NETWORKING AT THE DEXTER LIBRARY

December 1st was a frigid, windy evening. Peggy Singer, my writing colleague, and I drove to Dexter and had dinner at Northpoint, a local destination restaurant—good food.


Lisa Ryan and Brenda

Adult Library Director Lisa Ryan greeted us at the Dexter library, where I was to speak. Including myself there were a total of six people in a large room with forty chairs: Lisa, my writing partners—Susan and Peggy, Peggy’s friend Mary and a very late comer. Why so few? Lisa thought it may relate to the fact that it was the week after Thanksgiving and people had Christmas on their minds. And it was COLD! In addition I am an unknown writer and did not contact the media to get an interview about the novel and event.


Peggy, Brenda and Susan

Still, Peggy, Susan and I had the opportunity to visit about the process of writing, about our group and about our books. Margaret Fuchs Singer published a touching yet riveting memoir, “Legacy of a False Promise, A Daughters Reckoning.” Susan Morales recently published a novel “A Bar Room View of Love.” In it a young woman attempts to expose an ashram and finds redemption. Check out their websites under relevant links on this blog.


Mary Higgins

Lisa, a savvy librarian and historian, has her own stories to write and Mary Higgins has written and produced a play. We stressed that writing groups provide structure, support and motivation. Lisa is in the process of establishing such a group at the library. Go Lisa!

What we learned: Many unknown authors, often self-published, send only a description of their books to the library. However, a book cannot be put into the library system without knowing the quality of the prose. This means that a librarian must read the book. A wise tactic for a little known author is to donate a book to the library. Lisa stated that, if a book earns a place on the shelf, her library will purchase another copy.

Intuitively I knew to do this when “Family at Booknook” was published. I donated novels to all the surrounding libraries. Since then, I’ve been invited to speak at Adrian, Saline and now Dexter libraries. All have assured me that they purchased extra copies. As with all writers, I want my novel read, and getting it in libraries is great exposure.

Talented Pittsfield Senior Writers

A few weeks ago I was a guest of the Pittsfield Senior Writers, a group of learned people with vast and varied experiences, including: coming of age in Boys Town, living under Japanese occupation and immigrating to the United States.

Under the direction of their resident poet and facilitator, Elle Cousino, these writers are embarking on a new adventure. In fact this dynamite group has published a book, “As Time Goes By.”

One member, Walter Palesch has published several articles and is well into a second novel. To illustrate how far he has come and a bit of his wit, as a teenager learning to read English, he had a crush on his gorgeous teacher. When reading “Dick and Jane,” he deliberately made mistakes. Then the young woman would turn to him, pucker her lips and say the correct pronunciation, while he inwardly swooned.

This was a fascinating group of people who had come together to share their stories. And, it was exciting for me to speak with a group of peers who are learning a new skill and sharing their wisdom and humor.

NEXT EVENT: GETTING PUBLISHED
DEXTER PUBLIC LIBRARY, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1,2010, 7:00PM

ART-A-LICIOUS IN ADRIAN

EVENTS: SPEAKING ON WRITING AND PUBLISHING

Pittsfield Senior Center: Wednesday, October 18th, 10:00am
Dexter Public Library: Wednesday, December 1st, 7:00pm

NOVELS for $15.00: at Events, on line, Nicolas or Meijer

On Saturday my friend Sharon Feldman and I drove to Adrian, where I spoke at the Adrian library with four other local authors; a feature of Art-a-licious: a family fair, something for everyone. Children with painted faces made projects and improvised on stage. There were arts and crafts, with demonstrations including candle making, sock knitting and monotype printmaking; music, dancing, fair food and a gourmet dinner provided by Adrian culinary students. Amazingly it was not crowded and one could take a leisurely walk and enjoy the exhibits. Mark this fair on your calendar for next year!

Authors: Charmaine Stangl, “Charlie; The Dog Who Lived the Dream;” Deborah and Carol Marsh, “The Birth of a King;” Maurleen Gillin, a cookbook, “My Mother and Me;” Cristina Trapani Scott, “A Cup of Comfort for a Better World.” Cristina wrote a touching essay, “The Power of Pebbles” about the support and inspiration her daughter’s classmates provided, when her daughter had a debilitating surgery. The essay was one of fifty-five chosen in an intense competition, and she was paid!

