What Goes Into a Successful Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign?

June 16, 2014 Kathy Pooler 17 Comments

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” ~Mark Twain

balloon festival — Photo Credit Balloon festival: Flickr Creative Commons

Thanks to all the *generous backers for my Pubslush memoir campaign, I reached my goal and now am listed on the Pubslush website as a “Successful Campaign.” Both an honor and a thrill!

It also has been a lot of hard work, with moments of misgivings and excitement.

Like any writer, I’m used to the hard work of focusing on goals and communicating a message.

And like many others, I tend to shy away from self-promotion activities that scream “Me, Me, Me.” I’ll put it right out there, it feels awkward to ask others for money.

So, how did I go from feeling like a self-promotion-phobic writer to being someone who embraced this campaign and joined in the excitement of its success?

I had to change my focus from asking for money to reaching new readers and spreading the message of my memoir.

Marketing Expert and Author Sandra Beckwith of Build Book Buzz says it best in this excellent post “Are You a Shameless Self- Promoter?” :

“You’re doing a public service when you do what it takes to get the word out about your book.”

Let me share with you what I think influenced the success of my campaign which hopefully will help others:

*Plan your campaign very carefully, using the Pubslush checklist that is provided to you ahead of time. Pubslush is a program that focuses on books and the staff are very supportive and accessible.

*Email family, friends, established followers ahead of time to explain the campaign and provide links to the Pubslush site.

*A short video is advised to introduce yourself and let people see you and hear what you are offering for their contributions.

*Be realistic about the rewards you are offering. You want to make sure you are able to fulfill them.

*A strong social media presence will help you spread your message. It is recommended that you publish something related to the campaign 3-5 times per week across your social media channels.

* At the midpoint in the campaign, you can offer bonus rewards of your choosing to encourage participation in the campaign.

*Engage with your backers throughout the campaign in the form of personal email thank yous.

What are the benefits of the Pubslush campaign?

Through the process of developing my campaign, I was able to hone in on and refine my message of hope, resilience and courage in finding freedom from emotional abuse. It helped me get into the marketing–mode.

As a result, I have been able to promote Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse before its official publication in July.

It helped me to gauge interest in the book and spread the book’s message.

It opened dialogue with readers to allow me to fine tune my message and my book.

The conversation has already started. I have met new readers, engaged in meaningful conversations and extended my reach to my target audience.

Where will the money go?

The $2500 raised will go toward fulfilling the rewards and for promotional materials. I had already spent money on professional editors, writing conferences and author platform resources before I started my campaign.

My parting tip on participating in a Pubslush campaign:

Most of all, have fun.

You are introducing your book and its message to the world and you want others to feel as excited as you do about its success.

Enthusiasm is contagious!

Blog Shouts-Outs to my backers!

Sunflower Field — Photo credit: Sunflower field by Dreamstimefree.

Dawn Marie Helin, Michael and Patricia DiCerbo, Ceil Drosky, Marian Beaman, Dan Blank, Shirley Showalter, Barbara Techel, Susan Weidener and the Women’s Writing Circle, Victoria Noe, Mindy Rivenburgh, Cyd Madsen, Joan Z. Rough, Sarah Freeman, Linda Hoye, Dick and Lynne Stannard, Justine Schofield, Paula Wozniak, Louise Carlini, Ted and Cate-Russell-Cole, Dorothy Sander, Linda Joy Myers, Madeline Sharples, Dave and Leigh Ann Gilson, Wayne Pooler, Sarah Provost, Lisa Walrath, Ann Boland, Danny VanLeeuwen,Brandon Pease, Gary Pease , Dave and Hattie Gilson, Kathryn Wagoner, Cynthia Morris, Kathryn Pease, Patty Valletta, Mona Schultz, Bianca Pacheco, Paul and Barbara Hebert, John and Mary Sue McCullough, Christina Stark, Jim and Jean DiGiovanni, LaTanya Nelson Davis, Fran Gully, Debra Lobel, Karl Sprague, Sonia Marsh, Pat McKinzie, Clara Bowman-Jahn, Tom Pease Debra Eve, Patty Hall, Karen Leahy and Joe Bunting.

Thank you all for joining me in introducing and spreading the message of Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse!

iStock_000018252121XSmall people sharing unity — Photo Credit “People Sharing Unity” uploaded from iStockphoto

How about you? Would you consider participating in a Pubslush Crowdfunding campaign?

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments and questions below~

ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations to MaryAnna! Your name was selected in a random drawing of commenters to receive a copy of Pamela Koefoed’s memoir, JoyRide: Life, Death and Forgiveness.

This Week:

Tuesday, 06/17/14: I’ll be over at Joan Z. Rough’s blog with a guest post on” Why Vulnerability is a Gift in Memoir Writing.” Hope you’ll stop by and join in that conversation,too.

Thursday, 06/19/14: ” Basic Punctuation Every Beginning Writer Needs to Know by Nikolas Baron” of Grammarly

Next Week:

Monday, 06/23/14: “What a Nonagenarian Javelin Thrower Can Teach Us About Memoir Writing by Debra Eve.”

Childhood Abuse, Memoir

My Journey of Defeating Fear to Help Others by Memoir Author Pamela Koefoed

June 9, 2014 Kathy Pooler 22 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Pamela Koefoed/@JoyRideBook

Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway - John Wayne

images person riding horse — Photo Credit: Free Google Images

So often when we write a memoir, the story develops a life of its own and becomes a part of a larger cause. This is certainly the case for Pamela Koefoed who began advocating for abused children and teaching audiences how to overcome a painful past after publishing her memoir. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Pamela whose memoir Joyride: Life, Death and Forgiveness is a riveting story of hope and overcoming child abuse. Pamela will discuss how writing her memoir helped her to defeat fear and find her mission of helping child abuse survivors. My reviews can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari and LibraryThings.

Book Synopsis:

Pamela Koefoed tells the story from the child’s point of view, recalling in vivid detail the events leading up to four house fires, her narrow escape from them, and the conviction of the arsonist. She depicts the heart touching tale of being left alone for weeks with her eleven year old sister and baby brother, and describes how they managed to deter notice from Child Welfare. Pamela and her sister surprise us all by their spunkiness, indomitable joy, and resiliency. Due to their circumstances, they draw on the love they have for each other and rise above the unthinkable to show us all the way to a richer and more meaningful life. If you enjoyed The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, you’ll loveJoyRide: Life, Death and Forgiveness (from Amazon author page).

Welcome, Pamela!

IMAG1189 — Memoir Author and Advocate Pamela Koefoed

My Journey of Defeating Fear to Help Others

As a child and into young adulthood, I lived in a place of powerlessness known as “the conspiracy of silence” where painful, unexplainable experiences were never mentioned and where we went on with daily life as if we were a mini version of the idyllic family of the popular sitcom that ran in the late sixties and seventies, the Brady Bunch.

But there was a problem with this way of being—it wasn’t true. My mother wasn’t the Carol Brady, doting sort of parent. In her childrearing, there was little room for mothering and her general philosophy was more in line with the idea that life is a party, so pass another beer. A lifestyle like my mother’s doesn’t allow space for children. Consequently, my childhood was similar in many ways to the thousands of children who are neglected by parents or guardians each year in the United States.

In addition to being a victim to neglect, when I was eight-years-old my mother was arrested and charged as a felon for committing crimes, which put our entire household in grave danger. On four occasions, I fled for my life, twice barely escaping death. To top off all of this craziness, after my mother’s release from a California correctional facility, my nine-year-old sister and I were returned to her care.

