Category: books

BOOK REVIEW: LIVING AND WRITING ON THE COAST OF MAINE by Lea Wait

by Karen, posted in author, books, Work from Home, writing

I have read a couple of Lea Wait’s fiction books, so when I saw her latest book was  memoir-y, I was so excited wait writing cover! I am always interested in how other writers pull it together, how they structure their lives around their craft.

Lea’s book follows the seasons, and is a series of essays describing daily life at home with her husband, her writing, his painting, and their cats.

What comes through very clearly is her love for all of these things. Her four daughters and her grandchildren are also front in center in her heart and in her book.

There are some stories in the book that echo my own life, and I was happy to be reminded of my own memories about my tea-loving grandmother, walking in the beautiful Mt Auburn Cemetery in Watertown, MA, and adopting a kitten.  Like Lea, I have also experienced the gut-wrenching occasion of seeing a completed written piece somehow get deleted from my computer–however, unlike Lea, I no longer have a cat to hold responsible. I only had myself to blame!

That’s the first part. The second part of the book tells us a lot about her writing process. I loved reading about the ‘how to sign a book’ quandary, as she grappled with the same issues I did prior to my first book signing last April for One Brave Thing. She generously shares with us the elements she includes when writing her own (very successful!) books. I will be starting my own character journal immediately!

But the best thing I learned from this book is that Lea was 53 when she published her first book…just like me!  And she has written many, many books since then.

Hope (her favorite word!), people! It’s a beautiful thing!

This is a fast read that will appeal to anyone who loves Maine and anyone who loves their own family and town, as well as any writers. So buy Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine by Lea Wait and put it up on the shelf next to your copy of On Writing by Stephen King (whom she has met!).

**If you like my reviews, please like my author page on FB: K.M Creamer

 

BOOK REVIEW: A Secret Music by Susan Doherty Hannaford

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, writing

I read this book at the recommendation of my friend, Melissa. This is another one of those books that came to me because of the book I wrote, One Brave Thing.  I took a picture of the cover and then forgot about it for a few weeks. I’m so glad that I remembered! I thought this secret musicbook was wonderful. It’s about a family of five in the early 1900’s that is seemingly well off during hard economic times.  Dad works long hours, mom has an illness that is shrouded in secrecy for years, as does one of the children. Two of the three keep it hidden from the adults in their lives, which include their clergy and their aunt, who is a second mother to them all. Many of the family members are gifted musically, Lawrence most publicly of all. I didn’t want to put this book down, even though it deals with difficult subject matter, because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next.

 

There are some wonderful sentences in this book, so true that I copied them down many of them in my journal.

 

The author gives one of the most excellent descriptions of mental illness I have ever read on page 195:  “It’s like in the broad daylight, it’s still dark… There is a wall around her and she can’t get out and nobody can get in.”

Another poetic quote from page 196: “… people don’t understand how a place like this fills up that empty space you didn’t know was empty.” And this from page 201: “The more he said things out loud, the lighter he felt.” And this, from page 235 from the aunt:  “It has always been my preference to live in the brightly lit side of my life.” I’d better stop now, or there will not be any book left for you to read!

I loved all of the characters in this book. I had the clear thought when listening to Father McMahon speak to Lawrence that if he had been the priest at my church, I would probably have stayed a practicing Catholic.

 

Definitely read this book! And when you finish it, read my book, One Brave Thing! And tell two friends! Thank you!

My first public reading of my book

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, Disney, local fun, no fear

I was at the local library recently to read some passages of my first novel, One Brave Thing. It was my first time reading aloud from my book in front of other people. I am not someone who loves public speaking. Actually, I am someone who hyperventilates at the thought of public speaking. Most of my life, I have avoided speaking in front of a group with focused determination.

Until now. I wasn’t over-the-top nervous at first, because it was booked so far in advance. When I thought about it, I thought, oh! Plenty of time! Breathed a sigh of relief, and stopped thinking about it. Suddenly though, the day loomed large. I was feeling distressed. I tried Bach’s Rescue Remedy gum that I found in my desk drawer, left over from when I took my daughter to Florida last year (don’t ask). It helped  a little, but I was still feeling so very nervous.