The music and art were fierce competition; people wandered through the library, a few purchased books. Still, we enjoyed networking, reading and comparing experiences. Other than Cristine we had all self published and all concerned about marketing.

It was interesting that the two authors who were contracted to receive royalties had no knowledge of what that royalty would be. This was my experience with Author House. Not until the price was set, the book printed and I asked, was I informed. We authors who self publish are often naive. As I’ve mentioned before Mark Levine’s“The Fine Print of Self-Publishing” is one of several good books that are a must for anyone planning to self publish.

ART-a-licious IN ADRIAN, MICHIGAN

Adrian is having a celebration of art Friday and Saturday, the 18th and 19th of September. The downtown area will host art, crafts, food and music in a festive atmosphere. It is large enough for diversity, small enough to enjoy. Demonstrations include glass blowing, sculpture and wood turning. Several local authors have been invited to speak at the public library. I will be there on Saturday the 19th from 2:00 to 4:00pm. Looking forward to seeing new and old friends.

TRAVELING TWO LANE ROADS

Last week I talked and signed at five Nebraska libraries. As a psychotherapist I am accustomed to listening, not talking. In the heart of the plains, with Nebraskans’ welcoming ways, I was able to find my voice. I’m indebted to my sister Monna who participated in every discussion and navigated us across the state. Her children, librarians and the media were helpful. My family invited friends, advertised and set up; often refreshments were served. I felt almost a celebrity rather than the struggling author that I am.

A young woman, excited about “Family at Booknoook,” explained that she had just been reunited with a daughter that she had had out of wedlock. Friend Zola said that she took the book to bed intending to read a few chapters and finished it at 3:00a.m. Karen Noonan, the assistant director of Kilgore Library in Grand Island, indicated that she could see every scene and that it felt like a movie.

Husband Murray tells me to stay on message. Repeating myself time and again helped me to clarify what that is.

My Message: In spite of abuse, or difficult life situations, people can learn to trust, love and take control of their lives. There are no fairytale endings but we can develop skills to meet life challenges.

This relates to my becoming a published author at sixty nine. I have stories to tell; you too have a story. If you hone your skills and persist, in this age of technology, you can publish a book. It can be a simple spiral bound for the family or something more ambitious. Or, you may choose not to write. You may thirst for knowledge, to travel, to cultivate exotic plants or something that others do not know about.

The message: Identify your passions and follow them.

That said, there will be set backs along the way. I stumble along this path of self actualization. Being consumed with promoting “Family at Booknook,” I have neglected my second novel. And, I often make errors.

On this trip I forgot that the time changes between Imperial and Hastings. Thus, Monna and I arrived eight minutes after Jennifer Berry’s KHAS TV show had ended. Also I did not trust my GPS getting back to the Denver airport, and was stuck between two freeways before I had the sense to use the GPS

To error is human. To learn from error is growth. I will not make these mistakes a second time. Maybe.

PICTURES FROM NEBRASKA TOUR

SCHULERS BOOKS IN LANSING MICHIGAN

July, 22, 2010: Schulers Books and Music makes its home in a large, airy mall store. The event planner, Whitney, breezes up from the back of the building wearing a simple black dress with a blonde dreadlock wound up in an attractive coil on the back of her neck. Her arms are draped in, what at first glance seems to be a colorful sheer fabric, but are actually artful tattoos. Whitney is smiling, self assured, all business. “Would I like something to drink? Your book has sold well. There is a group in the back waiting for you.”

Fifteen people are lined up in three rows patiently waiting for me to speak, some drinking wine. Whitney describes coming events. These authors are well published, most having won awards, several with bestselling novels. I am humbled to be included in her list of authors.


Whitney introduces me, “….First novel…. self published.” She has mentored a group of bright, accomplished readers, among them, attorneys, librarians, a nun and a physician’s assistant. They are attentive, encouraging me with their eyes and smiles. They want to know what I, the novice author, have to say.