Sixteen years ago, the conspiracy of silence that had held me powerless lost its grip and I began sharing snippets of my testimony publicly.

The first time I stood in front of a group to speak about my past is especially memorable. I stood nervously near a podium before a small congregation of fifty to sixty parishioners at the non-denominational church my husband and I attend. Adrenaline rushed through my system, causing my head to feel detached from my body and constricting my vocal chords. I opened my mouth to speak—my voice trembled and my speech was nothing more than thin, wispy breathes. I thought I would throw up, but somehow I managed to be heard and, obviously, I lived through the ordeal.

When we’re afraid and follow our convictions anyway, we’re victorious.

After my initiation into public speaking, there were many more opportunities to speak to groups; for years, I did so with my very being engulfed in anxiety. Eventually, those negative feelings vanished, but it took great perseverance, some faith, hard work and encouragement from family and friends.

In 2009, the executive director of my county’s CASA program, Court Appointed Special Advocates, asked me to run the program, giving me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children who have experiences similar in many ways to my own childhood. Initially, the uncertainties and the what if’s hounded me. The stories of maltreated children would confront me. Might I have nightmares? What if I broke into tears in the courtroom while presenting these children’s needs and wishes? How healed am I, really? Am I even qualified?

The greatest enemy, as someone once said, isn’t fear. From time-to-time, everyone feels afraid. It’s coming into agreement with fear and believing the nagging doubts instead of embracing the truth—you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

I accepted the position as the director for my county’s CASA program and embraced a new season. Stepping into this role proved to me that the very things I had feared were nothing more than shadows and that advocating for children is an ideal fit. Right next to death, on the list of things we humans are afraid of, comes public speaking, and I think next to this comes writing a survival memoir, which I’m grateful to have completed last year, and next to this would be hearing the stories of children who have had hellish childhoods. All of this sends shivers up our spines, causes labored breathing, our hands to sweat, our stomachs to churn—yikes!

When you’re faced with an opportunity to do good and help others, whether it’s through volunteer work, writing a memoir, or taking a new job, and if fear is hounding you, let me leave you with a little advice from our friend John Wayne, saddle up anyway. The world will be a better place because you cared.

***

Thank you Pamela for sharing your inspirational story of surviving childhood abuse and overcoming fear. You remind us of the power of memoir writing to heal and help us connect with a higher mission. I can’t help but feel your noble work of advocating for children who have been abused is a perfect fit for you!

Author Bio and Contact Information: Pamela Koefoed, originally from Sacramento, California is a child abuse survivor and a daughter of an ex-felon. In addition to writing numerous articles for websites and blogs, she has authored two books. Her latest book is JoyRide: Life, Death and Forgiveness, a Memoir. When not writing, Pamela directs a child advocacy agency program and is a frequent guest speaker on radio shows and at events around the nation. Pamela and her husband have been married for 25 years. They enjoy golden sunsets and coyote serenades from the back deck of their rural home in southern Oregon

Website: http://pamelakeofoed.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pamela.Koefoed.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyRideBook

JoyRide: Life, Death and Forgiveness is available from the website, http://joyridebook.com, from Amazon, and by requesting it in bookstores.

How about you? Has writing your memoir led you to a higher mission? or helped you to overcome a fear?

Pamela has graciously offered to give away one copy of JoyRide: Life, Death and Forgiveness to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

Announcement: Congratulations, Tracy Lee Karner! Your name was selected in a random drawing of commenters to receive Nina Amir’s book, The Author Training Manual.

Next week: “What Goes Into a Successful Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign?”

Day #28 and 97% funded! My Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse ends at midnight on June 11, in 2 more days

Thanks to your generous contributions I am within reach of a successful campaign!

In making a contribution you will help me spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse.

Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

I’d love it if you would share this link with others.

Thank you for joining me in sharing the hope!

The Writing Life, WOW Women on Writing Blog Tour and Giveaway

Author Attitude: What Is It and Why Do I Need It? WOW Women on Writing Book Tour with Nina Amir

June 5, 2014 Kathy Pooler 9 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Nina Amir/@NinaAmir

“Success as a writer has always been a matter , in large part, of plain old hard work. But also smart work–knowing what to do and how.” Novelist James Scott Bell, from the Foreword, The Author Training Manual.

I am very pleased to participate in Nina Amir’s WOW, Women on Writing Book Tour for her new book, The Author’s Training Manual. Nina has some very interesting advice about succeeding as an author by following WOOT! I hope you enjoy hearing about this as much as I did.

My book reviews can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari and LibraryThings

Welcome , Nina!

Author Attitude : What Is It and Why Do I Need It?

In the publishing world, it’s hard to predict what book will succeed. It’s a bit easier to know if an author will achieve success. Maybe one has more writing talent while another has superior ideas. Yet other might be a phenomenal marketer. More than likely, you’ll find that successful authors, much like successful people in almost any industry, have one thing in common: a successful attitude.

Attitude Affects Results

You might have heard the saying, “Your current habits have only helped you achieve your current level of success. To achieve a higher level of success, you must change your habits.” To do that, you need to change not only your behavior but also your underlying attitude.

Your attitude, which is based upon your beliefs, thoughts or ideas about a thing, experience or situation, affects your behavior, or how you choose to act. Your actions then determine your results. Thus, to change your actions you might have to change your corresponding beliefs, thoughts, or ideas.

When it comes to writing a book, if you aren’t achieving the results you want, you must examine your attitude about writing and publishing a book. When you change your attitude, your results will change as well.

That doesn’t mean you don’t still need a good idea and good writing. You do, but your attitude will help you attain your goals in any area as you work toward successful authorship.

For example, if you have the attitude that you can only write when the mood hits, and the mood doesn’t hit often, you won’t get your book written quickly. Your attitude likely is based on beliefs that writers write when inspired. That belief might come from thoughts that you need to wait to feel inspired before you can write well. A more productive thought might be “I get inspired by writing daily on a schedule.” If you take action on that thought, you might find yourself getting inspired and believing that you can write well whenever you sit down at the computer. You may start writing daily and producing inspired results. Your attitude about how and when you write will change.

The same could be true of building author platform, for instance. If your attitude is that you hate author platform building, you won’t spend time on it, or when you do, that time won’t be productive. If you explore the beliefs and thoughts that create your attitude, you might discover some that sound like “It’s a time sink” and “It takes me away from writing.” You could change your attitude to: Platform building helps me succeed as an author, so I embrace this activity and do it willingly and with enthusiasm. Your thoughts would need to change as well, to something like: “I build author platform effectively” (Learn how!) and “Platform building helps the books I write get read.” As you change your thoughts and beliefs, your attitude will change, as will your results.

Author Attitude—The Four Elements

Here are the elements I believe make up a successful “Author Attitude.”

1. Willingness

To succeed as an author generally takes an enormous amount of willingness. To succeed as a self-published author takes even more.

· You must be willing to do whatever it takes.

· You must be willing to do more than just write.

· You must be willing to change.

· You must be willing to learn new things.

· You must be willing to step outside your comfort zone.

· You must be willing to make mistakes

· You must be willing to take risks.

· You must be willing to fail.

· You must be willing to succeed

· You must be willing to play big and be seen.

· You must be willing to get rejected.

· You must be willing to run your own publishing company.

2. Optimism

Studies show that optimists succeed more often than pessimists. Optimists don’t take rejection, criticism and mistakes personally, which helps them avoid getting stuck. Optimistic people approach challenges as opportunities to move closer to their goals. Pessimistic people see them as obstacles, or reasons to quit.

