Category: friends

Jodi Picoult at the Music Hall

by Karen, posted in author, books, friends, Life's too short to read bad books, local fun, writing

My friend Deb and I went to see Jodi Picoult read from her new book, Small Great Things. After picoult4she read, she was interviewed by Virginia from New Hampshire Public Radio.

What was good: Jodi’s reading of an excerpt of her book was dramatic and entertaining. It was definitely a performance worth hearing. Being able to ask her questions was also nice.

I liked the venue. The Portsmouth Music Hall is an older theater with loads of character and charm.

I also got the idea of selling tickets to my own author talks from this, and including the cost of the book in the ticket price. Smart, right? So you dont’ have to worry about investing a lot of time and money in an event and not selling books. I might try this someday, you know, when I’m famous.

What wasn’t so good: The price! Not only did you have to buy a ticket to hear the talk, you also had to buy a book. Hardcover fiction is not generally something I spend money on. This made for a pretty pricey evening. Also, the books were pre-signed. Not for nothing, but we had to take it on faith that she actually signed them herself. Just sayin’.

Also, while I did like that she took audience questions, I did not like that she only took some of our questions, and the ones she did take were pre-screened. There was really zero contact with her whatsoever, other than watching and listening. Not interactive.

It was more of an author show than an author talk, more formal than casual. I suppose in the future I should keep the difference in mind. I prefer the latter over the former.

All in all, the book sounds great. The protagonist is a nurse, and (as some of you know) so am I, so if I had to buy a hardcover fiction book by Jodi, I guess this was the one (NOTE: It better not end like My Sister’s Keeper).

 

The BRAVE Interview #3 October 2016: Sheila Brownlow

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, Being BRAVE, Catching women being brave, friends, health, Interviews, The BRAVE Interviews

Here is #3 in The BRAVE Interview series! It’s the Who, What, When, Where, How,  (and sometimes Why) of YOUR ‘one brave thing’! November’s interview is with Sheila Brownlow!

scale

WHO AM I?  Sheila Brownlow

MY ONE BRAVE THING—when, where, with whom:  I have stopped discussing eating, how upset I am at my eating, how much I weigh, whether I am peeved at myself for overeating, how awful I am for not weighing 110 lbs., whined about how I can’t eat like a normal person anymore at age 55, or otherwise wasting time – precious time – talking with my friends, so many good friends….about eating and weight.  Not in person, not online.  For one month. 

WHY DO I THINK THIS IS BRAVE?  I’m at this age/stage of my life where I’ve felt compelled to start every interaction with a justification of how I look and why I don’t look like a 30-year old anymore. It’s not ok to essentially apologizing for myself to start every interaction.  To me it’s brave because I have completely shifted my lens on the world.

WHY:  Because I waste so much time and energy where I could be helping others, learning things, doing things, having meaningful conversations, being supportive, just being in the moment…with all this constant food and weight talk I am taking away from the productive possibilities of my life and my friends’ lives. 

So how do I feel about this?  Well, I miss commiserating, and I’m still working on not “leading” with that foot in every conversation (“let’s talk about food, eating, how much, when, regrets…again?”).  I think I am listening better rather than just winding up to say how upset I am about this that or the other weight thing. 

Can I continue?  I don’t know.  Maybe if we all spent a month on something other than our food and body appearance we could make a lot of changes in the world.

Thank you so much, Sheila!

SPOTLIGHT ON: Zen and Company

by Karen, posted in Animals and pets, author, books, Crystals, friends, local fun, Meditation, Metaphysical healing

zen book with love noteIf you have never been to Zen and Company in Kennebunk, you are really missing out.

Beautiful clothing and (Dansko!) shoes? They have them. A wide variety of oracle cards? They have them. Excellent books*? Yes! The most amazing crystals? OMG, yes! Yes! They have those, too!

Even more important is this: once you pass through the door of Zen and Company, you will not ever want to leave. The atmosphere is so warm and inviting, it just wraps around you like a big warm hug.

