When I was very young, just starting to read, I got a book called The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I kept it for many years, even after I was reading long novels with no pictures. I think Mom finally got rid of it, not understanding how such a childish book could still be valuable … read more The Snowy Day
Tag: book
New books
As much as I like the serendipity of writing about each day as it comes, I’m starting to bore myself. Now that I’ve written more than 500 posts, it’s time to get serious. Writing time is precious. With this volume of words, I want to be aiming toward a finished product. Books. More than a year … read more New books
Honestly Amy
I admit it: I am an impatient and intolerant reader. Bad writing and stupidity will send me into a rant against an author after a mere page, and I have no compunction about ditching a book completely. I recently assigned myself to read memoirs written by survivors of ruptured brain aneurysms, since I’ve been thinking … read more Honestly Amy
Self-Publishing School: A review
It only took a couple days before I got that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that said: ‘You’ve been had.’ Self-Publishing School was not what I’d hoped. After less than three weeks, I asked for a refund. I did get the refund, so I wasn’t fleeced. I did get started on two … read more Self-Publishing School: A review
First day on the clock
I always end up breaking one of the “rules of writing”: Do it in the morning. I just can’t do it. This standard advice for writers is intended to give your freshest, most creative brain over to writing. It’s also to make sure you get it done. But I work with people who are 10 … read more First day on the clock
Other gifts, too
About a month into my recovery, a friend who is an herbalist and practices traditional Chinese medicine told me: “Your shen had a fright and has yet to fully return. Taking baby steps to make things nice and cozy ‘in Lisa’ will entice your shen’s full return.” She recommended herbs, meditation, looking at green things, being … read more Other gifts, too
Self-doubt
There’s nothing like doing market research on a book to make you feel that you’re not so special. Hundreds of thousands of books are published every year in America. The top nonfiction sellers mostly are written by people who are already famous – actresses, comedians, CEOs and mainstream media investigative reporters. I’m not famous, not … read more Self-doubt
Sad stories
The top three bestsellers in Amazon’s “Memoirs” category: A young neurosurgeon gets cancer and dies A young woman grows up next to Rocky Flats, a secret nuclear weapons plant that is poisoning her town A letter from an African American man to his son, “a searing meditation on what it means to be black in America today” … read more Sad stories
It’s about time
For about a week now, I’ve been watching some free videos from the Self-Publishing School. Within the first minute of the first video, I was rolling my eyes at this guy, Chandler Bolt. So young. So enthused. So certain that he can make anyone a best-selling author. So obvious in his marketing style. So why … read more It’s about time