3. Objectivity

Writing and publishing requires the objectivity to see yourself and your work from a different perspective than your own, such as:

· the reader’s perspective

· an editor’s perspective

· a publishing professional’s perspective

When you can do this, you can take the necessary steps to improve your work and make yourself into an attractive publishing partner.

4. Tenacity

Writing a book isn’t easy. It’s often said that the real work of a writer begins after publication when you begin promotion. You must have determination, persistence and perseverance—all elements of tenacity—to get from aspiring to published (and successful) author.

WOOT!

To easily remember the elements of an Author Attitude, I created an acronym: WOOT. According to the Urban Dictionary, the word “woot” originated as a hacker term for root, or administrative, access to a computer. It works well when applied to the topic of attitude because to change your attitude you must access your “computer”—your mind.

These days WOOT is used simply as a term of excitement.

If you and your book succeed by whatever definition you choose you will have reason to shout, “WOOT! WOOT!”

About the Author

Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book: Write, Publish, and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time and The Author Training Manual: Develop Marketable Ideas, Craft Books That Sell, Become the Author Publishers Want, and Self-Publish Effectively, transforms writers into inspired, successful authors, authorpreneurs and blogpreneurs. Known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach, she moves her clients from ideas to finished books as well as to careers as authors by helping them combine their passion and purpose so they create products that positively and meaningfully impact the world. A sought-after author, book, blog-to-book, and results coach, some of Nina’s clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books, landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses around their books. She writes four blogs, self-published 12 books and founded National Nonfiction Writing Month, aka the Write Nonfiction in November Challenge.

To learn more about Nina, visit www.ninaamir.com. Get a FREE 5-Day Become a Published Author Series from her when you click here.

Title: The Author Training Manual: Develop Marketable Ideas, Craft Books That Sell, Become the Author Publishers Want, and Self-Publish Effectively

Author: Nina Amir

Genre: Writer how-to

Publisher: Writer’s Digest Books

Publication Date: March 18, 2014

Paperback: 248 pages

Synopsis:

Anyone can publish a book and become an “author,” but if you want to become a successful author with a profitable publishing career, you need a clear, step-by-step guide to help you develop book ideas that sell. In The Author Training Manual, expert editor and book coach Nina Amir reveals the exact process successful authors have used to create business plans and proposals for their books and teaches you how to view your ideas through the eyes of acquisitions editors and literary agents.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, plan to traditionally publish or self-publish, The Author Training Manual provides you with the tools you need to achieve your goals and become the author publishers want. Inside you’ll find concrete steps, evaluations, sample business plans, in-depth training activities, editor and agent commentaries, and much more–all designed to help you stand out, from the slush pile to the shelf.

NinaBookcover — Author Training Manual by Nina Amir

Just Thought You Should Know:

The Author Training Manual will also be having a WOW Social Media Tour this summer. On June 30, we’ll be having a review and giveaway of The Author Training Manual on the Muffin. So don’t forget to tell your readers they’ll have another chance to win a copy on June 30.

Author’s Websites:

Nina Amir’s website:

http://ninaamir.com/

Nina Amir’s blogs:

http://ninaamir.com/blogs-and-columns/

Nina Amir’s Facebook:

InspirationToCreation

Twitter: @NinaAmir

How about you? Do you have the WOOT it takes to be a successful author?

Nina has graciously agreed to give away a copy of the Author Training Manual to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

Next Week:

Monday, 6/09/14: “My Journey of Defeating Fear to Help Others by Memoir Author Pamela Koefoed.”

Memoir

The 3 P’s of Publishing a Memoir

June 2, 2014 Kathy Pooler 31 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

“If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality.”
― Roopleen

Now that the time is closing in on pushing that publish button for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse, I can share some lessons I’ve learned in the process.

dreamstimefree_246410 — Photo Credit: dreamstimefree

When I think of what has brought me from the desire to write a book to publishing a memoir, I think of the 3 P’s:

Purpose-driven Passion:

The desire to find a story then share it with the world requires every bit of stamina, focus and commitment one can muster. Once I found my story of getting into and out of two emotionally abusive marriages, I was able to make a firm commitment (to myself) to get my story out there. I became connected to my purpose for writing and sharing a message of hope, resilience and courage for those who found themselves in similar circumstances. It is possible to climb out of the abyss of poor decisions and to move on to live life on your own terms. That connection to purpose fueled my passion and kept me moving toward publication. The passion helped me work my way around my self-doubt, my hesitancy to re-live the pain of poor decisions and my concern about what others would think or say. Five years worth of starts and stops and many edits later, I found my story taking shape. Passion for my story drove it forward.

Patience:

Ah, yes. I would never tell anyone they could write their memoir in six weeks or six months or even six years. I know Augusten Burroughs cranked out his memoir Running with Scissors in two weeks. There are always exceptions, and he is clearly one of them. I have found that it truly is a process and a journey, determined solely by the person who is writing the story. The story I started out writing is not the story I will end up publishing. I didn’t even find that story until I had written reams of vignettes over a three-year peroid, experimented with voice, tense and structure, received substantive feedback from beta readers and professional editors, and killed many of “my darlings” that did not add to the narrative. And I’ll admit, there were times I truly wondered if I would ever really end up publishing the story. I could not rush it. But, if I was patient and committed to writing, I found my story developed nicely and was getting groomed for publication. I had to be patient and let it find its own time.

All I needed to do was write from my heart and the story that needed to be told revealed itself to me.

heart-6042029343_7d4aea1a30_z-300x300 — heart/ flickr creative commons

Perseverance:

Amen to this one. Once I had devoted the time and energy to my memoir, I knew I did not want to give up on it. I had already put in years of work, to say nothing of the emotional upheaval of facing past mistakes and gleaning lessons learned for both myself and my readers. It began to shape itself into a story with a beginning, middle and an end. It had a message and a purpose. I couldn’t let it down. I had to persevere through the doubts, past my inner critic, through the learning curves, some steeper than others, and onward.

061109 Overcome — Overcome Flickr Creative Commons

Ever Faithful to His Lead will be born very soon—July is the target month. Launch date TBA.

Passion for my story and its purpose, patience to let it unfold as it is meant to and perseverance to power through all the obstacles and challenges of publishing in the 21^st century all helped me reach this milestone.

How about you? I’d love to hear what has powered you to reach your goal of publishing. Please leave your comments below~

This Week:

Announcement: Congratulations to Louise Mathewson for being the winner of Nancy Sharp’s memoir, Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living!

Monday, 06/02/14: I’m over at Susan Weidener’s Women’s Writing Circle blog with a guest post about a theme in my memoir: “Memoir Explores Woman as Caretaker.” Hope you’ll stop by and join in that conversation too.

Thursday, 06/05/14: “Author Attitude : What Is it and Why Do I Need It? WOW Women on Writing Book Tour & Giveaway with Nina Amir.”

Week #4 and 83% funded!

My Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse ends at midnight on June 11.

Thanks to your generous contributions, I’m so close and headed for the home stretch with only 9 more days to go!

By making a contribution you will help spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse.

Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

If you are unable to make a contribution, I’d love it if you would share this link with others.

Please join me in sharing the hope!

Thank you.

My Writing Process Tour

May 29, 2014 Kathy Pooler 23 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open vein.” ~Red Smith

397086_450996628298355_1593371663_n reader & writer — Photo Credit: Free Google Images

My Writing Process Tour

I am honored to be a part of this blog tour challenge. I accepted an invitation to take part in the #mywritingprocess tour, an exercise in which writers share insights into their writing process. I continue to be a work-in-progress as I get ready to publish my first book, a memoir. But, I believe strongly, we can all learn from one another, no matter where we are in our writing lives.