All of the staff will welcome you and help you figure out what you want, even when you aren’t sure exactly what that is. Have questions? They can help you. Curious about what the cards in that oracle deck you have your eye on look like, and there isn’t a demo deck open? Just ask them and they will open the deck up for you. You know you need a crystal, but aren’t sure which one? Sue is not only knowledgable, but is also has a knack for helping you define what your own intuition is trying to tell you that you can’t quite grasp on your own.

Maybe you are shopping for a nice dress (eg: a dress you look hot in) to wear to dinner on your twenty-fifth wedding anniversary but you have zero fashion sense (hello? me!). They will help you find the perfect dress! I looked amazing on my 25th anniversary in the dress that Sue helped me pick out at Zen! Just sayin’!

Zen and Company. Go! Tell them Karen sent you!

*So maybe you noticed that I mentioned they have books? One of the (fabulous) books they have is MY book, One Brave Thing. So go, already!

 

The BRAVE Interview #2 September 2016: Jody O’Farrell Breton

by Karen, posted in friends, no fear, The BRAVE Interviews, writing

Hello and welcome to my new series: The BRAVE Interviews! It’s the Who, What, When, Where, How,  (and sometimes Why) of YOUR ‘one brave thing’!

Welcome to Interview #2! Here we go!

**UPDATE: Jody’s new business website is right here: http://www.essenceofspiritceremonies.com/

Who:  My name is Jody O’Farrell Breton. I am a (newly) retired (by choice) Respiratory Therapist. I am also an Ordained Interfaith Minister, Ceremonialist and Energy Healing Practitioner. And a tree hugger and a lover of all things earthy 🙂

Jody Brave PhotoWhat: I retired! After participating in a spiritual event in May I made my decision to resign from my career of 35 years and forge ahead on my own as a professional chaplain.

When:  August 5, 2016

Where: My last full-time employer in South Portland, Maine

How:  I contemplated, dreamed, obsessed, cried, prayed and journeyed on the decision. Oh and discussed it ad nauseam with my husband. Then one day when my stress level reached critical mass at work I came to the decision not impulsively but calmly and with great conviction!

Why:  I realized that I am more than a Respiratory Therapist; I have skills and a calling that will not quiet itself. I know that the Universe continually presented me with obstacles to remaining in the status quo and opportunities to spread my wings and fly!  Re-invent myself….yes!

Jody’s business is Essence of Spirit Ceremonies. You can reach Jody by email: essenceofspiritweddings@gmail.com

NOTE: Missed Interview #1 with Kathy Eliscu? Just click on her name to read it now!

 

Public speaking

by Karen, posted in author, friends, no fear

Public speaking has never (ever, ever) been my forte. I remember the first time I had to speak in front of a group of people, in a debate class. I almost fainted from hyperventilation and sheer terror.

Neville author talk, photo by Joanne Nolan
Neville author talk, photo by Joanne Nolan

As an adult, I don’t fare much better (on the inside, at least). I think I’m okay, or okay-ish, but when the time comes, it turns out, I am not, or not-ish.

Have you ever seen the movie, Broadcast News? The scene where Aaron (played by actor Albert Brooks) experiences flop sweats when he does his first live newscast? Well, that was me. Did I mention it was 99 degrees that day? The air conditioner was no match for the room full of people, the heat of the day, and my angst.

Turns out, it didn’t matter. I felt the fear (oh, man, did I!) but I did it anyway.

Everyone who came to listen was very kind and gracious. They all made me feel welcome. They didn’t mind that I had stop to blot my face a couple of times during my talk. Some even gave me some (valuable) feedback about what they thought I did especially well.

For which I am forever grateful.

Top 10 reasons to attend The New England Authors Expo

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, friends, Life's too short to read bad books

I went to The New England Authors Expo this week at The Danversport Yacht Club in (you guessed it) Danvers, MA. It was a hot summer day, and I was hopeful that the masses would like to get out of the hot sun and into the cool a/c, but not a whole lot did. The good news Expo swagis that the readers who did make the effort to attend were amazing! We all appreciate it so much (thank you Robin, Sheila, Chrissy and Scott!) when our friends come out to support our writing!

