A Moment of Inspiration

Last post Feb, 2010? That can't be right! Wow. I knew I had been busy. . .

All the excuses for not blogging/writing/marketing are there. Working a lot (ever want job security? Be an OT. . .more work than you ever want or need). Kids in too many activities and homework that takes too long. Husband who is busier than ever as well. . .leaves little time to let the mind wander and explore ideas to write about. Oh they are there, but are so fleeting that by the time I've grabbed ahold of them, it's time to move on to the next project.

And not to mention anything that seems worthy of writing about is difficult. The family has been through a lot over the past few years and touching on any of the subjects of death or illness or problems are not something I am inspired to document. . .yet.

So, happy thoughts only!

What has inspired me today? I just finished reading a great book by a first time author, Tracey Garvis-Graves. I had been browsing through the Kindle website, looking for a good read. I sampled a few here and there and then hit the Kindle top 100 paid. Usually I look for something to spark an interest and I don't know what about this book jumped out at me, but once I read the synopsis, I was hooked. Maybe because it had a familiar ring to it. . .and as an author I could relate to her line of thinking. Or maybe it was the affordable price of $2.99 or the fact that she had almost 500 reviews or maybe because she was self-published and made it to the Kindle top 100. (In the top 20 or so!). That is quite an accomplishment for a self-published author and for me a must read! The title is On The Island and once I started reading it on Wednesday I couldn't put it down.

The world of publishing is changing at a rapid pace. Two years ago, you mention self-published to some people they would give you a cursory smile, say, "oh, that's nice, congratulations," and then move on, never even considering the book worthy of reading. But now, as authors like Tracey Garvis-Graves have proven, self-published is the way of the future. Who needs an agent or a publishing house anymore? If you have the time and are computer savvy, all you need is YOU! Just write the book, edit it (professional editing helps), upload it and then VOILA. You have a published book. But how do you go from that to what Ms. Garvis-Graves has accomplished?

Readers!

And if it is a good book, then people should read it, but they won't read it if they don't know about it.

Here's where the hard part comes in. Marketing.

Ugh.

I would much rather write than market, but I know if I'm ever going to get my books in the hands of a greater number of people I need to get better at it. That means blogging, reading blogs, facebook updates, blogging, blogging, blogging, oh and begging for reviews. Once someone has read a book, it needs a star rating and review in order for it to gain more readership. And it needs a word of mouth following.

Here's where you come in. If you are reading this, then you are probably at least interested in my books. Maybe you've read them already and are waiting for more, or maybe you are interested in reading them someday. If any are the case, then do me a favor. Share the page with your friends and family and ask them to do the same. Oh, and write a review! Please! (that's me begging).

Visit the websites to the side. . .I've made it soo easy. Just click on a book, you'll go straight to the page to purchase it.

Oh, and do me another favor. Read On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves. You'll like it.

And then write a review!

http://www.amazon.com/On-the-Island-ebook/dp/B005L9B5YU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335556309&sr=8-1

I love books. . .

I like to write once in awhile about what I've been reading lately. Maybe for the other book lovers out there, you can get some ideas about something to look for next time you're at the library. . .I'll call it my blog book club.

My mom sent me two books that I was a bit skeptical I would enjoy. Both were written by Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

The Kite Runner is about friendships of two boys from different religious backgrounds growing up in Afghanistan and the turmoil they encounter as Afghanistan goes from an almost idyllic setting to a war zone.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a similar story, but this time a story of two Afghani women from two different generations who are thrown together by circumstances and find a friendship in the midst of strife.

These aren't my typical choice of books I would pick up to enjoy, but I found that I couldn't put them down and I am eager to see The Kite Runner movie that was made last year. After reading those two books, I now take more notice of the articles in the newspaper involving Afghanistan. Although both books are works of fiction, they provided me with a history lesson of the country from the past 50 years.

A few months ago I read The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney and really enjoyed it. Since that time I have checked out three other books she has written.

The Goodbye Summer is about Caddie, a single 30 something piano teacher who lives with her elderly grandmother who is beginning to show signs of dementia. The grandmother falls and breaks a leg and requires more care than Caddie can manage, so she sends her to a rest home (not really a nursing home - more upscale). There they both meet many interesting people and it's about their journeys through some life changing events. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to read. Working with this population in my own profession made the dialogue between Caddie and the other rest home residents poignant and true.

Flight Lessons is about a woman who has to return to her hometown and face a family disagreement head on with her aunt when she becomes manager for her aunt's restaurant. I didn't enjoy this book as much as her other two I had read - the main character being so stubborn and selfish it was frustrating at times, but I guess without that selfishness there wouldn't have been a story there.