I have enjoyed writing since I was about eight years old when I wrote plays for my maternal grandmother, Nan and all her little Italian lady friends. I can still see them gathered in the living room sipping coffee and chattering on in Italian. I never understood a word but I can still feel their fascination and loving attention as they hushed each other when I stood at the archway to announce the play would begin.

I wish to thank Clara Freeman for inviting me to participate in this tour. Clara is also a retired registered nurse and we met on our mutual friend, Pat MacKinzie‘s blog several years ago. I have enjoyed Clara’s genuine presence and wisdom. Clara’s mission in life is to be of service in helping others, particularly women. Her biggest successes come from helping women find themselves. In her own words, “Success comes when the work you do helps other people recognize who they are. It is when you see your work make a difference in another person, who in finding themselves, will sow seeds by using their gifts to help another.” Clara’s brand is the authentic woman and women empowerment. Please check out her inspirational blogs at The Authentic Woman Networks-Helping Women Find Their Voices and clara54.wordpress.com. Clara is the author of The Authentic Woman eBook.

What am I working on?

As mentioned, I will be launching my first book, a memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse in July, 2014. It is not the story I started writing five years ago. In 1999, I took my first writing course, Starting Out in Writing through Writer’s Digest. The stories that spilled out were related to being the mother of an alcoholic son. But as I continued writing, I began to realize I could not tell that story until I told my own story. In 2012 when I submitted my manuscript to a developmental editor, she responded, “you have two memoirs here.” After a year of going back and forth and putting my manuscript aside, I finally picked it up again and began digging deeper into the story of getting into and out of two emotionally abusive marriages. Exposing my vulnerabilities and flaws was painful, but I knew it was the only way to get on the other side of the pain. The story that needed to be told revealed itself to me. It is a story of hope, resilience and courage in finding freedom from abuse. I believe strongly that a memoir has to be bigger than you. It has to resonate with readers. Writing this memoir helped me to heal and now I have a mission to reach out to other women who are struggling to find freedom from abuse in any form. The abuse I write about is emotional, and although I did not suffer bruises or broken bones, it was still harmful to me and my two children.

But the story doesn’t end there. I have started a sequel about how my faith guided me through the simultaneous battles of a cancer diagnosis and a young adult son’s downward spiral into substance abuse. The working title is Hope Matters: A Memoir of Faith. Both of these memoirs are about the power of hope in facing life’s challenges.

Why do I write what I do?

The quick answer: “Because I cannot NOT write.” For me, writing is a passion, an itch I can’t scratch. I see the world around me as a story and want to capture it in words. I have written in a journal since I was eleven years old when I received a pink journal with a lock and key. I marvel at the transition from keeping my deepest thoughts and feelings under lock to exposing myself to the world with all my flaws and missteps. And yet there is something very liberating about acknowledging one’s truth and sharing it with others. The journals have become the seeds for both my memoirs.

Although I admire fiction writers and enjoy reading fiction, I find there is more than enough fodder for real-life stories to keep me busy for a long time. Memoir writers have to use fiction techniques to shape the events in their lives into a story that reads like a novel. On the other hand, fiction is often based upon real life events and people. At this point, I do not see myself writing fiction. There are too many stories I am yearning to tell about my family and my own life experiences.

I have found that, if I show up and do the writing, the story that begs to be told comes forth. I have learned to listen.

Perhaps the single most important element in why I write what I do is to share hope one story at a time.

How does my writing process work?

I write every day, whether it’s a blog post, a guest post, a story I share on social media, a letter, a journal entry. I do not have a specific routine and, like everyone else, have to navigate around household/family/church obligations. I’ve been retired from a busy nursing career for three years and tend to follow a schedule of writing four out of seven days from 1-5pm. Sometimes I write on weekends and sometimes I write in the evenings or wee hours. One thing I have discovered, if I do not write during the day, I tend to stay up late and write. The ideas swirling in my head won’t let me sleep! And yes, there have been times I have arisen in the middle of the night to tend to those voices in my head that demand to be written.

Sometimes the best thing I can do for my writing is to walk away from the computer and go for a walk to clear my head. Some of my most creative ideas occur when I am away from my office. I do keep a small notepad with me but if I need to, I’ll write on any available space—a used envelope, a napkin—for those fleeting “aha” moments.

Next up on the #mywritingprocess tour are three bloggers who have graciously agreed to take part. I hope you’ll check out their blogs. Next week they will present their own personal takes on the #mywritingprocess tour:

Janet Givens:

Janet and I met online several years ago. I have enjoyed Janet’s witty humor, depth of experience and generous sharing of ideas and coverage of interesting topics. Her weekly blog, A So It Goes, is a delightful collection of musings about life and includes topics such as mid-life changes, transitions, connections, and travel,cultural differences and Kazakhstan (where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2004 to 2006). Janet’s memoir, At Home on the Kazakh Steppe is due for publication in June, 2014. Please be sure to stop by her blog and leave a comment. Janet loves a good conversation and she will make you feel very welcome.

Linda Hoye:

Linda describes herself as “a writer, editor, adoptee and somewhat fanatical grandmother.” Linda was one of the first people I met when I started writing my memoir five years ago and has served as a role model for me ever since. I have enjoyed Linda’s inspirational stories of adoption, gardening, grandparenting, retirement–everyday stories that resonate. She blogs weekly at A Slice of Life Writing so be sure to check out her lovely website. She is the author of the inspirational memoir, Two Hearts: An Adoptee’s Journey From Grief to Gratitude. Photography is one of her passions and she often posts pictures of her beautiful homegrown flowers and vegetables, as well as of her darling grandchildren. I have no doubt you will enjoy your visit.

Sarah Freeman:

Sarah is a writer and a ghost writer. She blogs weekly at Write By Grace about “walking in His grace daily.” Sarah and I met in Joe Bunting’s Story Cartel Course in 2013 and Sarah was one of my valued beta readers for my memoir. I enjoy Sarah’s stories of how faith works in her life. She also discusses health-related issues that are all important reminders about taking good care of oneself. I find her website to be very soothing and nourishing. Sarah is working with an elderly couple in ghostwriting their memoir. Please check her out at Write By Grace. You will feel refreshed.

Thank you all for stopping.

How about you? What is your writing process?

Next Week:

Monday, 06/02/14: “The 3 P’s of Publishing a Memoir.”

Thursday, 06/05/14: “Author Attitude: What Is It and Why Do I Need It? A WOW Women on Writing Book Tour and Giveaway with Nina Amir”

The 30-day Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse,now in its third week, is 82% closer to its goal! The campaign ends at midnight on June 11.

Only twelve more days to go.

By making a contribution you will help spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse. Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

If you are unable to make a contribution, I’d love it if you would share this link with others.

Share the hope.

Thank you!

Grief, Memoir

Google+ Hangout Interview with Memoir Author Nancy Sharp: Both Sides Now

May 26, 2014 Kathy Pooler 12 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Nancy Sharp/@BoldLivingNow

“Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.” William Shakespeare

I am thrilled to feature Keynote Speaker and Author Nancy Sharp in this Google+ Interview about her memoir, Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living. This powerful memoir is about giving love and life your all then moving on with grace and strength to build a new life after loss and grief. It is a stunning tribute to the beauty of love and the resilience of the human spirit.

My reviews can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari and LibraryThings.

