I went through a spell of reading books that were highly acclaimed back in the 1950s and 1960s. They were ones I had missed reading since in the 1950s I was a kid reading Nancy Drew and Beverly Cleary.
In the Sixties when I was in high school, my favorite books were Les Miserables, Great Expectations and David Copperfield. I loved my classics and had no interest in the current fiction of the day back then.
I won't name the books or writers I read during my recent catch-up phase. They were all extremely well-regarded, prize-winning novels by famous literary people.
And I could barely stomach them, giving me much fodder to reflect on how much the literary culture has changed since those days of the 1950s through the 1970s. And thank heavens for that.
As managing editor at WiDo, I can say unequivocally that if any one of those prize-winning novels had come to us as a submission, we'd have turned it down flat. They were that bad.
Hardly any story, themes that made no sense, unlikable characters. No heart, no soul. Yet these books and their famous authors were such a big deal back then.
In fifty plus years, the world of books is completely different. To me, that's a very good thing. I'm so thankful I got busy with marriage and children and didn't try to have a career in those days as a novelist. I'd have been shot down so bad I may have never recovered.
Women writers didn't fare too well in that era except in the romance genre. The literary giants were largely all men.
Women with literary aspirations instead would often attach themselves to literary men--college professors, published poets, playwrights and novelists--and the women would write their poetry, essays and stories, maybe teach and maybe get published in little literary magazines or win an award now and then.
What I did was write children's stories and sell them to magazines for kids. Not exactly literary aspirations but it kept me in the game.
Joyce Carol Oates was different. She is one of my heroes and favorite writers of all time. I'm not sure how much her books made though, compared to men writers of the same era. She continued working throughout her career as a college professor rather than going full time as a writer. Either she loved to teach or she needed the financial security it provided, who can say.
JK Rowling, still using her initials since the publisher didn't figure the book would sell if people thought the author was a woman, changed all that. She gave women writers a voice.
Every woman writing and publishing today owes a debt of gratitude to JK Rowling. She opened up the era of publishers actually believing women could write outside of the romance genre and do it very, very well.
On the heels of the Harry Potter phenomenon came the Kindle revolution, further giving women an outlet for their work via self-publishing. The Kindle revolution along with POD publishing also provided the means for many small publishers like WiDo to remain profitable.
Many of these small publishers have overwhelmingly embraced female authors, and given older women a chance as well. One of WiDo's bestselling books is In the Mirror: A Memoir of Shattered Secrets by Ann Carbine Best, published when Ann was 72.
Now books written by women rule the bestseller lists. For those of us my age who clearly remember the way it used to be, this is pretty awesome.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Wall Art of Comitan
Comitan is a great walking city. There are wide sidewalks stretching off into interesting places, and often hordes of other people around strolling, shopping, visiting. My husband and I have been all over town and not once felt anything but safe. He takes his camera when he goes and especially enjoys taking pictures of the wall art that's everywhere.
I thought I'd post a few of my favorites. This leopard is the winner, followed by the snake. The leopard is regal and majestic, the snake just cute and friendly.
It's amazing to me how an artist can paint on such a large canvas as a wall, with great detail that one has to move far away to appreciate. How do they do it? And when do they do it? I've never seen anyone painting the walls, then one day it's done.
I'm glad the authorities don't go around arresting or fining anyone, or painting over their work. The artists don't get anything for their creations except the joy of doing it for public display. For the joy it gives them and gives those who see it as they go around town.
The scene below is painted on a wall in a children's park. It's so sweet and charming, illustrating the culture of an earlier time.
Ending with another depiction of an earlier era, the Aztec culture. We lived among the Mayan culture in Guatemala. Mexico is land of the Aztecs. They are much friendlier these days, thank goodness. And the food is amazing.
I thought I'd post a few of my favorites. This leopard is the winner, followed by the snake. The leopard is regal and majestic, the snake just cute and friendly.
It's amazing to me how an artist can paint on such a large canvas as a wall, with great detail that one has to move far away to appreciate. How do they do it? And when do they do it? I've never seen anyone painting the walls, then one day it's done.