I also am so blessed to have the support  of my family. My husband, Bill, and my daughter, Izzy, spent the entire day with me, helping me get set up, keeping me fed and watered, and helping me connect with readers (yep; still shy). My son, Anthony, encourage me from afar via technology. Thank you so much!

Plus I made several new friends and met many terrific writers. I love how my book, One Brave Thing, has connected me to so many other people (and books!) that I might never have known otherwise.

I am loving every minute of this!

Maybe you should come to the next Expo.

Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Next New England Authors Expo:

  1. You will learn a lot.
  2. Your isolated writer-ly life will be broken open.
  3. Colleagues! You have them! They are at The Expo! (Jennifer Davies, Jennifer W. Smith)
  4. Attend panel discussions! You will always learn at least new thing. I took pages of notes that I am looking forward to reviewing (Hello, free time? It’s Karen. I miss you…).
  5. See what your fellow authors are doing to market their writing.
  6. Show other authors what YOU are doing to market YOUR writing.
  7. Get cool author swag (Check out the photo above)!
  8. Learn some new social media strategies–and what to avoid doing.
  9. You can offer to trade books (and reviews!) with other authors and then you have some excellent reads for the near future!

And the top 10 reason is:

10. You will have so much fun!!! 🙂

I came away from this event so inspired with ideas on how to market my book and to help my readers. I received an invitation to a free online webinar (note to self: register for free online webinar!), so the learning continues even once you get home. I met Gayle C. Heney, who talked to me about her program Write Now. I received an invitation to be on Be My Guest!, a program for writers hosted by Jan Lewis (stay tuned for details as the become available).

Inspiration? It’s a wonderful thing!

Here is a video from an Authors Expo from years past, to give you a flavor of what it’s like:

Selling my books at the Kennebunk Community Market

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

Today was my debut at the Kennenbunk Community Market at The Waterhouse Center. I picked a good day to start: high 50’s (Hello, July? It’s me, Karen. Where are you? I miss you!), with rain and wind. And just like at the Saco River Farmers Market, I had to ask a fellow vendor to help me get my tablet open (thanks, Peter!). {Note to self: really do practice doing this before the next market!!!}

photo credit: Patti Austin
Me with my book, ONE BRAVE THING, at the Kennebunk Community Market, photo taken by my friend, Patti Austin

Freezing cold, rain, wind…I know, right? Great weather for books.

Fortunately, this market is covered.

Also, you can pull your car right up to the center to unload your stuff, and then go park and come back. There are bathrooms. II heard a rumor that usually there is a food truck that has great sandwiches right next door, which I will have to investigate next week because, sadly, it was absent today.

But I am going again next week! I want to see what it’s like when the weather is more, you know…conducive. When it’s not freezing cold with driving rain.

(Is that wrong?)

My friend Patti stopped by and took this wonderful picture of me (above) today. My friend Jane stopped by to bring me a much-needed third cup of coffee. I made some new friends today, too! I had some great conversations with the people who stopped by my table. I got a couple of ideas of new spins on the marriage topic to write about.

I made some reminder notes for things to bring next time, just like I did at my last book sale in Saco, but this time, I’m going to actually read them before I go again.

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.

 

May is Lupus Awareness Month!

by Karen, posted in author, books, family, friends

May is Lupus Awareness Month!

lupus awareness month

In honor of my niece Lauren, 100% of the profits from One Brave Thing for May will be donated to help find a cure for Lupus! Spread the word!

 

https://www.facebook.com/k.m.creamer.author/?fref=nf

My book is published! (part 2)

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

It’s been a busy week! I was at Will’s Copy Center yesterday, ordering some bookmarks (Maine NonesuchAuthor!!) and flyers and such, when I ran into my friend, Denise. She was saying that it must be hard, putting the book out into the world. I said, “Yes! Thank you for validating that! It’s terrifying!”

This is true.

But what I wish I had also said was, “But it’s also a lifelong dream come true! I’m so happy!”

Because this is also true.

What helps in both cases is this: all of the people who have messaged me to say that they loved my book and (even though they were busy) they read it in two days, and oh, when will my next book be out?

Today I was lucky enough to learn that Nonesuch Books in Biddeford, Maine will be selling my books!

See? It’s just getting better and better!