Both Sides Now has recently been selected for The 2014 National Indie Excellence Award in the grief and loss category:

and The 2014 International Book Awards Winner:

Synopsis:

The past is simply part of our story; just not the whole story...On the very day that Nancy Sharp delivered premature twins, she learned that her husband’s brain cancer returned after eighteen months in remission. Less than three years later, at the age of 37, she became a widow. But while many in that situation would crumble, Nancy had an innate ability to hold life and death in the same moment. She learned to “see beyond the frame’s edge.” In BOTH SIDES NOW: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living, Nancy shares her unforgettable journey – one that offers enlightened understanding for living life to the fullest. Her story is a gift to those looking to lift themselves from the embers of loss and adversity through bold living.

Welcome, Nancy!

Memoir Author Nancy Sharp on Her New Memoir, Both Sides Now:

KP: Both Sides Now is a very raw and personal story of loss and renewal. What made you decide to write your story as a memoir?

NS: It had to take this form in order to render my experience as authentically as possible. That said, writing the story took time, because, well, seeing takes time, healing takes time. I had already processed my husband Brett’s death, but the writing process required me to distill particular moments (scenes) that would best serve the narrative. Brett’s illness was a long one – nearly seven years from diagnosis until his death. No one wants to read about all the trials and tribulations of those seven years, or of the period of mourning that followed. Readers comment on the rawness of the writing in Both Sides Now. And yet I had to be emotionally detached in order to write. After all, this isn’t just my story. It’s everyone’s story. Because loss–no matter how narrow or broadly you define it–is universal. Both Sides Now is the giveback of loss, my own loss, and yet I wrote it as a gift for others.

KP: How long did it take you to find your story?

NS: I first started to write the memoir following more of a traditional narrative using longish chapters and more of a straight chronological format. I wrote several chapters but felt stifled by my own words. I needed breathing space. Then it hit me that if I felt this way, surely my readers would need breathing space as well. Time to pause and reflect upon their own stories. I came to see that I needed to write the book in fragments because that is the way of healing. There is nothing linear about the process. Similarly, we needed white space to process and dream. The entire process was an evolution; I’d say it took a good three years to tackle the writing.

KP: Can you describe your writing process?

NS: Fits and starts with lots of 5 a.m. wake-ups in order to claim quiet time before getting my twins ready for school. I love the stillness of early morning.

KP: You wrote Both Sides Now is short chapters and you refer to your first husband Brett in the second person, as “you”. After he dies, you change to the third person. What made you decide to use that structure and those points of view?

NS: I addressed the short chapters and fragments above, but yes, I did in fact alter the voice throughout the course of the book. Here’s why. Writing about Brett in the second person draws readers into our world in a very intimate fashion; they are right there with us, experiencing the wild swings of joy and sorrow. But when he dies, I felt that the third person would create necessary distance and perspective.

KP: What are your memoir takeaways, the message you most want to reach your readers?

NS: No matter what obstacles life presents… you must find ways to move forward. That is the gift of bold living.

KP: Can you describe your path to publication?

NS: The publishing process is a very slippery slope. I do have a literary agent who did a terrific job trying to pitch the book to many different houses. She received letter after letter complimenting the writing and the power of the narrative, but alas, none of these traditional publishing houses leapt at the chance to acquire Both Sides Now. Just because people like – even love – a story, doesn’t guarantee a book deal. There are so many extraneous factors involved. Had we persisted with smaller houses, I’m confident that the book would have been acquired. But then several friends of mine who are professional speakers urged me to retain control of the book, so that I would have the ability to reprint copies for years to come and not be beholden to a publishing house that might not do this (as is very customary). In addition to using my written voice, I use my speaking voice to reach others, delivering programs on loss, faith, second acts and bold living to a variety of groups. It was one of my MFA graduate mentors who introduced me to Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books & Books and the Miami Book Fair International. He is also past president of the American Booksellers Association. Mitchell decided to publish the book under Books & Books Press, an independent publishing house. I’ve been very happy with the arrangement.

KP: Do you have any memoir writing tips to share?

NS: Writers must be exceedingly patient and flexible in order to visualize the right way to tell their stories. Experiment with structure and voice. Play with different forms. Reflect upon theme using a multi-sensory approach. Do these things and eventually you will discover the best way to render your story.

Thank you Nancy for sharing your memoir writer’s journey with us. I appreciate your practical points about writing a memoir. Your story has touched many people in a healing and hopeful way. Best wishes for your ongoing success reaching more readers.

Author Bio:

Nancy Sharp is a writer and keynote speaker who frequently talks to large groups about loss, renewal, and bold living. She holds a MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College and writes regularly for The Huffington Post, and for numerous online media, national magazines, and regional newspapers. Nancy authors two blogs: Vivid Living: Life in Full Bloom…Thorns and All®, and Tasting Life with Nancy Sharp. Nancy lives in Denver with her husband, Steve Saunders, and their four children, ages thirteen through twenty-three. Learn more at NancySharp.net.

Author Contact Information:

Twitter is @BoldLivingNow

Nancy Sharp’s Both Side Now /Bold Living Now Amazon page

Facebook page: Nancy Sharp-Bold Living Now

LinkedIn: Nancy Sharp

Huffington Post Page

How about you? Have you experienced a major loss and found healing in writing about it?

Nancy has graciously agree to give away a copy of her memoir to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

This Week:

I’m over at Marian Beaman’s Plan and Fancy Girl blog with a guest post: “Kathy Pooler and Independence Day: Her Story of Freedom.” Hope you’ll stop by and leave a comment!

Thursday: 05/29/14: “My Writing Process Tour”

Next Week:

Monday, 06/02/14: “The 3 P’s of Publishing a Memoir.”

Halfway there and 81% funded!

My Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse ends at midnight on June 11. This week I’m offering a special time limited award of a decorative journal to the first ten people who either contribute for the first time or for backers who can answer this question on Facebook or via email:

“When have you chosen to move on and not repeat your mistakes?”

By making a contribution you will help spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse. Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

If you are unable to make a contribution, I’d love it if you would share this link with others.

Please join me in sharing the hope!

Thank you.

Fiction Writing Techniques, Memoir Writing Tips

Google+ Hangout Interview with Mary Gottschalk on Writing a Novel After Writing a Memoir

May 22, 2014 Kathy Pooler 24 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Mary C Gottschalk/@Marycgottschalk

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. ~Douglas Adams

It is my pleasure to feature author Mary C Gottschalk in this Google+ Hangout interview on her journey from memoir to fiction. Mary and I met on Facebook several years ago. I’ve been a fan of Mary’s writing since reading her memoir, Sailing Down the Moonbeam, where she took me on a real-life adventure around the world in a sailboat and showed me the real meaning of “stepping out of your comfort zone.” Mary will discuss her new novel, A Fitting Place, and how there are many ways to step out of our comfort zones. Hint: It is just as adventuresome!

My reviews for Sailing Down the Moonbeam can be found on Amazon, Goodreads.

My reviews for A Fitting Place can be found on Amazon , Goodreads, Shelfari and LibraryThings

Welcome, Mary!

DSC_4440-Edit_2-2 — Author Mary C Gottschalk

Writing a Novel After Writing a Memoir

KP: What made you decide to write a novel, A Fitting Place, after writing your memoir, Sailing Down the Moonbeam?

MG: I’ve long believed that the potential for personal and/or professional growth is greatest when you are in situations that cause you to re-examine your beliefs and values. In my memoir, Sailing Down the Moonbeam, I chose to step out of my comfort zone from a professional, geographic and cultural perspective. It changed my life in some amazing ways.