I'm glad the authorities don't go around arresting or fining anyone, or painting over their work. The artists don't get anything for their creations except the joy of doing it for public display. For the joy it gives them and gives those who see it as they go around town.
The scene below is painted on a wall in a children's park. It's so sweet and charming, illustrating the culture of an earlier time.
Ending with another depiction of an earlier era, the Aztec culture. We lived among the Mayan culture in Guatemala. Mexico is land of the Aztecs. They are much friendlier these days, thank goodness. And the food is amazing.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Our Guatemala Experience
I'm currently working on a book about our Guatemala experience. We sold everything we had, moved to Guatemala and stayed there two years. Right now we live in Mexico, and yet Guatemala is fresh on my mind. I can't write fast enough. There's so much that happened to us, so much to write about.
I published a blog post on my website, an excerpt from the book, here. They say writing a memoir is painful. I certainly felt that with my self-help memoir, as I wrote about on my last post.
I'm not feeling that kind of pain with this new project. Mostly just an urgency to get it all down before the memories fade away.
I published a blog post on my website, an excerpt from the book, here. They say writing a memoir is painful. I certainly felt that with my self-help memoir, as I wrote about on my last post.
I'm not feeling that kind of pain with this new project. Mostly just an urgency to get it all down before the memories fade away.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
A Writer's Story: AN INCREDIBLE TALENT FOR EXISTING
I am participating in the WOW! Women on Writing tour for a memoir that every writer needs to read. It's called An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story by Pamela Jane. Intrigued? I was! My review follows the book information:
A Young woman longs for an idyllic past, despite her revolutionary
belief that everything that exists must be destroyed.
Paperback: 246 pages
Genre:
Memoir
Publisher: Open Books Press (February 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1941799213
Publisher: Open Books Press (February 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1941799213
ISBN-13: 978-1941799215
Book Summary:
“An Incredible Talent For
Existing: A Writer’s Story” summary:
It is 1965, the era of love, light and revolution. While the
romantic narrator imagines a bucolic future in an old country house with
children running through the dappled sunlight, her husband plots to organize a
revolution and fight a guerrilla war in the Catskills.
Their
fantasies are on a collision course.
The
clash of visions turns into an inner war of identities when the author embraces
radical feminism; she and her husband are comrades in revolution but combatants
in marriage; she is a woman warrior who spends her days sewing long silk
dresses reminiscent of a Henry James novel. One half of her isn't speaking to
the other half.
And
then, just when it seems that things cannot possibly get more explosive, her
wilderness cabin burns down and Pamela finds herself left with only the clothes
on her back.
From her vividly evoked existential childhood ("the only
way I would know for sure that I existed was if others lots of others
acknowledged it") to writing her first children's book on a sugar high
during a glucose tolerance test, Pamela Jane takes the reader along on a highly
entertaining personal, political, and psychological adventure.
I was especially intrigued by this memoir because 1) I'm a writer and writing--or not writing--is a theme of this book and 2) I also came of age during the mid 1960's, the time when most of the events occur.
I found Pamela Jane's account absolutely fascinating, where I started and finished it in an entire sitting, due entirely to the magical way she weaves her story. It begins with her childhood, where the main character "Pamie" creates ongoing stories in her head. This charming little girl evolves into a not so charming teen and college student but well...it was the times, wasn't it?
The narrative following Pamie into her nontraditional marriage and beyond is compelling. I found myself thinking more than once, "How is she ever going to get out of this fix?" And of course I had to keep reading to see what came next, where Pamie's choices would land her this time. From Connecticut to Michigan to Portland to New York to San Francisco and back to New York, following Pamie's life and loves is like a high speed trip across the U.S. during these volatile, changing decades of her young life.
And never leaving her side are the hopes of one day being a "real writer." One statement early in the book struck me as descriptive of a writer's life. These feelings came when she was a child, when the writing dream was just beginning: "Voices of the past sighed by me in the wind and whispered in the waiting fullness of the shadows." Voices that haunted her for years until she was able to give them words on paper.