I speak, answer questions, and we have a delightful discussion. After, there is a line for me to sign novels.

I am grateful. Thanks Schulers! Thanks Whitney!

ZIPPING THROUGH NEBRASKA

NEBRASKA BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

Public Libraries:
McCook--Monday, August 9th at 7:00pm
Imperial--Tuesday, August 10th at 7:00
Hastings—Thursday, August 12th, at 1:30pm
Grand Island--Thursday, August 12th at 5:30pm
York--Friday, August 13th at 3:00pm

'UP NORTH" TO HORIZON BOOKSTORES

My husband Murray and I took a weekend trip to northern Michigan to sign novels at the Horizon bookstores. “Up-north” is gorgeous with its deep green forests and charming lake towns. Although I was nervous, with Murray’s support and terrific sense of direction, I was able to be open to the experience and had a validating, satisfying time.

The Cadillac Horizon is a renovated, pleasant and roomy bookstore with tables and comfortable chairs. Employees Mary and Casey were welcoming; Mary served me a low calorie, iced mocha coffee that alone is worth the trip to Cadillac. Due to an art fair, the store was quiet. However, a few visitors did wander in. I visited with a “biker” whose husband was canoeing the Pine River and told her about Sparrow’s trip on the Pine. A mother and daughter attending a family reunion listened in the background. A gregarious glass frame salesman, on vacation stopped to chat. All three purchased a novel.
Because most of the people who came in purchased a book, Mary, Casey and I agreed we’d done well. I told them that I’d let them know if Cadillac’s sales beat Traverse City’s. Mary said that after three were sold to hide the novels. We laughed; fat chance of that.

Traverse City Horizon is situated in the heart of the historic district. It is huge with three stories and bargains in the basement. Customers were drinking coffee at sidewalk tables and milling about the store. Families with creative teenagers in tow were stopping on route to Interlochen Art Camp. Parents stopped to visit and many purchased novels. Thirteen-year-old Devyn, an aspiring writer, promised to read “Family at Booknook” and email me her thoughts. One young woman who lives in Adrian, the setting for the novel, purchased a book. A psychiatrist from California was touring the area with his Interlochen granddaughter. He and I visited about our experiences with unwed mothers.

The highlight was a brief encounter with a petite, bright-eyed woman wearing a beaded choker reminiscent of the 60s.

After reading the description, she said, “It sounds good.”

“It’s about a sixteen-year-old in the 60’s who gets pregnant and keeps her baby. Mother and daughter come of age together,” I replied.

She exchanged a knowing look with her handsome husband, then to me. “I was sixteen. My daughter is twenty-five. We had some hard times.”

I commented. “And now you’re happily married.”

“But not to the father,” she said

She has a story to tell, I thought.

This I’ve learned: If I relax and connect with people, I have a rich experience.
Oh, and Ludington State Park has picturesque walking trails around Lost Lake.
Interesting that it was the vacationers in both stores who purchased books. Perhaps they were looking for a remembrance of their trip.

HOME TO NEBRASKA

July 16, 2010

My husband Murray and I are headed to Cadillac and Traverse city Horizon Book Stores tomorrow, Saturday, July 17th. Then were going to spend a couple of nights on Lake Michigan.

NEBRASKA BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

Public Libraries:
McCook--Monday, August 9th at 7:00pm
Imperial--Tuesday, August 10th at 7:00
Hastings—Thursday, August 12th, at 1:30pm
Grand Island--Thursday, August 12th at 5:30pm
York--Friday, August 13th at 3:00pm

Libraries and media are very welcoming in my home state. It will be special touring with my sister Monna, whom I see only once a year. An added bonus, I have family in every town and get to see old friends. My niece Becky is on Imperial’s Library Board and will be baking a cheese cake for that event. Hmm good!

I’ve spent most of the last three weeks working out details and haven’t done much writing. Now, I understand why people higher publicists and marketers.

