost of self-publishing this book to be around $770.

After printing, marketing will be the next cost to consider. Of course, much marketing can be done online through Facebook and Twitter and blogging. Next summer, though, I would like to travel across the country attending writer festivals and getting some word-of-mouth marketing going on for both "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle" and "Spellbound by Fire."

And I anticipate the release date for "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle" to be around the end of October if everything goes well. That's coming up quickly but with some hard work and perseverance I am sure I can do it. I am savouring the challenge that self-publishing is posing for me. But I am hearing nothing but good things about the direction in which the world of self-publishing is going. Just today I had a friend on Facebook post this article about it: http://blogs.forbes.com/booked/2011/06/06/good-day-sunshine-for-writers/

I am finding the keys to this self-publishing endeavour are organization and determination. If you're not organized, you're going to be scattered and not get much done. Without determination, you won't have the ambition or initiative to make the book a success or to get as far as getting it published properly. I've been talking to a lot of other writers and a publisher or two about self-publishing and where people go wrong in the journey. I have gotten a lot of good advice, and just as importantly, I have gotten immense support from the writing community, for which I have to thank everyone for!

Now back to this manuscript…more coffee please??

 

 

 

Domestic Violence Anthology- using our voices

Writing is a voice. It is writing words on paper that quietly break a silence with every drop of ink placed between the lines.

Through Facebook I discovered a Domestic Violence Anthology that was taking submissions for a non-profit book, proceeds of which to go towards charity. This comes at the same time I am working on my self-publishing poetry collection, "She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle."

Needless to say, I was all over that. I just sent in my submission for it today and I feel that I have walked a long road both as a writer and a child growing into a woman. Witnessing and enduring domestic violence leaves the deepest of scars in someone, but writing has always been my saviour and my sanity. From that bedroom in the basement where I would sit listening to songs I hated while they made me feel better, to standing before the burned remnants of a house that was home, to sitting here today, chasing dreams of pursuing a full-time writing career. Not only any writing career- I want my writing to mean something, and I can only hope that it does.

The writers contributing to this anthology do not get paid, but I believe the real payment of participating in something like this is the message. Words are powerful tools when wielded with intent. They can destroy or they can do good things. In this case, I am honoured to be part of something that is doing something amazing with words. Because of these writers and their contributions, lives can be changed. Domestic violence is not an issue that is going to solve itself. We all have to do our part to help those who have been hurt and destroyed by it heal and move on.

For the many aspects of abuse there are, there are still more ways to help. The anthology is also taking donations. More information on the anthology can be found at: http://savinglivesthroughlit.weebly.com/index.html.

Sugarland- "Stand Up"

Writing update! Going to be a busy August…

"You have MAPS??"

That was my J.R.R. Tolkien-addicted fiancé's reaction to seeing me surrounded by my Spellbound notes when we were sitting in Starbucks. I was working on the sequel when he glanced over and spotted the hand-drawn maps of my fictional countries, Nevermore and Adara.

"You should publish those! You'd have a cult following."

Now, having my own cult sounds awesome, but so did his idea. My publisher agreed. So, the maps of Nevermore and Adara are going to be published in Spellbound by Fire. Depending on where adventures take Billy, I might publish a few more maps in Spellbound by the Sword.

I have never read Tolkien's work, though I have heard much about it from my fiancé. Tolkien was a literary genius from what I've been told; an extremely creative man who created his own world, languages and everything. And he had maps. According to my fiancé, "maps rule."

Interaction with readers is a big thing. It's why writers put so much effort into being on Twitter and Facebook so much. Social media has opened up so many doors for interacting with readers, but has that undermined the interaction that should continue inside the pages of the book? I don't think it should. Hearing about Tolkien has made me think about ways to interact with readers within the book. Tolkien did this in an advanced way that many writers today don't think to do. I didn't even think to do it. But that's one reason I love my better half's creative mind. He picks up on some things I don't.

In other news…

Spellbound by Fire undergoes the extensive and tedious editing process this month. The cover art for the book will also get started this month. I am very excited, especially for the latter. I've seen some of the covers that have come out of Hellfire Publishing and I love the art! And it's only a month and a half until it's released!! Sept. 15!!!

Spellbound by the Sword, the sequel is undergoing some rewrites from chapter 3 on. I had to add some other events from Billy's younger years into those early chapters. Everything flows better. My self-imposed deadline on the first draft of the sequel is New Year's. Basically, any time I don't spend working, marketing Spellbound by Fire, and doing stuff for She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle will be devoted to writing like a mad writer. Um, not that it would be any different than normal…

As for She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle, I have found a cover artist for it and am currently seeking a professional editing service for it as I have finished my own edit of the book and just have to assemble the poems and other stuff in there as I prefer. I am hoping to have this out for October at the latest.

I am getting five or so poems published in a Domestic Violence anthology. It is a non-profit book for which the proceeds will be going to various charities dedicated to the same cause. I am honoured to be part of this and to do something to help the cause.

And lastly, two things: my mother is doing better. She is home from the hospital and recovering. She still can't see out of one eye but it's a one day at a time thing.

Finally, I am thinking of just taking a bunch of books next summer and travelling to every writer's festival I can and marketing the bejesus out of my books! It would be an excuse for a road trip for my fiance and I because we love road trips, and it would be an experience to market books and network face-to-face with other writers. I love the idea!