With imagery that carries me to another time and place, descriptions that make the settings come alive to the senses, darkness laced with humor, this is a book not to miss. If you enjoy memoirs, if you are a writer yourself, if you want to get immersed into the era of the 1960's, then get this book!
My Review of An Incredible Talent for Existing
I was especially intrigued by this memoir because 1) I'm a writer and writing--or not writing--is a theme of this book and 2) I also came of age during the mid 1960's, the time when most of the events occur.
I found Pamela Jane's account absolutely fascinating, where I started and finished it in an entire sitting, due entirely to the magical way she weaves her story. It begins with her childhood, where the main character "Pamie" creates ongoing stories in her head. This charming little girl evolves into a not so charming teen and college student but well...it was the times, wasn't it?
The narrative following Pamie into her nontraditional marriage and beyond is compelling. I found myself thinking more than once, "How is she ever going to get out of this fix?" And of course I had to keep reading to see what came next, where Pamie's choices would land her this time. From Connecticut to Michigan to Portland to New York to San Francisco and back to New York, following Pamie's life and loves is like a high speed trip across the U.S. during these volatile, changing decades of her young life.
And never leaving her side are the hopes of one day being a "real writer." One statement early in the book struck me as descriptive of a writer's life. These feelings came when she was a child, when the writing dream was just beginning: "Voices of the past sighed by me in the wind and whispered in the waiting fullness of the shadows." Voices that haunted her for years until she was able to give them words on paper.
With imagery that carries me to another time and place, descriptions that make the settings come alive to the senses, darkness laced with humor, this is a book not to miss. If you enjoy memoirs, if you are a writer yourself, if you want to get immersed into the era of the 1960's, then get this book!
About the Author:
Pamela Jane has published
over twenty-five children’s books with Houghton Mifflin, Atheneum, Simon &
Schuster, Penguin-Putnam, and Harper. Her books include Noelle of
the Nutcracker illustrated by Jan Brett, Little Goblins
Ten illustrated by NY Times best-selling illustrator, Jane
Manning, and Little Elfie One (Harper 2015). Pride and Prejudice
and Kitties: A Cat-Lover’s Romp Through Jane Austen’s Classic (Skyhorse)
was featured in The Wall Street Journal, BBC America, The
Huffington Post, The New York Times Sunday Book Review and The
Daily Dot, and has just come out in paper. Pamela Jane has published short
stories and essays with The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Antigonish Review,
Literary Mama. Pamela Jane is a writer and editor for womensmemoirs.com
Below are three clips of her work:
Literary Mama:
Womensmemoirs:
Find Pamela Jane Online:
Twitter: @memoircoaching, @austencats
Monday, March 14, 2016
A Writer's Memoir
I'm participating in the WOW Blog tour for an amazing book, THE INCREDIBLE TALENT OF EXISTING by Pamela Jane. I'll be posting my review later this month, but I'm listing all of the Blog Tour Dates, where you can read reviews, guest posts and interviews. These are fantastic, informative posts.
Pamela Jane provides excellent advice on the how-to's of memoir-writing.
Monday, March 7th @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
Tuesday, March 8th @ MC Simon Writes
Don’t miss today’s guest post “Likeability: Getting Your Readers to Hang Out with You” and giveaway of the memoir “An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer’s Story” by Pamela Jane.
Wednesday, March 9th @ All Things Audry
Pamela Jane visits All Things Audry today with a guest post “The Light Side: Adding Humor to a Dark Story”. Don’t miss this great post and a giveaway of Pamela’s memoir “An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer’s Story”.
Thursday, March 10th @ Choices with Madeline Sharples
Madeline Sharples hosts fellow memoir writer Pamela Jane as Pamela provides today’s guest post: “Trimming the Pie Crust: What to Leave out of Your Memoir”. Don’t miss this insightful post and get in on the giveaway to win your own copy of Pamela Jane’s memoir “An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer’s Story”. Good Luck!