Mad Dash is about a woman named Dash who is a portrait photographer (interesting!) who is facing middle age, the loss of her mother and a daughter going off to college all at once. She suddenly finds herself irritated with her OCD husband's every move and ends up leaving him over a silly fight. I enjoyed it, but I probably should have waited 10-12 years (when my girls move out) before I read it to really grasp the truth of it all. . .



I still have one more Patricia Gaffney book to read - Circle of Three. The library has been out of it lately, so I went for a Jodi Picoult book next. Jodi Picoult is a popular author locally. I see moms around town always carrying one of her books and she had a big book signing here last year at the high school that was very heavily attended. Jodi Picout writes about families and relationships. I read one of her books last year (around the time of all the hype) and had a hard time enjoying it. I mean the writing is excellent, don't get me wrong, but the story line of that book The Tenth Circle involved a teenage girl who was date raped, but throughout the story you really don't know whether to believe she's telling the truth or not. And the parents are of course on a rampage to bring this boy to justice and it ends tragically.


So, tragic endings don't sit well with me and that's probably why it's taken me over a year to read something else by this author. The book I read this time - My Sister's Keeper - is being made into a movie, so it must be a good one, right?

My Sister's Keeper is about a girl with a rare form of leukemia who needs an exact blood match to be kept alive, so the parents "create" a sibling that will be an exact match and use that little girl every time the older daughter needs anything - cord blood, bone marrow, transfusions, etc. When the younger daughter is 13, her sister needs a kidney to stay alive, but the 13 year old puts her foot down and brings a lawsuit against her parents. Throughout the book you think how selfish all the characters are being (the mom for not seeing her younger daughter's turmoil, the younger daughter for not seeming to care her sister is going to die and the oldest son who sets arson fires around the town just to get some of his own attention). The side story of the attorney she chooses is the best part of the book - he and the appointed guardian have their own little history that makes the book fun. Again it has an unexpected tragic ending that Ms. Picoult seems to enjoy throwing at you.

I think it will be awhile before I can pick up another Jodi Picoult novel. I have to let the memory of this one go away first. I will hold out for the last Patricia Gaffney book. So far my favorite of hers is still Saving Graces with The Goodbye Summer coming in second.

But once I finish reading her last novel, I will need something else to read. Any suggestions? I enjoyed the movie feedback I got and now I need book feedback. Leave a comment of a favorite book you've read lately.

Summer Daze

What I love about summer -

Taking walks
Relaxing on the beach
Reading in my adirondak chair while the kids play in the backyard
Playdates
Sleepovers
Catching up on movies
Not having anything to do
Eating seafood
Staying up late
Sleeping late

I wish this was what summer was really like! We are busy, but we find time to do some of those things. Two weeks ago, Kylie had Princess Ballerina Camp which I think was specifically designed with her in mind. She chose her outfit carefully every morning, dressed head to toe as either a ballerina, princess or fairy. They got to watch a bit of a movie everyday, do a princess themed craft and learn to dance. At the end of the week they did a little performance for us, which was unbelievably cute.



This week we all had Bible school at our church. I was one of the bible story teachers for the 1st-6th grade, while Melanie and Kylie attended. We all had a great time and we all learned tons of new songs, made great crafts (a really cool birdhouse and a jewelry box painted like the beach were my two favorites), and made lots of new friends. It was a great week.

I have been catching up on my reading as well. A couple of weeks ago I read The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis www.simplywait.blogspot.com . She is a local writer and The Liars Diary is her first published book. She was the person who inspired me to start my blog in the first place after reading a story about her in the Cape Cod Times. My friend Wendy gave me her book and I couldn't put it down.

Then I read the novel, The Edge of Winter by one of my favorite authors, Luanne Rice. She is very inspirational to me in my writing. She writes beautifully about New England in all of her novels.

The next book I read was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the second time. I wanted to read it again before I see the movie. I had forgotten a lot of what happened.

Now it's on to Janet Evanovich's 13th book about Stephanie Plum - Lean Mean 13. I started it last night and am almost finished today. All her books are a quick, fun and relaxing read. I love that she is seeing two men at once. It keeps things interesting!

Next I'll be reading Harry Potter's 6th book before I read the newest book (I hear a rumor that I'm getting number 7 for my birthday, so I'm not buying it yet!).

As far as my book sales go, things are great! I can't believe how many have sold already on Lulu! And the reviews have started to come in. I have two gracious reviews on Lulu (one is from my mom, of course she loves it. . .Thanks mom!) and I've gotten some great feedback via email and in person. I can't share those because most of them are spoilers to the ending. If you liked the books, feel free to leave feedback for others and pass along the word!