HOW TO GET KNOWN

Jeff Yeager, author of “The Cheapskate Next Door,” intrigues “cheapskates” and cyclists alike. At fifty-two he biked eighty miles from Ohio to Ann Arbor, arriving at Borders in worn shorts with bike in tow. Ann Arbor was his first stop on a speaking, signing, bike tour.

During his last book tour he biked three thousand miles. He also bunked with cheapskates and camped. The money he saved his publisher was donated to libraries. Generosity is included in his definition of, shall I say it again? Cheapskate.

Jeff advocates that living debt free is stress free. My husband Murray and I live within our means, and I wondered if we fit the cheapskate category. One of the criteria is that you have at least one crock pot. We have two, but a really frugal person has three.

Jeff bikes into a signing and dispenses useful information laced with humorous stories about his travels and the people he meets. He has a terrific marketing plan.

I need such a plan.

SCHEDULED EVENTS: Horizon Books in Cadillac, Saturday June 17th, 12:30-2:30pm—Horizon Books in Traverse City, 3:30-5:30pm. Shuler Books in Lansing on Thursday July 22nd, 7:00-9:00pm. My home state Nebraska, August 9th, 15th.

No bike, roller blades or ice skates, but I will fly over the whole of Nebraska, light in Denver and drive two-hundred miles back to Nebraska.

SUMMER MICHIGAN AND NEBRASKA TRAVELS

SCHEDULED EVENTS:

Horizon Books in Petoskey, Saturday June 5th, 3:00-5:00pm
Horizon Books in Cadillac, Saturday July 17th, 12:30-2:30pm
Horizon Books in Traverse City, July 17th, 3:30-5:30pm
Shuler Books in Lansing,Thursday July 22nd, 7:00-9:00pm

My home state Nebraska, August 9th, 15th. Time and places to be decided.

I will talk and read, then hang around, visit and hopefully sign some books.
Horizon Book Stores are welcoming and support Michigan authors. Thank you, Horizon. I’m excited to meet and talk with readers, and traveling north in a beautiful Michigan Summer is an added bonus.

I will be able to combine the Bear River Writing Conference, at Walloon Lake near Petoskey with the talk in Petoskey. (The Bear River Conference is intense, demanding and helpful in honing one’s writing—highly recommended.)

In Cadillac I’m looking forward to reading the humorous scene that takes place on the Pine River.

My husband Murray will accompany me to Traverse City and we will enjoy a weekend on Lake Michigan.

Our twins graduated from Michigan State and we know Lansing well. On July 22nd, at the Lansing event with Shuler Books, we will “dine” at the Roadhouse, a favorite bar.

In Nebraska I will visit my sister Monna and her family. Getting to the small towns of Nebraska is a challenge. To travel to my hometown of Imperial, I fly from Detroit to Denver, rent a car and drive back east 200 miles. Believe me, that is the quickest, least complicated way to get there. However, driving across the golden Colorado and Nebraska Prairie on deserted Highway Six is relaxing, freeing and takes me back to my childhood.

If I plan the trip right I can attend the monthly fried chicken dinner at the Senior Center—melt-in-your mouth chicken like Mom used to make. Also there will be a family celebration. Monna’s kids are having a centennial celebration for her and her granddaughter Carly. Between the two they will have lived one hundred years.

I’m in the process of contacting book stores and libraries in Nebraska; hopefully I can schedule talks in Imperial, and in McCook, Grand Island and York, where my nieces and nephew live.

SALINE LIBRARY PRESENTATION

Marlee Horrocks, Director of Saline Public Library, and myself at a signing in March, where I spoke about writing, publishing and marketing "Family at Booknook." This was a sophisticated group, some of them writers interested in publishing their own work. I'm indebted to Marlee for getting the word out and attracting a large receptive audience.

TV APPEARANCE AT GRAND RAPIDS PBS AND THE BOOK NOOK AND JAVA SHOP

March 1st I participated in a lively round table discussion of “Family at Booknook” with Denise Pritchard, host of Take Five Book Club, WZZM 13, Bryan Uecker, owner of The Book Nook and Java Shop and Debra Lambers, consultant. Bryan had chosen the novel as book of the month for his Book Nook in Montague, Michigan. All had read and were enthusiastic about the novel.