Friday, March 11th @ Colloquium
Pamela Jane visits the popular blog Colloquium as she answers the question "Writing About Sex: Fade in or Fade Out?" and offers a giveaway of her memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
Monday, March 14th @ Mari McCarthy’s Create Write Now
Join Pamela Jane with a guest post titled: Organic Organizing for Writers. In addition to this fabulous guest post, readers can also participate in a giveaway for Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
Tuesday, March 15th @ Bring On Lemons
Pamela Jane writers today's guest post: Do You Need a Writing Coach? (5 Tips on Finding a Good One). This is fabulous advice you don't want to miss. Once lucky reader will also win a copy in the giveaway for Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story"
Wednesday, March 16th @ Jerry Waxler
Fellow author and memoir expert Jerry Waxler reviews Pamela Jane's "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story"
Thursday, March 17th @ Selling Books with Cathy Stucker
Cathy Stucker interviews Pamela Jane to find our more about Pamela's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story"
Friday, March 18th @ Lauren Scharhag
Author Pamela Jane offers a great guest post "A New (and winning) Perspective on Rejection" and has graciously given a copy of her memoir for a giveaway. Don't miss this blog tour stop to find out more about Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
Monday, March 28th @ Sherrey Meyer
Sherrey Meyer reviews Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing"
Tuesday, March 29th @ Linda Appleman Shapiro
Fellow author and memoir writer Linda Appleman Shapiro shares her thoughts as she reviews Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
Karen Jones Gowen shares her thoughts after reading "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story" by Pamela Jane. This is one memoir and one memoir review you won't want to miss!
Friday, April 8th @ Kathleen Pooler
Kathleen Pooler puts Pamela Jane in the author spotlight today as readers learn more about Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story". There will also be a giveaway for one lucky reader to receive their own copy of this intriguing book.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Resolutions, Goals, Changes
The New Year is one of my favorite holidays. For me, it lasts all of January because I like to ponder and reflect and take my time about it. It's the wonder and excitement of New Beginnings. The promise of realizing goals, making changes.
This January my husband and I are in the process of moving from Guatemala to Mexico. It's taking a bit longer than the typical U.S. move where you hire a van or bribe your neighbors with donuts and pizza to get it all done in a few hours.
We are going via the local transport system and need 4 trips. But that's the fun of it. At this point in our lives, we are all about adventure and discovery.
Our first trip was to decide where we'd live in Mexico. We had chosen Comitan, Chiapas but we needed to see the town and if we liked it, find an apartment.
We found a hotel downtown for $17 a night and stayed 3 nights. Our hotel was through this glowing hallway and then up the stairs to our second floor room. I felt like a fairy tale queen, or maybe Jack and the Beanstalk.
At night the central park in the historic downtown area was still lit up and decorated for Christmas, even one week into January. It was a happy place where people gathered to enjoy the mild evening, eat dinner out, stroll around the plaza.
A marimba band was playing in the square with chairs set up, inviting us to relax and listen to the music. A few couples ventured into the cleared area to dance.
We weren't brave enough to dance, just sat in awe of this magical night, having fallen in love with Cometan.
The next day we found our apartment, a small but lovely place in a nice neighborhood. Altogether a wonderful start to the new year.
This January my husband and I are in the process of moving from Guatemala to Mexico. It's taking a bit longer than the typical U.S. move where you hire a van or bribe your neighbors with donuts and pizza to get it all done in a few hours.
We are going via the local transport system and need 4 trips. But that's the fun of it. At this point in our lives, we are all about adventure and discovery.
Our first trip was to decide where we'd live in Mexico. We had chosen Comitan, Chiapas but we needed to see the town and if we liked it, find an apartment.
At night the central park in the historic downtown area was still lit up and decorated for Christmas, even one week into January. It was a happy place where people gathered to enjoy the mild evening, eat dinner out, stroll around the plaza.
A marimba band was playing in the square with chairs set up, inviting us to relax and listen to the music. A few couples ventured into the cleared area to dance.