I confided in my friend Stephanie about my angst. She said, “Just tell yourself: ‘This is going to be fun!'”

Could it really be that easy? I had nothing to lose, right? So I tried it. Every time the ‘OMG! OMG!’ thought popped into my head, I stopped, took a breath, and replaced it with ‘This is going to be so much fun!’

library talk 4

And you know what? It was!

Getting a professional photo for my author page

by Karen, posted in author, books

robin me blue shirtUp until now, I’ve been using mostly my own (hello? #selfie) photos for my website and blog. The current photo I have up my husband took of me, and I love it, but it’s a year old now. I decided to go for it: hire a professional photographer to take my photo for my next book.

 

Robin Reidy of Robins Nest Photography MAINE.  You know how, when you make a good decision, you can feel it right away? This was like that. As soon as the session started, it was obvious that Robin is a highly skilled professional who knew exactly how to get a wonderful photograph. She asked what I wanted, and then did everything, including climbing down a pile of rocks at the beach to get a shot of me with the pink and blue clouds, the ocean, and my beloved rocks all nearby. So far she has sent me two of the photos she took and they are so great!

Robin also took my daughter’s photos for her senior yearbook picture. All I can say is this: it’s going to take a long time to choose the yearbook one, because there are so many incredible shots.

If you want some amazing photographs taken of yourself and/or your family, call Robin.

You will be so happy that you did!

My First Farmers Market Book Sale

by Karen, posted in author, books, local fun, no fear, writing

Today was my first day selling my book, One Brave Thing, at a farmers market. The Saco River Farmers Market, to be exact. I’d been there saco farmers marketbefore, but not for a year or two. I had planned to scope it out ahead of time, but work and family commitments prevented me from doing so. It worked out fine though. It turned out that I picked the one Saturday that there was a big art sale going on down the street, for which they were closing Main Street. You know, the street that the farmers market is on.

DOH!

So, it wasn’t packed. That turned out to be a good thing. There was plenty of room for me to set up my table (thank you, Steve, for helping me get it open!). There was plenty of time for me to arrange my books and flotsam and jetsum on said table. There was plenty of time to talk with some of the other vendors.

I didn’t have time to get any flowers this time, so early this morning I headed out to see what the garden could offer up.

I chose peppermint, spearmint, lavender, lemon thyme, oregano, Nepeta, and rosemary. It looked and smelled amazing. I realized just how much positive energy that the jar of herbs brought to the table when I gave it away…my table was diminished! ‘You don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone’.

herb flower jar

I had a fun morning. I sold some books. I made some friends.
I highly recommend it!

 

How I named One Brave Thing

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, friends, writing

I wonder if all authors struggle with figuring out the title of their book. A self published author has total control over the end product, but this can be a double-edged sword. I went back and forth for months about what to name my book.

amazon cover

In its first draft (which many of you who have been following my blog for years well know 🙂 ) the title was Why Buy the Cow. Then a helpful friend asked, ‘Where’s the question mark?’ What? Oh. Right. It is a question. I hadn’t thought of that. Shoot. I dutifully updated the title to Why Buy the Cow? I was immediately unhappy with this, because it made me think this: Why Buy the Book? This wasn’t good for selling my book in general. I figured that if it made me have that thought, it might make others think that too!

That would be bad.

The next title was One True Love. I liked this title. I even did a little mock-up of a cover for it using free clip art. Then the questioning set in again. Was free clip art really free? Would someone object that it was their original design and I didn’t ask first if I could use it?

(Aside: Who would I ask? Mr Outlook?)

Self doubt: the killer of creativity.

So I went back to square one. What should I call my book?
And then I realized that the phrase ‘one brave thing‘ had been repeating in my head off and on for weeks, and I didn’t know why. And then, suddenly, I did.
My book was trying to tell me its name.

I finally listened.