Check out my four minutes of fame at this link:
Take Five Book Club Video

Later that day I visited The Book Nook and Java Shop, an inviting book store, a place to meet over a cup of coffee. The staff is friendly, helpful and excited about books. The shop hosts a monthly book club, at which we had another high energy discussion about “Family at Booknook” and about writing.

As the evening came to a close, Bryan handed me a stack of “Family at Booknook” to sign. The shop had already sold numerous novels and I wondered how many a small town could sell. As the books can be returned without charge, I asked, Why aren’t you sending them back to the distributer? Bryan smiled, “We’ll sell them. They’ll sell in the summer when the town fills up with tourists."

Indeed, Montague is a picturesque town on lake Michigan. An added bonus to our adventure, my husband Murray and I stayed at the Weather Vane, a lovely Inn. The room was heated by a fireplace, had a Jacuzzi and overlooked the frozen lake, a delightful late winter’s get-away.

EVENTS

FAMILY AT BOOKNOOK, is book of the month for February at The Book Nook and Java Shop in Montague, Michigan, where I will be talking about writing and publishing on Monday afternoon, March 1st, at 6:00pm

The area NPR Morning Show Host, Shelly Irwin will interview me February 26th at 9:30am.

I will appear on Take Five WZZM TV 13 for the 9:00am show with Debra Lambers and owner Bryan Uecker of The Book Nook and Java Shop.

Sunday, March 14th I will be at the Saline Library talking and signing at 2:pm.

Saturday, March 20th is Literacy day at the Adrian Mall.

STORY OF UNWED PREGNANCY IS UNIVERSAL

REAL PEOPLES STORIES:

Recently I spoke to a couple of people that made me appreciate that many people relate to Family at Booknook in a very personal way.

When I was signing novels at the Adrian Meijer, a gray haired woman, aged beyond her years, yet not old enough for social security asked me about Booknook. She smiled knowingly and stated that her teenage daughter had had a baby out of wedlock some twenty years ago. The woman had given her daughter two choices: give up the baby for adoption or keep her. If the daughter wanted to keep her child, she, the grandmother, would help. The daughter chose the latter. When I asked how it had turned out, the grandmother indicated that her daughter had married and had a happy life. Then came the sad part.

The woman that I was talking with had recently been abandoned by her husband and had lived in her car for four months. Although she now has a tiny apartment, she has only a part time job. While we visited, she ran her fingers down the spine of a book. I asked if she liked to read. She said, “Oh, yes.” I offered to give her a book. She demurred but I persisted.

I met the second person before Christmas. While buying crab at Meijer, I quizzed the seafood man on its preparation. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that his store was selling my novel. When he asked, I gave him the briefest synopsis.

Then he said, “That’s my story. My mother had me at sixteen in an unwed mothers’ home. She wasn’t going to keep me, but my grandmother talked her into it.” He stated that his grandmother had been instrumental in raising him and was like a mother to him. He was devastated when she died.

It was touching to connect with two people in such an intimate way. When they heard about Sparrow, Dave and Finch, it triggered memories of their own life shaping experiences. In each of these cases the grandmother was instrumental in helping her daughter keep and raise a child. And in Booknook it is Dave, the surrogate grandfather, who enables Sparrow to keep her baby.

Then when I was checking out Amazon Books, I ran across the following comment.

Sheila L. Wasung, “Nook Hooked” from Amazon Comments:
“This book brought back an era in which my own childhood and adolescence was spent. Sparrow endured what so many young women of this era experienced with the shame of unwed motherhood. I am so pleased that the author was able to capture the attitudes and climate of the '50s,'60's, and '70s in the USA. I found it somewhat nostalgic, even though the circumstances were less than desirable.”

DAILY TELEGRAM REVIEW OF FAMILY AT BOOKNOOK

Mark Lenz: Adrian provides backdrop for new novelBy Mark Lenz
Daily Telegram
Posted Jan 03, 2010

ADRIAN, Mich. —
“Dave Stanley had to get out of the house. With yesterday’s Adrian Daily Telegram tucked under his arm, he walked to his shop, Booknook.”