But most people don’t have the option of quitting their jobs and heading off into the sunset. I wanted to write a story that could happen to any woman. In the novel, my protagonist, Lindsey, remains in her hometown surrounded by friends, family and her career, but begins to grow in new ways when she is forced out of her comfort zone.

KP: We are all told that as memoir writers we need to use fiction-writing techniques. How did writing a memoir first prepare you for writing a novel?

MG: Two things

Memoir has to read like fiction or it will not engage the reader. It has to have a story arc with appropriate plot points and credible characters. When you already know the story arc and major plot points, you have more energy to learn how to build tension and develop fully-realized characters.That’s a lot harder when you’re making up the key plot points. You can spend a lot of time writing scenes that turn out to be completely irrelevant. Knowing what it feels like when you get it right makes it easier to keep trudging through the mistakes.

A related issue is the creation of interesting and credible characters. It took many drafts of my memoir before my ex-husband and myself emerged as three-dimensional figures that would be recognized by people who knew us and appreciated by people who didn’t. I could never have done the novel without have some sense of how to go about creating fully-imagined characters.

KP: How did you decide on the plot and characters for your novel?

MG: I mentioned before that I wanted to stay with premise that you grow the most when you step outside your comfort zone. One of those growth periods, for me, came during a rebound relationship after my husband and I separated. The advantages and disadvantages of rebound relationships inspired the overall story arc, but the events are fictional.

So are the characters. You know, for example, I have no children. But the characters in the final novel are not the same as the ones in the first draft. Several people got dropped because they did nothing to further the plot, while at least two were added in a later draft because they were necessary keep the tension up and the story moving forward.

KP: Since we have already met Lindsey, your main character, through your blog posts, we know she is conflicted and struggling with self-defeating behavior patterns. Can you offer some insights on how you developed her character?

MG: So many women of my generation grew up with stereotypes about masculinity and femininity. The stereotypes say a lot about people’s expectations, but they don’t tell us much about reality … how any given man or woman wants to be or wants to act. The self-defeating behaviors came when there is an unresolved conflict. In Lindsey’s case, it is a conflict between what she really wants, and what she does based on what she thinks—often incorrectly—is expected of her.

KP: One of the threads in your novel is the concept of sexual fluidity. What made you decide to incorporate this controversial issue into your story?

MG: Sexual fluidity describes a situation in which a sexual attraction is based on personal and emotional intimacy rather than gender. It is the subject of an emerging field of academic research, which indicates that sexual attraction for women is often as much personal attraction as gender. I suspect this perspective appealed to me because I’ve never been sexually interested in a man based on his looks. I was attracted to men who were intelligent and thoughtful, and I could talk to about interesting and challenging ideas

I also think a lot of women who are not lesbian or bisexual find themselves caught up in a rebound relationship with a woman after a heterosexual one has failed. They are searching for emotional comfort, for reassurance that they are still desirable human beings. As is typical of a rebound relationship, Lindsey falls “in love” with the first person who shows a genuine interest in her.

What makes the same sex relationship so important for Lindsey is that it challenges her long held assumptions about gender roles. For example, she consistently subordinated her needs to her husband’s, often feeling that she had no choice but to do what “the man” wanted. But when she finds herself in a subordinate role in a same sex relationship, she can’t blame it on norms about gender roles. She has to look in the mirror.

KP: Can you describe your writing process and how long it took you from idea to published book?

MG: Both my memoir and my novel had three phases. The first was laying out the basic story arc and plot points. The second was identifying the characters and events that I need to make the story work. The third was fleshing out the characters to make them fully-realized.

That is not the same as saying each book took three drafts. Both took many more than that, and in both cases, I put the manuscript aside for several months before attempting a revision. Both books took about 5 years from start to finish.

KP: Do you have any writing tips you’d like to share?

MG: I think the most important thing any writer can do is make abundant use of beta readers and editors. It’s too easy to fall in love with your own words and your own characters.

In my days as a professional writer, I was always happy to debate the content of an article I wrote, but if someone challenged the way I said it, I knew I had written it poorly. It’s even more true with creative writing. You do not want anything to cause your reader to step out of the story you are telling. Only readers can tell you what does or doesn’t work.

KP: That sounds like excellent advice, Mary. Thank you for sharing all the hard work that went into both your memoir and your novel.

***

Author Bio and Contact Information:

Mary has made a career out of changing careers. She spent nearly thirty years in the financial markets, working as an economist, a banker and a financial consultant to major corporations. She has worked in New York, New Zealand, Australia, Central America, Europe, and amazingly, Des Moines, Iowa.

Along the way, she dropped out several times. In the mid-1980’s, Mary embarked on the multi-year sailing voyage that is the subject of her memoir, Sailing Down the Moonbeam. Twice, she left the world of high finance to work with the nonprofit community, first in New York and later in Des Moines.

In her latest incarnation, she defines herself as a writer. She published her first novel, writes for The Iowan magazine, and lectures on the subject of personal risk-taking.

Mary is on several non-profit boards, including the Des Moines A.M. Rotary

Links to books and social media sites:

http://marycgottschalk.com

www.Sailingdownthemoonbeam.com

http://twitter.com/marycgottschalk

http://www.facebook.com/mary.gottschalk.9

http://www.facebook.com/MaryGottschalkWriter

http://www.linkedin.com/in/marygottschalk/

https://plus.google.com/u/0/105973496280247274228/posts

Links to Amazon: amzn.to/Iy5JTJ

Mary has graciously agreed to give away a copy of both her novel, A Fitting Place and her memoir, Sailing Down the Moonbeam to two commenters whose names will be selected in a random drawing.

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

This Week:

Saturday, May 24, 2014: I’m over at Marian Beaman’s Plan and Fancy Girl blog with a guest post: “Kathy Pooler and Independence Day: Her Story of Freedom.” Hope you’ll stop by and leave a comment!

Next Week:

Monday, May 26,2014: “Google+ Hangout Interview with Memoir Author Nancy Sharp: Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living.”

The 30-day Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse was launched on May 12. Now in its second week, it is 73% closer to its goal. The campaign ends at midnight on June 11.

By making a contribution you will help spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse. Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

If you are unable to make a contribution, I’d love it if you would share this link with others.

Share the hope.

Thank you!

Writing a Dedication for a Memoir

A Dedication for Ever Faithful to His Lead: A Memoir Moment

May 19, 2014 Kathy Pooler 35 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.

Neil Gaiman

As I close in on publishing my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead, I have been making lists of all the people who have helped me reach this milestone—family, friends, writing colleagues. Clearly, I have a host of wonderful people to recognize and thank for helping me achieve this lifelong dream of publishing a book.

I have also been giving serious thought to a dedication page for my memoir.

A few weeks back, while washing dishes, I glanced over at a lone dried long-stemmed red rose in a clear vase. It was a rose from my Aunt Rose’s funeral in April, 2012. The realization came to me like a bolt of lightening and I started crying.

6301394082_4e2f247f04_m red rose — Long-stemmed Red Rose Kims Korners uploaded from Flickr

My memoir about my journey away from emotional abuse will be dedicated to my dear Aunt Rose who suffered needlessly for years at the hands of an abusive husband. I never realized the full extent until I sat at her bedside during her final days and she poured out her feelings. She held them in all those years.

Aunt Rose had been an important part of my life story for as long as I can remember. Here’s a glimpse of her from my five -year-old eyes when she created a magical moment that has stayed with me my entire life.

In later years, we spent a lot of time together, going out to lunch or reminiscing in her living room. This is the last time we were out together. It was April,2011, one year before she died of acute leukemia.

It is in tribute to my Aunt Rose who has always there for me with her love, her voice of reason and her fun-loving ways that I dedicate my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse.

