My Latest Adventure - Guest Spot on "The Unexpected Caregiver" Radio Program

On Thursday, December 19 I discussed "Blue Hydrangeas" with caregiver expert and radio host Kari Berit on her program, "The Unexpected Caregiver," an upbeat radio program offering expert advice, knowledgeable guests, and a healthy dose of laughter to those unexpectedly caring for aging or debilitated parents.  Kari is a wonderful host and the author of the books The Unexpected Caregiver and Mental Fitness Guide.  You can listen in here.  Learn more about Kari Berit at kariberit.com.

In Time for the Holidays - "Ino's Love" Now on Kindle

One of my favorite holiday treats is to cozy up on the couch in my living room, by the Christmas tree, with my Christmas playlist streaming out of my Bose Sound Dock, reading a warm, uplifting Christmas story.  This year, I have my own Christmas story to share with my readers - "Ino's Love," a short tale of family, love, and forgiveness.  This story was originally published in Kaleidoscope magazine in Summer/Fall 2009.  It's available on Kindle for just 0.99, and will be free as my gift to you from December 28-January1. Merry Christmas!

Ino's Love on Amazon

Blue Hydrangeas Featured on Fussy Librarian

My novel, Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's love story, was recently featured on The Fussy Librarian, a new site that offers personalized ebook recommendations. You choose from 40 genres and indicate preferences about content and then the computers work their magic. It's pretty cool -- check it out!
TheFussyLibrarian.com

12 Reasons to Put Books at the Top of Your Holiday Gift List

Friends and family tell me I’m easy to shop for - just buy me a book or a gift card to a bookstore and you’re sure to make a hit.  I make it even easier for them by posting the titles I’d like on my Amazon wish list well before the holiday shopping season starts.  Books are the perfect gift.  Here are twelve reasons to put them at the top of your holiday gift list.

1.      You can find something for everyone.  There’s a book for every reader, whether a cook book for your new mother-in-law, a comic book for your niece, or a coffee table book for the boss who has everything.

 

2.      You have a great excuse to spend an entire day at your favorite bookstore.  Whether you’re shopping at the big box store in the mall, your local bookseller on Main Street, or your favorite online store, you can happily consume an entire day selecting books for everyone on your list.  Remember to stop long enough to enjoy a latte and some biscotti at the café, or at your desk if you’re at home, in your jammies, well beyond store hours.

 

3.      Your gift can educate and entertain at the same time.

 

4.      You can transport your reader to another time and place, allowing them to see a different world without having to buy airline tickets.

5.      They’re easy to wrap.

6.      Books are an affordable way to “wow” someone.  Even the latest blockbuster bestseller costs much less than, say, the latest electronic gadget, and will most likely outlive its obsolescence.

7.      They’re easy to regift.  And regift.  And regift…. 

8.      They come in many varieties, so you’ll be sure to find just the right one to please, whether it’s a hardcover, paperback, e-book, or audiobook.

9.      The small ones, like mass media paperbacks, make excellent stocking stuffers.  So do gift cards.

10.   You can borrow it after the reader’s read it without appearing tacky.

11.   You can support your favorite books and authors by sharing them with others.

12.   You can also support your favorite bookseller, ensuring that books of all kinds are always available.

 

NaNoWriMo Update

It started out simple enough: Write a novel in 30 days.  Break it down to 1,667 words a day.  Follow an outline.  Use dictation software.  See how far you get.

Well, I didn't get too far.  In fact, less than a week, 10,618 words, and three chapters later I abandoned my NaNoWriMo challenge.  Repetitive strain injuries flared up, and said, "Are you crazy?  Writing like this is not for one with chronic TOS, bursitis, tendonitis, neuralgia, and all the other aches and complaints working on a computer gives you, even with your little tricks like dictation software, and a pad and pencil.  Remember what the doctor said: Respect your limitations."

It's kind of what I expected.  I'm not too upset.  It was a good week.  I loved the adrenaline rush, the flow of words, the excitement when a character comes alive and a story line takes shape, the secondary character who demands to be much more, and the twist I didn't see coming.  It was great exercise, and reminded me of why I love to write in the first place.  The plan is to continue, although at a much slower rate, and perhaps in a few months I’ll finish my first draft of “Swim Season.” 

Here's to all the writing warriors out there, banging away on their keyboards, dragging the words out from deep inside themselves, bringing their stories to life.  See you next year.

The Fussy Librarian

Have you heard about the latest e-reader service The Fussy Librarian?  If you love to read, I  recommend checking out their new website http://www.TheFussyLibrarian.com

In the vast bibliosphere that exists online, where millions of e-books reside, they'll help you find books you'll love.  When you sign up, you tell your  personal librarian exactly what you're looking for in a good read (I love this because I can opt out of books containing graphic violence, explicit sex scenes, and unnecessary profanity.) The Fussy Librarian then emails you with the e-books matching your unique interests and content preferences.  The recommended books are available on Amazon Kindle, Android, iPad, Nook, and Smashwords.  The service is free and easy to subscribe to.  Just visit The Fussy Librarian.

