Flotsam and Jetsam

Flotsam and jetsam / Bobbing chaos in water / Life follows no plan

My first attempt at haiku. (The Japanese write it in one line, so I did, too.)  Okay, so I don’t write good poetry. The point is, life has not gone according to plan lately, and that’s hard for this control freak to deal with.

There is more research to do on the Little House project but I’m not able to take the trips required to do it right now, so it’s gotten temporarily shelved. My coauthor on the aquaculture book has the opposite problem: too many trips to work, so not much progress on that front. I’m still writing the novel, but I need more than one project to work on. I can work on any one thing only so long before my brain freezes, and the only way to thaw it is to bring something else to it.

So, I started a labor of love for the girls: a book of our family’s secret Thanksgiving recipes. It didn’t make sense to have only those, so I added recipes for all the dishes needed – and then some – for a big dinner. Then I decided to add our families’ traditions. But there were other things I’ve always wanted to do, but for one reason and another never did, and I included those, too, in case they ever wanted to start new traditions.

An ideal Thanksgiving would have activities throughout the day, and a good playlist going in the background. These are finding their way in as well, along with stories, songs, poems, and the real history of the holiday. It’s now a compendium on Thanksgiving, and I’ve decided to publish it. October 1 is the goal date.

The rest of life is rocking on. Spent yesterday with my girl, sewing. She has a few things she wants to make, so I gave her my machine (it’s as old as she is but a Singer – still works great) and we got her set up on a couple of things.

 

My machine isn’t quite THIS old.

We’ve gotten record amounts of rain for August, and cooler temperatures (though still hot:  80s to 90s). I’ve been glad, because it’s easier to think about Thanksgiving in that kind of weather than it is on a sunny, triple-digit day.

 

“Wash on Monday,” Laura said, so I did. That and a few errands today, and more Thanksgiving. I won’t “iron on Tuesday” because I’m not an ironing kind of person. God bless whoever invented wrinkle-resistant fabric. That will leave more time for writing. And that’s always something to be thankful for.

Boost Your Creativity

“Turn that off until your homework’s done!”

When I was a kid, no one’s mother let them do homework while watching TV or listening to music.

These days, earbuds are every student’s constant companion. When questioned about it, they quote research that shows music actually helps concentration, memory, and creative thinking.

What they sometimes fail to recognize is that those studies have shown that a certain type of music—instrumental—has those benefits. Songs with lyrics actually cause your brain to spend part of its effort deciphering them, even if you aren’t conscience of the words.

It doesn’t really matter what the genre is. Some people like classical; others like bluegrass. Maybe you like to listen to something that evokes a certain mood, or is from a particular time or place, depending on what you’re working on. As long as it doesn’t have lyrics, music can help you create.

You probably already know that daylight inspires more creative thinking than artificial light. Try sitting in front of a window if it’s too hot/wet/etc. to go outside. If you can’t get enough sunlight, at least try to get lightbulbs that are full spectrum to get as close to natural light as possible.

Did you also know that people are (statistically) more creative when they work in a slightly warm room than in a slightly cool one? It’s more than just comfort: it also has to do with the energy your body uses to warm itself, which is energy the brain no longer has to do its thing. If you’re going to create in a chilly environment, don’t forget a sweater, and maybe some hot tea/coffee/cocoa.

Double duty! That hot tea/coffee/cocoa can also help by providing some caffeine. We all know caffeine gets the synapses firing, resulting in faster, clearer thinking and creativity. An excuse for your favorite beverage and some chocolate!

Triple duty! Just as using energy to warm yourself takes away from brain energy, so does energy used digesting a heavy meal. Plus, there’s that whole tryptophan thing, making you too sleepy to produce high quality work after a big meal. On the other hand, hunger is distracting, too. So a snack, like the aforementioned chocolate and drink, works perfectly.

 It seems that for maximum creative potential, one should play instrumental music, at a moderate level, outside, on a warm day, after a light snack including something caffeinated.

For Writers: Thoughts on Reaching Your Audience

A writer on another blog asked me about my marketing approach for Little Lodges on the Prairie. I’ve never considered myself a marketer, but the fact is that if a writer doesn’t engage in the practice, no one will even know their book exists, much less read it. (Yes, I know I just used a singular “they.” It’s legal now.)

Little Lodges is a niche book. It appeals to fans of Little House on the Prairie, and/or people interested in Freemasonry. As such, it was easy to find people who might like to find out more about Laura Ingalls Wilder (LIW) and her family’s connection to that fraternity: look for fan groups of LIW, and Masonic Lodges & their affiliates.

Even without such a well-defined audience, some of the things I did to help people find Little Lodges could be successful for writers of any kind of book. One of the most productive things I did: have bookmarks printed (I used postcardsRus. They were very helpful and easy to work with, as well as reasonably-priced, and the bookmarks were a high quality.) I started by ordering 1000. Since then (June 2014, when my book was released) I’ve ordered about 20,000 more, in batches.