 

How to post a book review on Amazon

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books

If you follow my author page on Facebook, then you know I have been asking people who enjoyed reading my book to put up a review on Amazon.com. I never stopped to think that maybe not everyone knows how to do this.
Sorry!

So here’s a quick tutorial:

  1. Find my book on Amazon.com

amazon cover

 

 

 

 

 

2. Scroll down to the Customer Review section

how to post a review 1

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Click on ‘Write a Review”

how to post a review 3

 

 

 

 

 

4. Click on the stars to rate it (Hint: 5 stars is good… 🙂 ) and then write whatever you want in the “Write Review Here” box. You can put a photo or a headline if you want, but it’s not necessary.

5. Hit SUBMIT!

That’s it. There is a short delay before your review goes live and others can see it, so don’t worry.

P.S. I found out that Amazon only considers 4 or 5 star ratings good. Any rating 1-3 is NOT considered good, so please remember this when you are composing a review.

THANK YOU!

 

You want it? You got it!

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, local fun, writing

If you go to your local book store to buy One Brave Thing and you don’t see it, here’s an idea…JUST ASK! Currently, several of the shops OBT Sanibel by C Robinsonare down to their last copy, and what if you stop in to buy my book before it’s been restocked? Again, just ask at the counter, or call and ask if they still have any left before you go. That way, they can call me and I will expedite delivery to the shop so you can get your book as soon as possible.

Here’s a fun fact about the book: Bebe loves to go to the beach! Pick up a copy and take it to the beach with you and make everyone so very happy!

Thank you! And if you enjoy my book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com. Oh, and tell two friends!

Note: The ‘You want it? You got it!‘ title are lyrics are from the song, Bust a Move by Young MC. Feel free to take a 5 minute break from your day and move your body! Have a 5 minute dance party! One, two, three…GO!

There’s something about Bob

by Karen, posted in books, Brave books, writing

Some people started reading the first few pages of my book aloud one morning. The first character that showed up was Bob. After a bit, Kevin arrived on the scene.

At this point, one of the readers had a question.

minion zen‘Hmmm….these names sound so familiar. Do you guys think the author named the characters after The Minions??’

They decided to ask me.

OMG! I don’t know! Maybe I did! I love The Minions! And there’s something about Bob…he is my favorite minion! Perhaps my subconscious mind was at work here!

NOTE: This lovely mini Minion (not Bob, but they probably have him too!) was purchased at Zen and Company. You can also buy my book, ONE BRAVE THING, at Zen and Company! And you can pick up a Bob (or Kevin!) of your very own to keep you company while you are reading the book! 🙂

 

How Bebe got her name

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, family, relationships, writing

When I thought about naming the characters in my novel, I thought it would be fun. I could pick any names I wanted! I didn’t have to please anyone but myself! No worries about coming to a consensus with someone else! My father-in -law’s mother chose his name from the society column in the newspaper. One of my siblings was named after the greyhound dog (I believe; it may have been a horse) that my father bet on at the track that kept winning. My husband and I could only agree on one boy’s name and one girl’s name we both liked. Good thing we only had one of each…

Anyway. You know that old saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for’?

The character naming wasn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was hard. Bebe had several other names before I settled on Bebe. I started out using a baby name book. Then I started writing down names from the credits of TV shows. I don’t remember where I heard to do that, but it was in my memory from way back. I made list after list of first names.

I wasn’t satisfied with any of them.

I knew I wanted her to have a nickname, so I started over with that. I thought the main character was in the process of becoming herself. Becoming… be…Bebe! Beatrice was the middle name of a relative, so that fell into place.

I also knew that I wanted her to have an Italian last name. I thought of Bebe as coming from a family that had secrets, and after making list after list of Italian surnames, a thought presented itself: What is the Italian word for ‘secret’?

Segreti! I spiced it up a little by adding an additional ‘t’ to it and Bebe Segretti was born!

Fellow writers: How do you name characters?

 

P.S. So far, the voting for who should play Bebe in the movie of my novel One Brave Thing is not going the way I’d hoped…people are not voting for my number one choice!!! (Hint: this is her picture)

the-duff-mae-whitman