K.M. Creamer – Page 4 – Karen Creamer Author, Coach, Speaker

BOOK REVIEW: A Secret Music by Susan Doherty Hannaford

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016 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 book 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 Farmers Market Book Sale

June 25, 2016June 25, 2016 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 before, 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’.

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

How to post a book review on Amazon

June 18, 2016June 18, 2016 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:

Find my book on Amazon.com

2. Scroll down to the Customer Review section

3. Click on ‘Write a Review”

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!

June 10, 2016June 10, 2016 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 are 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!

How Bebe got her name

June 5, 2016June 5, 2016 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)

Book Review: Celebrating Death

June 4, 2016June 5, 2016 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 couldn’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!

Top 10 best tips for selling your books at a yard sale

May 28, 2016May 28, 2016 by Karen, posted in Adult children, author, books, Brave books, local fun

I had the good fortune to be part of Stonewall Kitchen Employee’s Yard Sale this morning in York (by invitation from my son, Anthony). I set up my table and brought copies of my book, One Brave Thing.

(Hmmm…maybe next time I should have someone else take the picture so that I can be IN it.)

Anyway, it went very well! I was so happy to see my friend Dawny’s face bright and early at 8am when I arrived. I am here to tell you that it’s WONDERFUL to have the support of friends when you go to do your book events.

Here’s some things what worked for me today:

First of all, bring change. Bring 10’s, 5’s, and 1’s. The first rule of yard sales (and farmer’s markets, for that matter) is that your first customer will pay you with a twenty. Every time.
Bring index cards and Post-it notes. These are useful for writing down price specials or whatever statements you can think of to attract your potential customers. You can make a tent out of an index card to act as a little standing sign.
Bring tape, because the wind will blow your tented index cards away.
The plastic Godzilla that was on my son’s side of the table attracted a lot of people to our table. Just sayin’.
Don’t bring chocolate to your yard sale if it’s going to be 80 degrees. Or if you do, bring some napkins.
If you have a buddy with you, it helps a lot. It’s nice to have someone watch your table if you need to take a bio break (okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have had that second cup of coffee).
Bring some bags. Many people didn’t want them, but the ones that did want them really did.
Be willing to be flexible on your price (hello, it’s a yard sale). Know your rock bottom price in advance.
Bring more than one pen to sign your books. One pen has a bad habit of going missing right when you need it.
Try to find a shady spot, or bring some shade with you. Someone had a tent thing that I was coveting (not that I would have wanted to have to set it up though). Bring a hat. Bring sunscreen.

Bring your good attitude. Bring your business cards, pens, and book marks (or whatever promotional materials you’ve created).

I hope this helps you sell lots of books!

If you have some ideas of your own, please consider posting them below.

Blue Willow Gift Shop and Antiques is now selling my book!

May 25, 2016 by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, local fun

The wonderful Blue Willow Gift Shop and Antiques in Ogunquit, Maine is now selling my book, One Brave Thing! Next time you are in Perkins Cove, stop in and pick up my book! Tell two friends!

Bebe, the Movie

May 20, 2016 by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, movies, no fear, writing

I am working on the idea of making my book One Brave Thing into a movie! Its (probably) only a matter of time before the producers come a-knockin’. After all, other Maine authors have had their books made into movies.

😀

Here’s a little bit of what I’m anticipating:

Warner Brothers and actor/director Nick Cassavetes (my first choice, since he is the son of John Cassavetes who was in one of my favorite Columbo episodes ever, Etude in Black) are auditioning for the role of Bebe of One Brave Thing fame.

As the author, I get limited input with casting but have given them a short list of actresses that I would like them to consider to play Bebe:

Eden Sher, Mae Whitman, Anna Kendrick, Kristen Stewart, and Miranda Cosgrove.

Participate! Vote for the ‘reader’s choice’ actress to play Bebe in One Brave Thing, the movie.

I’ll tell you my FIRST choice after all the votes are in. As if you can’t guess.

For your viewing pleasure, here is Mae Whitman (she’s the brunette) in the movie: The Duff:

How to do a book reading and signing

May 13, 2016May 13, 2016 by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, local fun, no fear, writing

I’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.

🙂