So begins “Family at Booknook,” a new novel I clearly couldn’t resist. It was written by Ann Arbor psychotherapist Brenda Humphrey Meisels and published in June. You may have seen it displayed under “Bestsellers” at both ends of Meijer’s book section, tucked below Stephanie Meyer’s “New Moon” and Michael Crichton’s “Pirate Latitudes.” Three photos of a young lady adorn the “Booknook” cover, sitting above a photo of what might be a French wine shop somewhere in Brittany.

Covers frequently don’t tell the tale, however, and “Family at Booknook” offers no clue that it’s actually set mostly in Adrian, between 1959 and 1981, at a fictional bookstore. My wife, Jill, discovered the book’s actual locale after she happened to check out a copy at the library. References to landmarks such as Bixby Hospital, Mr. Ed’s, Hammerman’s furniture and Frosty Boy pop up throughout its pages.

The story follows Sparrow Avery through her teen pregnancy in Milan and resettlement in Adrian, “where people don’t know her.” Single motherhood, education for her and her daughter and the growth of friends whose lives are connected with the book store make up Meisel’s tale. Sparrow lives in an apartment above Booknook, located at the corner of Winter and Maumee streets, and across the street from El Chapulin — a description that neatly fits the Jean Christopher Portraits building, even if the cover photo does not.

Meisels told me she came to Adrian in the 1970s and worked at Community Mental Health as a psychotherapist. She began Adrian Psychotherapy Associates and continued to work here until 1994, although she married and moved to Saline in 1979.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for Adrian,” Meisels related.

As a novel, the Author House publication is an interesting debut work. Meisels may have forgotten a few details (the spellings of old Drager Middle School and the Croswell, for example) but recalls enough others — Siena Heights College, the old A&W and the Holiday Inn lounge — to show some detailed familiarity with Adrian of the ’70s. Equally believable are the efforts to resolve old feelings and gritty circumstances. Neither Sparrow nor the rest escape unscathed, but Meisels’ main characters valiantly fight the various cycles of poverty, ignorance, abuse and loneliness.

In topic and temperament, “Booknook” reminded me of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” another unassuming novel I stumbled across last spring, which later went to No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Both offer a sense of place. It won’t be easy to pass the Jean Christopher building without imagining the fictional voice of Emily, Dave Stanley’s late wife and helper at Booknook, encouraging the old curmudgeon to act sensibly.

Meisels ran into difficulties of her own trying to market her book to Michigan stores. Many are going out of business. Book store chains have harsh return rules, and they’re also consolidating. Adrian will soon be without a Waldenbooks just months after losing Guided by Grace downtown.
Meisels developed a book Web site, familyatbooknook.blogspot.com, and contacted Meijer’s Ben Negron of Adrian and Georgette St. Amant of Ann Arbor, who arranged book signings and a concert. Meisels’ book is joined on Meijer’s shelves by those of two other local authors: marriage advocate and county judge Jim Sheridan’s “A Blessing for the Heart”; and Clinton Middle School teacher Laura (Schultz) Krzyzaniak’s two publications, “Honorable Mention” based loosely on her grandfather, Nathan Knowles, growing up in the early 1900s around Manitou Beach, and “Chasing a Dream, Riding to the Occasion” about Clinton rodeo cowboy Erik Wolford.

Publishing changes are opportunities for the determined. The Web and desktop editing have simplified writing in some ways, and even Kindle users need content to read, Hopefully, the shared Western culture of “Daisy Miller” and “Tess of d’Urbervilles” — both referred to in “Booknook” — will make the transition to reading’s future.

But it’s also fun to think of promoting Lenawee County as a literary setting. After all, the state’s film tax credit didn’t produce any jobs here. Maybe books can draw readers to visit, and to ensure Lenawee County locales such as book shops aren’t relegated to fiction.

Mark Lenz, editor of The Daily Telegram, can be contacted at 265-5111, ext. 230, or via e-mail at mlenz@lenconnect.com.