Let me tell you one of the stories she shared on her death bed:

Bittersweet Goodbyes, 2012

Her perfectly coifed, white hair is now straight and sticks out at the crown where her head lays dormant on the pillow. But her clear, engaging blue eyes still draw us in.

She wants to hear the stories I’ve written. She’s heard them many times before. I often sat in her living room and she listened with her heart to the family tales.

When I finish reading the story about the warm summer nights under the peach tree, her crystal blue eyes, now even more prominent on her drawn face, are wide and sparkling. She tells me she remembers and my heart expands in my chest.

Her daughter Michele is sitting across from me. She smiles and recalls a memory of her mom saving money to buy her a prom gown. Mike, her father, would never have approved of this since it was $60. She told him it was $30.

Michele shakes her head and says,” Mom is the strongest woman I know.”

Aunt Rose cringes. The mention of his name still haunts her.

Aunt Rose then starts talking about her three sons, my cousins, being beaten over minor infractions like being five minutes late for dinner or not knowing where their father’s hammer was. She wrinkles her nose and shakes her head as she recalls an incident involving six- year-old Michael and eight-year-old Dean.

“You’re lying,” Mike shouted as Michael and Dean shook their heads from side to side, shooting each other sideway glances.

“No, Daddy.” They shrugged their shoulders and looked at each other, confused and scared.

“He beat them so hard with his belt, they lost their breath.” Aunt Rose said, adding, “ I did everything I could to try to stop him.”

“He glared at me and said ‘Get away or you’ll be next.’ “

Then as if it had just happened, she said, “ When he was done, he walked out into the garage, leaving me with two broken little boys to console.”

“Soon, he returned from the garage.”

“Well look at this,” Mike said, chuckling while holding up the hammer.“Look what I found.”

***

Our family felt the pain of her abuse, though the full extent was not revealed until she poured out these stories as we held vigil.

My heart goes out to Aunt Rose, my cousins and to all women and children who suffer at the hands of an abuser. He left when her fifth child was five months old but the scars remained until the end.

Although the abuse I write about in my memoir is emotional, it still is harmful.

If my memoir helps one person find their inner strength and courage to leave an abusive relationship, then I will feel my mission of increasing abuse awareness and prevention has been achieved.

It really is no surprise that my favorite song is “The Rose.” It reminds me that in the midst of all our sorrows, there is hope for new life and love.

This one’s for you, Aunt Rose. May you find the peace and happiness you deserve and may all your girlhood dreams be fulfilled in Heaven.

How about you? Dedicating a book to someone is a high personal matter. How have you or would you write a dedication page for your book?

I’d love to hear from you.

Please leave your comments below~

Announcement: Congratulations, Barbara Techel! Your name was selected in a random drawing of commenters to receive Cindi McVey’s memoir, To Live in Paradise: Dreams Found and Lost in the Heart of Africa.

This Week:

Monday, 5/18/14: “New Funding Options for Authors”, a guest post interview on Sharon Lippincott’s The Heart and Craft of Lifewriting blog.

Thursday, 5/22/14: “Google+Hangout Interview with Mary C. Gottschalk on Her New Novel, A Fitting Place”

***

The 30-day Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse was launched on May 12. Now in its second week, it is 63% closer to its goal. The campaign ends at midnight on June 11.

By making a contribution you will help spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse. Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

If you are unable to make a contribution, I’d love it if you would share this link with others.

Share the hope.

Thank you!

Memoir

A Google+ Hangout Interview with Memoir Author Cindi McVey: To Live in Paradise

May 14, 2014 Kathy Pooler 10 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Cindi McVey

“Where we love is home–home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” Oliver Wendell Holmes,Sr.

I am very pleased to feature memoir author Cindi McVey in this Google+ Hangout interview. Cindi is the author of To Live in Paradise: A Memoir of Dreams Found and Dreams Lost in the Heart of Africa. Cindi and I met through her publisher at Homebound Publications, Leslie M. Browning. I believe the mission of Homebound Publications as stated on their website resonates with Cindi’s memoir:

“It is the intention of those at Homebound to revive contemplative storytelling and introduce a new mythology that will directly aid mankind in the trials we face in the present.”

Book Description:

To Live in Paradise: A Memoir of Dreams Found and Lost in the Heart of Africa Book Cover

Her adventures include a cheetah attack, rioting crowds, inspiring safaris, and eye-to-eye snake encounters, shared with endearing characters who are her friends. Within this tale of an American’s affair with a vibrant yet imperiled land, also unfolds a story of loss for one of Earth’s last Edens.

Set amid the magic and struggles of Africa, To Live in Paradise is the poignant memoir of a young American woman who finds herself swept up in an intriguing new life in Zimbabwe, just as this paradise country takes a critical turn in its history. As the idyll unravels, the nation applauded as Africa’s success story plunges into a lawless land where tyrants rule. In a clash of humanity and earth, an unparalleled wilderness and a distressed nation both fight for survival.

My reviews can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing and Shelfari.

Welcome, Cindi!

1495184_572276279515439_711216918_o — Memoir Author Cindi McVey

KP: To Live in Paradise is a poignant memoir about a young woman’s journey to Africa and how that journey transformed her. At what point did you realize you needed to tell your story?

CM:As described in my book, there were often times when I was out in the wilderness or countryside by myself, usually on horseback, and I would look around me and say in my mind, “Hey everyone, look! You guys have GOT to see this!” I wished that others could experience the awesome beauty and sense of peace that I felt from being there. It was only later, though, that the idea of sharing it by writing a book occurred to me.

KP: Your connection to Africa seemed to be a powerful theme in your memoir. You personify both Africa and Zimbabwe by referring to them as “she.” When and how did you discover this connection?

CM: Once again, I was often out in this grand wilderness by myself, but not for a moment did I feel alone. It was as though a great, comforting presence was with me, and like we were speaking to each other. This presence also felt distinctly feminine, like an aunt, big sister or wise friend. The wilderness definitely had a soul to me and was something more than an “it”. Rather, a “she”.

KP: You use vivid imagery to bring the country and its people alive to your reader. Can you share with us how you were able to capture your experience is such rich detail?

“A gentle rain had pattered down most of the day, but by early evening when I arrived home the sky had cleared to powder-blue. I wandered out to the veranda where I could settle into the molded comfort of my woven-grass chair, and feeling peaceful, watched a brawny sun dip towards the horizon, making the droplets on every leaf sparkle. While I breathed in the misted evening’s intoxicating scent, I smiled to see my favorite birds—the dainty Blue Waxbills—delicately pick seeds from the bird feeder, until the rowdy Masked Weaver pushed his way in. Nearby, iridescent starlings shimmered blue-green and purple, as they hopped about on the lawn. Flocks of ribbon-tailed swallows swept high across the sky, while perky lizards darted about on the low brick wall in front of me. Even the trees seemed content, swaying to the subtle rhythm of the wind.”

CM: All my descriptions come from a heartfelt place, and this passage particularly so because, in addition to the sheer beauty of nature that I often describe in my book, this scene has a lot of personal meaning. I’m also describing my home, so there is a comforting, secure feeling. But it is also a home which I’ll soon be leaving, and so I’m feeling a little unsettled, which makes the small details of “home” become more poignant.

KP: Who is your audience and how do you plan to connect with them?

CM: My aim was to appeal to a broad audience. I did try to incorporate elements that would captivate a range of readers, like some action scenes, plus themes we all can relate to, like being young and having dreams that don’t go exactly as planned. And of course there is the obvious appeal for those who enjoy nature or simply yearn for adventure.

