Tag: 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!

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!

 

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! 🙂

 

Book Review: Celebrating Death

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, good grief, Life's too short to read bad books, no fear, writing

When I discovered that one of my colleagues wrote a book, I celebrating deathcouldn’t wait to read it.  The book is Celebrating Death: A Guidebook for Dying Well by Esther Shapiro, R.N., Msc.D.

The author comes by her expertise regarding death both personally and professionally, and she generously shares her hard-won insights regarding her experiences from both.

Right from the start, I connected with the stories in this book. When the author describes her NDE (Near Death Experience), I was reminded of my own that occurred when I was four years old, when I almost drowned in the lake. The kids I was playing with kept pushing my head under the water, over and over, until I couldn’t figure out which way was up to get out of the water. And then I stopped trying. I saw a very bright light and felt filled with peace. I was not at all fearful. I was just floating and being…until my dad ran in, fully clothed and still wearing his shoes, and pulled me from the water (full disclosure: I don’t actually remember that part).

The author also shares her experience as a hospice nurse. My own two years as a hospice nurse were bookended by the deaths of first my mother and then my father from cancer, and I share Esther’s dissatisfaction with the allopathic medical model and how cancer patients are treated within it. “But to see the Doctors instilling false hope into both the patient and the family is more than I can handle. And, I am trained and expected to go along with it. It makes me sick inside.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

She also introduces the idea of one’s death experience being on a spectrum from good to bad…to very bad. My own parents’ deaths illustrated this. My mother had the worst death of any that I have ever witnessed, bar none. My father had one of the best.  They both had cancer and died at home with hospice within about two years of their diagnosis, but their outcomes were very different.

The idea of an individual choosing their moment of death is also explored in this book. I believe, as the author does, that we choose our time to go, and it doesn’t matter if there is a 24/7 vigil by the bedside. If the person wants to be alone when they pass, then they will. I further agree with her that children shouldn’t be shielded from death and dying. I practice what I preach; my son went to his first wake when he was about 3 weeks old.
One of the more powerful parts of Celebrating Death is when the author tells a story first from the point of view of the cancer patient, and then from the point of view of the patient’s significant other who, as is so often the case, was also his primary caregiver. I was moved to tears of heartbreak as well as outrage by what happened to them.

So, this sort of became ‘all about me’ here, but this is one of the gifts of this book: it will remind you of, and help you to work through, your own feelings and personal encounters with death. In this way, Celebrating Death can be transformational and healing for you, dear reader.

This belongs on your bookshelf next to your Elisabeth Kubler-Ross volumes. It was an honor and a privilege to read this book.

NOTE: Esther Shapiro’s book Celebrating Death is also available on Kindle.

After you read Esther’s book, read my book, One Brave Thing! On Amazon.com, at your local bookseller, and also on Kindle!

Book Review: The Box of Daughter

by Karen, posted in Adult children, author, books, Brave books, family, no fear, relationships, writing

I wanted to read Katherine Mayfield‘s book ‘The Box of Daughter‘ for a long time before I finally did. This is one of The Box of Daughterthe few times I knew the author before I knew the book. I met Katherine through a Wells-Ogunquit Adult Education class I took several years ago when I was working on my own novel. If you have ever the opportunity to take a writing class with Katherine, do it. You will love her low pressure and motivating teaching style. She creates a wonderful, safe environment in her classes, such that even I, who was always terrified to share my writing with others, found myself reading aloud to the class an essay that I had just written.

Anyway, I was interested to see how she wrote. I immediately related to Katherine’s childhood and teenage years of family dysfunction, trying to please everyone, and chronic ‘I’m sorry-ing”. The feeling of walking on eggshells at home, trying to keep the peace at all costs is oh-so familiar. Katherine gives an honest account of her life with her brother and her parents which (be forewarned) may bring up some of your own difficult memories as you read.

The belt? Check. Bullying? Check. The shock of seeing your grandmother’s teeth in a glass for the first time? Check.

I love Katherine’s reference (p 98) to looking at life through ‘pain-colored glasses’…right? It wasn’t all bad, though. There was some card playing in the evening. The Youth Group in California. Finding her voice in environments that stifled it.

In the end, Katherine’s book reminded me that, most of the time, our parents were doing the best that they knew how to do.