We weren't brave enough to dance, just sat in awe of this magical night, having fallen in love with Cometan.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Karen Walker on Turning Negatives into Positives
Today I'm hosting my longtime blogging friend Karen Walker! I really connected with her memoir Listening to the Whispers, so I'm eager to read Karen's debut novel, The Wishing Steps.
Thank you Karen, for hosting me today.
If you’re a glass half empty kind of person like me, if that’s what comes naturally to you rather than seeing the glass half full, you tend to view things from a negative perspective. The problem with this is that it keeps us stuck feeling badly about ourselves and the people and world around us. So I’ve had to train myself to find the silver lining when the bad stuff happens. And the truth is, I’ve either learned something I needed to learn or some powerful insight was revealed, or whatever it was I thought I wanted or needed wasn’t really going to be good for me.
I’m here at Karen’s blog because I’ve written a novel, The Wishing Steps. I actually can’t believe I’m able to write that sentence and have it be the truth. I. WROTE. A. NOVEL. Okay, here’s the negative: Who do you think you are – you think you can write a novel? You’re a nonfiction writer. You can’t write fiction. You get the idea, right. These are the things I heard inside my head through most of the six years I was pulling this story out of the depths of my soul. Now, here’s the positive. I. WROTE. A. NOVEL. I did it. Despite the voices. Despite the doubts. Despite the fears. And here I am telling you about it.
After I completed the book, I decided I wanted to be published traditionally. Nice dream, yes? I knew in my heart of hearts that the likelihood of that happening was slim to none, but I needed to try. I don’t think I was being negative in that regard. Just realistic. Anyway, I heard back from one of the publishing companies that they wanted to read the manuscript. Yippee. I’d never gotten that far before. Days passed and I anxiously waited. Two readers from the company wrote critiques explaining why they thought the manuscript wasn’t okay. I was devastated. It validated all those voices I’d been hearing about my inability to write fiction.
But then I shifted into a peaceful, grounded, meditative state and read the critiques again. Both readers had read the book as if it was historical fiction and every criticism was related to why it didn’t work as historical fiction. Ahhhh! The book isn’t historical fiction and I’d neglected to say that. The positive which came from this experience is my writing an Author’s Note that appears at the beginning of the book which addresses the issues these readers had.
Life is difficult. We have moments of joy, perhaps even days or weeks. But then something happens to pull us off our center. I’m learning, one day at a time, to tune into my thoughts and feelings so that I’m not operating on automatic pilot. When I stay tuned in, I can catch those negative thoughts and shift them before they become stuck in me and I become stuck in the muck of negativity.
Now that my book is out in the world, I know there will be people who won’t like it, who will criticize it and perhaps me for having written such a book. All I know is that I was called to write it and I can’t allow other peoples’ opinions to make me feel bad about something that is so deeply meaningful to me.
Here’s the scoop on The Wishing Steps, Three Women and a Single Story That Unites Them Across the Millennia
“Totally engrossing. A must-read for today’s wise woman!”Rev. Kathleen McKern Verigin, minister/priestess
Brighid, Ashleen and Megan: Bound through time by a curious light, a mysterious voice and a call they dare not ignore. Yet in obeying this strange force, the women must face soul-searing trials that call into question everything they know and believe — about themselves and about the world around them.
“Guaranteed to inspire you to a deeper level of spirituality and a new appreciation for Goddess.”Rev. Clara Z. Alexander
Karen Helene Walker is a widely published essayist and author of the 2009 memoir, Following the Whispers. When she isn’t writing, you will often find Karen performing in nursing homes and retirement communities as part of the Sugartime or Sophisticated Ladies musical groups, traveling with her husband of 20 years, Gary, or relaxing with a good book at their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visit the author’s website at www.karenhelenewalker.com
Author photo
The Wishing Steps is now available for purchase in both print and ebook versions at: Amazon.com. You can also purchase it as an ebook on Kobo, I Tunes, and at Barnes and Noble.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Storming the Castle
I was asked to do a guest post for the IWSG website about submitting to a small press. Many writers seeking publication with a traditional publisher may not realize how many options are available for them beyond the Big 5.