KP: What is the most important takeaway message you hope to convey to your reader?

CM:I hope readers come away with a greater value of wilderness and nature, how ever far away it may be, and feeling a tangible loss to its disappearance. If we don’t realize that something is being taken from us, we won’t know to stand up for it, in whatever small way that we can.

KP: What did you learn about yourself through writing your memoir?

CM: You know, I’ve been told a few times in my life that I’m stubborn, and now I’m starting to believe it! Actually, it’s not stubborn so much as determined. I finished the first draft of the manuscript in 2001, and sent queries out that year as well. It was 2013 before I signed a publishing contract. Somehow I didn’t ever give up after rejection upon rejection, turning all comments into improvements, and trudging on. It was sheer doggedness that kept me going at times. It’s been a testament to how hard work and determination can truly pay off.

KP: Do you have any memoir writing tips for other writers who are writing a memoir?

CM: With memoir, the reader either needs to identify with you (as the main character of the book) or have empathy for you. I’ve read memoirs where, as the story goes on, I start to dislike the main character (the memoirist). This was because I disagreed with choices he made, or hurts that he caused, for which he didn’t sufficiently show regret or try to rectify the wrong. Maybe he did have regret in real life, but if so, that wasn’t adequately conveyed in his story. All stories need “conflict”; just remember to adequately explain why you made the choices you did, or how you wished you done things differently. You’ll be given greater leeway when your reader identifies with you on a personal level, but when appealing to a broader audience, make sure that any “conflict” gets fully explained. In my case, in early drafts of my book, people needed to better understand why I would run off to a crazy place like Africa (of course, adventurers needed no more explanation.

KP: How can we buy To Live in Paradise?

Publisher direct at Homebound Publications

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Author’s website

You can also ask your local bookstore to order it if they don’t have it on their shelf.

***

Thank you Cindi for sharing your memoir writer’s journey and for offering so many helpful tips. Writing from the heart is the key to inviting readers into our stories. You do that very well in your memoir.

Author Bio:

I was born and raised in Alaska, by parents who loved the wilderness and felt blessed to have a home there. My parents made adventure commonplace, taking my sister and I skiing, clam digging, camping on the river and in the mountains, fishing, hiking and exploring. Life was about trying new things and living to the fullest.

So to them, my trips to Africa in my twenties were what life was meant to be: Discovering, experiencing the new and different, pushing the envelope. My decision to move there, however, and live 10,000 miles from home was met with somewhat less enthusiasm. But what could they say, having done the same themselves, moving all the way up north to Alaska and so very far from “home”.

As described in To Live in Paradise, I first owned an automotive engineering shop, overhauling engines. Later I owned an auto glass business, replacing windshields and door glasses in cars, trucks, buses and anything else. With a business degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage, having my own business was always a goal. Africa runs on entrepreneurship, and being self-employed was a natural path to follow.

I am part Alaskan, part African, all American, and for now, a bit of a gypsy. The reality of economics means Africa cannot be my home at present. But every day I hear her calling, feel her presence, and know that, surely, the time will come to return home.

Cindi can be found on :

Facebook: at Cindi McVey

Website: To Live in Paradise

How about you ? Have you experienced a bond to another country and its people through your travels?

Cindi and her publisher, Leslie Browning of Homebound Publications have graciously offered to give away a copy of To Live in Paradise to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

This Week:

Saturday, 5/16/14:

“New Funding Options for Authors”, a guest interview on Sharon Lippincott’s The Heart and Craft of Life Story Writing blog

Next Week:

Monday, 5/19/14:

“A Dedication for Ever Faithful to His Lead: A Memoir Moment”

Thursday, 5/22/14:

“Google+ Hangout Interview with Mary C Gottschalk about Her Debut Novel, A Fitting Place”

***

The Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse was launched on May 12 and is 17% closer to its goal. The campaign ends a midnight on June 11.

By making a contribution you will help spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse. Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

If you are unable to make a contribution, please share this link with others.

Thank you!

Memoir, Memoir Writing Tips, Writing to Heal

Introducing Ever Faithful To His Lead: My Journey to Memoir

May 12, 2014 Kathy Pooler 34 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

My journey to memoir has led me to self-discovery and healing. It has made me look at my life and understand the choices that have led me to the woman I am today. At 67, I look back at the young woman who made many self-defeating life decisions. In writing my story, I have learned to embrace my flaws and setbacks and forgive myself for the path I chose. For it is through this path that I ultimately found the joy and contentment I am experiencing today.

EVER FAITHFUL TO HIS LEAD helped me answer my own burning question:

How does a young woman from a loving, stable family make so many wise choices about career, yet so many poor choices about love that she ends up escaping with her children in the middle of the day from a second abusive marriage?

Here’s my journey to memoir….

Writing a memoir is really hard work. It’s like having a homework assignment every day of your life.

It means showing up and getting in a writing zone where the words flow, or not. It means fighting your inner critic , facing rejection.

It means allowing yourself to be vulnerable and genuine, revisiting painful memories and gleaning the life lessons.

One word, one thought at a time. Like a huge jigsaw puzzle. You pour the pieces on the table, then begin sorting them Into a recognizable pattern.

But a memoir is not a string of vignettes–delightful and compelling as these stories may be. It’s a story with a takeaway. All those pieces of the puzzle need to be shaped into a narrative arc, with a theme, plot points, scenes, dialogue, sensory detail, dramatic tension, conflict and eventually resolution.

A story of transformation that will benefit the reader and connect them with their own transformation.

When I sent my manuscript to a developmental editor, her response was , “you have more than one memoir here.” I had poured my heart and soul into those pages and now I had to rethink the whole process.

I had to be the one to find my own story and once I found it, I had to claim it and honor it as the story I needed and wanted to tell. That took another few months to process. I set the manuscript aside and went off on my own to pout, grieve, stew, until one day a friend I hadn’t seen in years visited. She asked me to read the chapter she was in and when I finished, she said, “It reads like a novel” .

This, of course, was music to my memoirist’s ears. And I never looked back. I claimed my story and began the next arduous leg of my journey, rewriting, shaping, editing through professional editors and beta readers.

After a year of digging deeper, I reached the polishing stage. My publisher offered a final proofread…

After five years of writing and rewriting, Ever Faithful to His Lead is getting ready for its debut. It is a story of hope, resilience and courage. My greatest wish is that it will touch the heart of those who need it the most–women who find themselves in the grip of an abusive relationship and are searching for their inner strength and freedom.

Please join me I spreading this message through my Pubslush campaign for Ever Faithful to His Lead which went live on May 12 for 30 days.

Here’s the link:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076

Thank you and please let me know your thoughts and questions.

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below

This week:

Thursday, 5/14: “Google+Hangout Interview with Memoir Author Cindi McVey: To Live in Paradise: Dreams Found and Lost in Africa”

My great Wordpress blog

What Goes Into a Successful Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign?

My Journey of Defeating Fear to Help Others by Memoir Author Pamela Koefoed

Author Attitude: What Is It and Why Do I Need It? WOW Women on Writing Book Tour with Nina Amir

The 3 P’s of Publishing a Memoir

My Writing Process Tour

Google+ Hangout Interview with Memoir Author Nancy Sharp: Both Sides Now

Google+ Hangout Interview with Mary Gottschalk on Writing a Novel After Writing a Memoir

A Dedication for Ever Faithful to His Lead: A Memoir Moment

A Google+ Hangout Interview with Memoir Author Cindi McVey: To Live in Paradise

Introducing Ever Faithful To His Lead: My Journey to Memoir

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