If you like this book, maybe read my book next: One Brave Thing!

Book Review: Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess

by Karen, posted in Adult children, author, books, Brave books, family, Life's too short to read bad books, Marriage, relationships, writing

Not even dark chocolate can fix this mess by Kathy Eliscu is so much fun to read! I started reading this book weeks ago, when it first came out, and then I Not even dark choc coversadly had to put it aside so that I could finish a project (okay, publishing my own book!). But ‘Not Even…’ called to me the whole time, patiently awaiting my return (okay, fine! I lost it! I had to invoke St Anthony to help me find it and now that I’ve finished reading the book, I can see that he had a vested interest in the recovery effort). All I can say is that it was SO worth the wait.
This book is like a page (okay 309 pages-I checked) from my own life. Maybe from your own, too. From the GYN table to the toilet stall (really? Still wrestling with wings or no wings? I win-I quit that s*** years ago! Sorry, TMI? My bad), Tink had me at “hormones”. Once I picked the book up, I couldn’t put it down again. I read it all at once.
Not Even chronicles the daily life of Tink, which is a cacophony of ringing phones, buzzing beepers, and pinging answering machines, underpinned by the love of her friends, family, and fiance.
A good life.
A few notes to author:
Kathy, my nursing cap was white with 1 blue stripe! Or was it 2? Dammit, now I have to get up off the couch and go look…
Oh, and that gray hair trauma thing in Chapter 15 (insert zipped-lip smiley emoticon here)? Total empathy for Tink (again, sorry, TMI? My bad).
Also, I have one word (okay, 2 words) to add to the ‘SHUT. UP.’ list for nurses: ‘Best Practice’.
SHUT. UP.
There are illustrations in the book. A bonus, like free gift with (book) purchase (thank you, Kathy Eliscu! And William D. Eldridge!). My favorite one is on page 133. Don’t ask me why. Art is personal, remember?!
Now I have to go. That “little portable whirlpool tub” for tired feet? Gotta get me one of those…
This book? READ IT.

(This is my review adapted from the one I wrote for amazon.com).

After you finish this book, read my book! One Brave Thing

 

How to do a book reading and signing

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

me and kathy eliscu 5.6.16I’m planning to do my first reading from my book One Brave Thing next month, so I thought I’d visit another author’s event to show my support (oh, and to learn a thing or two, maybe) about how to set myself up for success. Kathy Eliscu was at the Falmouth Memorial Library last week reading from her book, Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess. I loved her book (I will be posting a review here soon) and knew I would love her reading, so off we (my husband and I) went.

Right off the bat, I noticed (as I ran into the room at 6:33pm for a 6:30pm start time–I was running late from my daughter’s track meet, my bad) that the little room was filled to capacity. Yep; standing room only. Now this wasn’t my first author reading. I have been to plenty of them and many are not as well attended as this one was. This was a great turnout. Note to self: call the fam and impress upon them the  importance of showing up, and bringing several friends apiece to my reading next month.

The next thing I noticed: the requisite flowers (check) and chocolate (check) were in attendance. I learned these are non-negotiable components of a successful book reading. Don’t ask me how I know this. I am not at liberty to discuss it, but I’m pretty sure it’s the law. I was already planning to have these at my reading, so I was starting to feel pretty good about my debut. Plus, Kathy’s talk was about her book and her mother (Margery Eliscu, who was also a writer) was great-fun and interesting. And, you know, there was chocolate. definitely an enjoyable evening.

🙂

And then there was a surprise: there was a local celebrity in the room! Joe Cupo was a meteorologist for WCSH Channel 6 for 37 years and recently retired. That didn’t stop him from answering a few good-natured requests for what the weekend weather was going to be like. He was there with his wife to hear Kathy speak.

Shoot! What local celebrity might unexpectedly duck into my book signing? Patrick Dempsey? Hmmmm….after all, I did volunteer at The Dempsey Challenge last October, and will be volunteering there again this year. I did say nice things about him when I was (email) interviewed by the Lewiston newspaper last year. Plus, he was just in Freeport lounging up against the L.L. Bean boot a week or so ago…I’ll bet he’ll be dying to come to my reading!

Okay, so I invited him.

I’ll keep you posted.

🙂