 

Living out the dream… (Update)

"And now I'm fantastic…"

"This one's for you and me, living out our dreams, we're all right where we should be. With my arms out wide, I open my eyes, and now all I want to see is a sky full of lighters…"

That song, "Lighters," by Eminem, Royce Da 5'9 and Bruno Mars, has been the story of how this self-publishing journey has been so far. Actually, it sums up really what my entire writing journey has been like.

Spellbound by Fire went through a lot before being published. After the original draft was lost in the house fire, I almost gave up writing in general. When you lose faith in yourself and stop believing in the only that kept you holding on, you lose the biggest part of yourself. That was me for six months following the house fire, after a near decade of dealing with domestic violence at home and bullying at school. It was a small town with a dark side, not the picture that songs paint of how safe and warm small town life is. It's not how I remember it.

Yet last night I was standing outside of Starbucks . My fiancé and I moved over to the Sunshine Coast, just outside Vancouver, and we live in the town where I was born. For many years it felt like I never had a hometown. I was just drifting from place to place in a haze of faces and new welcome signs. But the day I got back here people recognized me and welcomed me back. I am proud to call this place home. The funny thing is, it's a small town. After leaving the town where the house fire occurred, I swore I'd never live in another small town. I dreamed of skyscrapers and hundred-floor buildings in cities like Vancouver and Ottawa. I even considered fleeing further away and moving to England. But there I stood last night, in this little town, watching cars go by and traffic lights changed and the occasional airplane flying overhead as the ocean breeze slipped through the streets. This…place…this is home.

To be less than two months away from Spellbound's release now is something astounding. The words of everyone who ever told me I would never do it run through my head every now and then… "you'll never make any money doing that, you should just go into nursing, that's where the money is."

What they never understood was this has never been about how much money I make. It would be great to make enough to live on, but the truth is, it's about doing something I love. That was the whole point of moving here and ditching journalism for novels. It's about the one thing every writer wants- to be heard. Spellbound has many messages I have wanted to tell the world for years, and it is coming to light on Sept. 15, 2011. The support I get now for Spellbound and my writing journey is unbelievable and those who do support me I must thank…you all have no idea how much it means or how much I love you.

Not only is Spellbound coming out in September- it looks like She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle will be coming out well before Christmas. I'm thinking September or October. I have a cover artist now and we have been discussing what would work for the cover art. I am very excited about this. It should be ready within the next month and I will share that once I have it. I am in the process of finding an editor for my poetry collection, so that should be done in the next month or so as well. Self-publishing has turned out much easier than I thought it was.

So close to having two books released in one year and once upon a time, when I was just that devastated teenager in the aftermaths of a house fire, it seemed I'd never have that dream to hold onto again. It really is fantastic.And the best part is…it's only beginning.

In other news…

My mother is doing alright. She is getting out of the hospital hopefully next week. From there, I'm hoping to get her moved out here so I can watch her. She is on medical unemployment for a year, perhaps permanently…but she'll be alright as long as she has someone to take care of her. Thanks to all who sent positive thoughts and prayers.

And a song…

"You and I know what it's like to be kicked down, forced to fight. But tonight, we're alright, so hold up your lights, let them shine…" ~ Bruno Mars

Life and writing update- Art mimics life

The good news is my mother is alright after her mild stroke. The bad news came just tonight. Because of how the stroke affected one of the nerves connecting to her eye, she won't be working for a year and she might not ever work again.

She had an operation done the night after her stroke. The doctors took an aneurism out of her head. Apparently it wasn`t long until it would have burst otherwise.

There is a slight devastation in the news. OK, a little more than "slight." It`s scary to think what would have happened had the aneurism not been detected, which means  the stroke probably came with perfect timing, as weird as it sounds. The result would have been much more catastrophic had the aneurism not been found when it was. This is a woman who raised all three of us kids on her own, worked 16-hour shifts and endured almost a decade of domestic violence just to emerge as strong as she ever was. As I said in my last post, the fragility of human health is proof that no matter how invincible someone seems, they aren't always so.

My mother will pull through, this I know. She remains the strongest person I know. I have derived much of my strength from her. When I felt like dropping out of college, just overwhelmed by many things happening at the time, it was the memory of how she pulled through and evened up the odds. Not every woman escapes an escalating abusive relationship with her life. In fact, the odds are you don't. She is my biggest inspiration for that reason.

This incident will find its way into my writing somewhere. I'm just not sure where yet. What I do know is that by keeping up the strength and endurance that she always maintained, together we`ll pull her through this just like she pulled us through everything else. And then somewhere down the road, it`ll give me something else to write about…as a wonderful writer friend of mine says, "Art mimics life and vice versa!"

In Writing News…

The editing process for Spellbound by Fire is to start next month, so I am told by my publisher. Meanwhile, Spellbound by Swords is at chapter 7 and going well. I just finished going over and organizing my plot lines so it's back to the actual writing.

As for She Wasn't Allowed to Giggle, I am doing an edit of the manuscript myself before seeking out a professional editor and cover artist for it. If anyone knows a talented and affordable cover artist, do let me know!

That's about it for now!