And as I say in my post, "After many rejections, writers can feel like publishing companies are the enemy and their editors the army blocking entrance to the castle. In fact, editors want to open the castle gate and usher in the right person. Publishers don’t exist without writers and manuscripts but it needs to be a good fit."
To see the full post go here.http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2015/09/querying-small-press.html
And as I say in my post, "After many rejections, writers can feel like publishing companies are the enemy and their editors the army blocking entrance to the castle. In fact, editors want to open the castle gate and usher in the right person. Publishers don’t exist without writers and manuscripts but it needs to be a good fit."
To see the full post go here.http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2015/09/querying-small-press.html
Friday, September 11, 2015
Writing and Wellness and My Darkest Moment
Author Colleen Story maintains one of the most helpful, informative writer websites I've seen. It's called Writing and Wellness, dealing with every kind of trouble we writers may experience from depression to writer's block to chronic back pain, along with a lot of positive encouragement too.
On Colleen's blog I regularly find inspiration, motivation, helpful publishing information, marketing tips, as well as that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you find another writer going through the exact same thing as you.
Colleen asks each writer she interviews about their darkest moment, which of course being a glass half empty kind of person, is my favorite paragraph to read. It's always hopeful to read about what miserable thing someone else has experienced and overcome.
This week I'm honored to be the featured writer on Writing and Wellness. I explain how blogging helped me get through my darkest moment. The link to my interview is here.
Speaking of darkest moments, today is the 14th anniversary of 9-11, the bombing of the Twin Towers, which for most of us alive now was the darkest moment in our nation's history. I suppose for the previous generation it would have been the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I do remember the assassination of President Kennedy, as I was 15 years old when it happened.
And then the Viet Nam War I remember also as a dark time in our nation, where US citizens screamed obscenities and spit on our returning Viet Nam war veterans. These young men were just kids who'd been drafted. It sickens me to think of that particular time in our nation during the late 1960s when our country was bitterly divided over a war.
Although 9-11 was a tragic event one of the good things that came of it was unity, although temporary, within the various political factions in our nation.
On Colleen's blog I regularly find inspiration, motivation, helpful publishing information, marketing tips, as well as that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you find another writer going through the exact same thing as you.
Colleen asks each writer she interviews about their darkest moment, which of course being a glass half empty kind of person, is my favorite paragraph to read. It's always hopeful to read about what miserable thing someone else has experienced and overcome.
This week I'm honored to be the featured writer on Writing and Wellness. I explain how blogging helped me get through my darkest moment. The link to my interview is here.
Speaking of darkest moments, today is the 14th anniversary of 9-11, the bombing of the Twin Towers, which for most of us alive now was the darkest moment in our nation's history. I suppose for the previous generation it would have been the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I do remember the assassination of President Kennedy, as I was 15 years old when it happened.
And then the Viet Nam War I remember also as a dark time in our nation, where US citizens screamed obscenities and spit on our returning Viet Nam war veterans. These young men were just kids who'd been drafted. It sickens me to think of that particular time in our nation during the late 1960s when our country was bitterly divided over a war.
Although 9-11 was a tragic event one of the good things that came of it was unity, although temporary, within the various political factions in our nation.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
When a 10 year old writes a story with passion but no punctuation and you know if it was a school assignment he'd have gotten a bad grade but it's so good you want to give him a prize or at least publish it on your blog
We went to Bufallo Wild Wings and dad decided he wanted to do the wing challenge so asked if they still did it and they said yes so then they told the manager and he got this big red light like a siren but without the noise and he put it on the table then he got a microphone and all the speakers in the cafe were saying to find the red light and watch that table because my dad was doing the wing challenge. So my dad had to finish 12 wings (with bones) that had the spiciest sauce on them in under 6 minutes. So the guy hit a buzzer and dads time started the guy was watching our table the entire time but dad finished with a 5:53.
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