My Library Presentation and Book Signing

In case you missed my presentation at the local library:
 After I said my introduction and thanked the Friends of the Library for inviting me to speak, I read a short poem I wrote on New Year's Day. At the end of my monologue, I read Chapter 49 from Penniless Hearts which was followed by a question and answer session where people asked me many interesting questions. It went well because I ended up signing quite a few books!Anyway, hoping to inspire other writers, this is what I said:
 "I’m sure many of you are voracious readers and some of you are also writers—perhaps published authors--who know a lot more than I do. That being said, I’m still thrilled to be here and willing to share what I know.
Today I’ll speak about three things: Voice*Validation and*Following Your Heart".
Voice:
"Have you ever watched the program the Voice on television?
The four famous judges are listening to potential stars who are putting their reputation and talent on the line in front of the world. If they don’t like what they hear, they don’t select the contestant for further shows. What it usually boils down to is style or voice. If the singer sounds exactly like (enter famous singer's name here)they may like her/him but what they are looking for is something unique. They want the talent of  (famous singer from previous sentence,)but...different. If you've ever listened to Karaoke or sang some yourself, you know there are people who can mimic other singers and sound almost exactly like the star who made the song famous. Real talent is something that shines beyond normal expectations. 
Will someone want to keep reading or will it put them to sleep?  I polish up my spelling and grammar and I also go through each sentence to portray my personal voice. Sometimes it’s a happy voice or a silly voice, a grumpy voice or an angry voice. How do I make the reader feel? Funny author, Carl Hiaasen says “The greatest sin for a writer is to be boring."
Though we might want to be Shakespeare, the best thing to be is to be yourself. Find your unique voice and readers will search out your words."
Validation:"Early validation is the best. If you know a youngster who enjoys writing, please encourage her and support her choices. Tell her to read because it’s the most important part of writing. I know many writers who don’t want to read—they only want to write. Can you imagine? Take the kids/grand-kids to the library on a regular basis and don’t forget about all the wonderful summer programs this library offers.  In high school, I received some early validation from the yearbook committee and when I selected my college internship, I wrote for my employee newsletter which also gave me validation. Then in the early eighties, I finally landed a job as a columnist for a newspaper in Newport Beach. Much much later, I finally published poems and stories. I found readers who enjoyed my writing, thus giving me the validation and confidence I needed to continue this journey.
Should you need validation there are many many online writing groups and also Meetup Groups. (They usually meet at a Starbucks) (Go to Meetup.com and get support from other writers in your area.) My favorite online groups are Writer’s Mayhem on Facebook, Pnp Authors and even Linked-in has hundreds of professional sounding writing groups. While living in the desert, I was also a member of the Palm Springs Writer’s Guild and attended several critique groups there. 
Most important: Write and keep writing. Write stories with plots and submit them to magazines or anthologies and then write again. Every day. Short stories can be a key to your future success because they are like small novels encapsulated in less than 3000 words. Write poetry, Write humor. Write what you know. Start a blog to help build a platform of followers who will immediately tell you what they think.   Keep a journal or a diary. Host a literary party or join a critique group. Your friends will be supportive and hopefully offer you great constructive critiques. 
Following Your Heart: 
Ask yourself why you want to write. If you are a true artist, you won’t be able to stop yourself from writing anyway. It comes naturally and there’s not much anyone else can do about it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of your dreams. Attend a workshop or go to a Writer’s conference where you can meet agents who will tell you if they are excited about your work! They might also suggest changes or tell you to scrap your idea and start with something fresh. Always remember that it is your work and your heart on the line and though we are all sensitive, you have to be prepared for a little pain along the journey.
There are loads of publishers looking for your literary input. I have had many short pieces published with small publishers and they promote  books but expect the writers to promote as well. After one of my first stories was published, I was miraculously featured on the cover of the local paper. They don’t have large budgets but want to share the royalties with the authors. Writer’s Market is a good reference for finding the name and addresses of these publishers. There are hundreds of them and they are constantly looking for emerging talent.
Self-Publishing  has evolved and grown into a very reputable form of publishing.  I chose self-publishing for my novel Penniless Hearts because I wanted complete control over the story. After spending twenty-five years in the newspaper business, it was a story I had to tell. The story is about communication and how the lack of it can cause dire, albeit humorous or even surprising consequences. 
Self-publishing consists of getting an editor for your manuscript and hiring a cover designer too. If you are good with computers then you won’t have any trouble formatting your own book and creating your own covers. Personally, I’m not that computer savvy and needed help with everything. It was an enjoyable process and I’m still enjoying the fruits of my labor by getting praise and some very flattering reviews.  
In conclusion, I want to remind you that the main focus of all writing is the reader.  What you really want are readers. If you have a large group of friends and family then you already have potential readers lined up where you need them.
When I’m not writing, then I’m probably reading. I read everything I can get my hands on. I read and review or make comments and ask questions. I try to interact with authors and listen to their advice. There's a lot to learn and I'm still learning. Reading can make every day a magical odyssey or a dreamy adventure. It’s a wonderful journey full of plot twists and turns that can make us cry, giggle and laugh-out-loud enough to wake our spouse. Thanks for having me visit your group. Hope we can meet again and I look forward to reading your published words!"
I'm so sorry you couldn't make it.Well? Did I inspire you?