And if you're an author, sign up for their free (right now!) author service, and register your book on their bookshelves.  It's a great way to gain new readers and increase sales.  You can list the same title every 30 days and a different title once a week. You can also sign up multiple books in one visit. They'll send you an email letting you know when your book's  scheduled to run. At this time, book sponsorships are free. In exchange, you agree to help spread the word about The Fussy Librarian. It's a new site and they're building a new list of readers. So all they're asking for now is for you to share a link to their site on Facebook and tweet a link on Twitter. As a thank you gift, they’ll give you a free future sponsorship to use after they start charging.

I signed up as a reader and an author.  Happy reading!

NaNoWriMo and a new novel, Swim Season

Have you heard about NaNoWriMo? That's short for National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write the first draft of a novel in 30 days.  Yeah, that's right - 30 days.  On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. on November 30.  Sound impossible?  More than 144,000 writers have signed up to take the challenge, and I'm one of them.  We can't all be crazy.  I tried it a couple of years ago, but because of my repetitive strain injuries I dropped out in the first week.  This time, however, I'm better prepared.  I'm going to do this utilizing many different types of writing methods and not depend solely on my computer. 

 

I love technology.  Seems all these gadgets were made just for me - the iPhone, especially one with voice recognition that prints what I say into a downloadable document.  Yes, it will be tedious dictating a book in this way, but since I plan to do it line by line, not so much.  When I really need to pound out the pages I can always use Dragon Dictation on my PC.  And on those days when I feel I can bang out a couple of pages on the keyboard I'll put my butt in the chair and do so.  It's probably a unique way to write a book, but in order to fulfill this goal I need to be creative and use every tool I own, even a pad of paper and a pencil to get this story down without crippling myself in the process.  I've been meaning to write it for three or four years, and since the part of my life it represents is now over, I can't waste any more time thinking about it; I need to just do it. 

 

The story is "Swim Season," and it's about the new girl on the swim team challenging a long-standing school record.  It follows the high school varsity swim season from tryouts through championships and everything in between, including practice, meets, fundraising, team bonding activities, Homecoming, football games, all that good high school stuff.  It's also full of surprises, like a $50,000 scholarship to the swimmer who breaks the thirty-year old record for the 500 freestyle, donated by the title holder herself.  This causes all kinds of drama for this team and our young heroine is smack in the middle of it. 

 

Writing this book is going to be a lot of fun.  Here's the first few paragraphs from my NaNoWriMo attempt in 2011.  What do you think?

 

Aunt Mags didn't say a word on the way to the high school, and neither did I.  It was too early for anything more than, "Got everything?", "Uh huh," and, "Let's go."  She'd run out before her first cup of coffee and was still half-asleep.

It was barely dawn, the moon still high in the sky, the sun peeking out over the horizon.  There was a chill in the air, a hint of summer's end.  I wished I'd worn a sweatshirt, although after swim practice, the sun would be shining and we'd be back to summer.

We arrived at the school and a deserted parking lot.  Mags parked the car by the gymnasium entrance. 

"Are you sure it starts at 5:45?"  she asked.  

"Positive," I said, gathering my gear from the back seat.

She yawned.  "Looks like you're the first one here."

"I doubt it."   

Today was the first day of swim season.  Tryouts started at 6 a.m.  The coach had instructed all wannabe swimmers to be on the pool deck no later than 5:45.  My experience as a varsity swimmer told me that anyone with any degree of competitiveness had already arrived.  I had five minutes to spare.

"Want me to walk in with you?"  Mags asked. 

My horror at this suggestion must have been all over my face, because she quickly said, "Sorry, I'm not used to having a teenager.  My girls would beg me to walk them into that big, scary building."  We looked at the three-storied hodgepodge of buildings put together over the years to house the Falmouthport High School.

"I can take it from here," I said, confident I'd remember the meandering route to the pool area from the tour we'd taken when we came in to register for my senior year.

She still looked anxious.  "Sure you're all right?"

"Don't worry," I said.  "I've got this routine down pat."  This would be my third high school.  I played the role of new girl in school so well I deserved an Oscar.

I opened the door and hopped out of the car.  Reaching back in to grab my bag, I said, "Don't hang around waiting for me to call for a ride home.  I don't know when I'll get out, and I don’t want to mess up your day.  I'll walk home."  Aunt Mags nodded and I shut the door.

"Don't forget we're going school shopping later on," she said through the open window. 

"Got it."  I appreciated her taking me out to the mall more than she knew.

"Go get 'em, Aerin."  She gave me a thumbs up.

I shot her a grin, hoisted my bag over my shoulder, and went off to join the swim team.