There are two things to consider about this technique: what to put on them, and where to distribute them. Mine have a slightly-rearranged cover on one side, and a short blurb on the other, with the book’s website on both sides. If I’d had a puff (the term for a favorable quote from a well-known person to put on the cover or other advertisement), I probably would have included that. At the time I was too shy to ask for any, and now I’m too busy writing to take time to redesign the bookmarks.

Where have all these bookmarks gone? The majority have been put in goodie bags of conferences. I happen to know that every state’s Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter have a yearly conference. I called/emailed the person in charge, and asked if they’d like bookmarks to put in their registration packages. Since these are Freemasonry-related events, attendees are likely interested in my subject matter. Book shows also often have goodie bags; and who goes to book shows? Readers! I’ve never had anyone turn down something free to include in their bags, and I did it even if it meant mailing 2000 bookmarks across the country.

The year my book came out happened to be the 40^th anniversary of the TV show Little House on the Prairie, and there were events related to that around LIW home sites. I attended many of those events, and my husband just went around handing out bookmarks (I was at my assigned spot, with books for sale). After these events, as well as after conferences to which I sent bookmarks, I saw spikes in sales.

This was my first signing, after a presentation. I ran out of books! Brookings, SD in July 2014. (I love how everyone runs away when the camera comes out.)

Whatever your book is about, there’s bound to be some groups interested in that particular subject. Even if your book doesn’t have a specific subject per say, even genres have fan groups, so find the mystery book clubs or whatever around the state or country. Or research book festivals/shows, where readers of all stripes will be found. You can approach more smaller meetings or fewer large conferences, but you’ll be surprised how quickly the bookmarks go and sales come.

 

The other most productive thing I’ve done to reach readers is contact organizations with an offer to give a free presentation, with a book signing afterward. Of course I’ve presented to groups affiliated with Freemasonry, and those interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder/Little House; but to others as well. It’s amazing what groups you can find to tie into a book. Here are a few ideas:

• If you have a strong setting, any group local to that place
• If your protagonist has a hobby, a group of related hobbyists (same for occupation)
• If you write historical fiction, any organization interested in history (local historical societies, friends of the museum groups, genealogical societies, etc.)
• Writers groups and book clubs, where you can share you process/experience/etc.
• Check with your local Rotary Club or similar groups; even if you can’t come up with a direct tie-in, they might be interested in hearing from a local regarding your experience. These kinds of groups are often looking for new speakers.

What tie-ins can you think of? I’d love to hear them in the comments section.

The one drawback about selling books this way is that it won’t help your book or author ranking. Books you get yourself don’t count toward your totals, and you have to get them to sign and sell them. I’ve sold more books myself than through Amazon/B&N/etc. but the ranking doesn’t reflect that. This doesn’t matter to me so much, because I wrote this book to preserve and share the history of this little-known connection, not to make money or sales. But to some people, this could be a big deal, and I don’t know of a way around it.

One thing I did not do, but wish I had: actively ask for reviews. When I began this journey I wasn’t fully aware of how important reviews are to getting a book in front of readers. With my next book, anytime I send bookmarks, or give a presentation, or even mention the book in passing, I will include a note or comment requesting a review. This can’t be emphasized enough.

I hope these thoughts help you reach your audience, too. Oh, and one more thing: please leave a review for Little Lodges on the Prairie! J

My 4th, and a WIP Update

Hello again!

I hope you had a glorious Independence Day. It was plenty warm here in central Texas, but that’s to be expected. Hubby and I had a nice breakfast with one of the girls and her son. Always nice to see them.

On the way home, we took a short detour through Sandy. Ancestors from one side of my family settled there first. One of the sons grew up to become the Texas Ranger who took a Comanche bride. Here’s that couple:

We spent the afternoon/evening at the local Masonic Lodge, which hosted a free BBQ for anyone who wanted to come. Best brisket I’ve had in a long time, and lots of great people. Plus, the Lodge is right under the fireworks site, so it’s the best view in town. Today it’s back to “regular life.”

For me, regular life includes writing. There have been some changes in that area. The Little House related project has been put on hold. There are a couple of things I need to research a little more, but I won’t be able to make that trip for a while. It shouldn’t take long to finish once I gather the rest of the information, but since I don’t know when that will be, I’ve shelved that project for now. It will be completed at some point, and I’ll let you know when.

That means the other projects get more time. Last week, I outlined an article on menopause I’m thinking about freelancing. This week I’ll flesh it out and decide whether to submit it or not. If so, it’ll need some extra polishing.

The novel is coming along nicely. This week I hope to complete the re-working of the last of the plot changes I told you about in the last post. I know how I want it to flow, so hopefully it’ll go smoothly.

What are you doing this week?

A Trip and some WIPs

Hello again!

 

Life has been rolling along—much the same as usual, so I’ll spare you all the details, and just mention a highlight: our trip to Missouri last month.

 

First we went to visit our good friends, Arnold and Nancy. They are a wonderful couple so of course we had a wonderful time. In addition to deciding how to fix the world (if we could only get everyone to do what we say!), we discussed books and movies and other fun topics. We also went fishing; I caught my first-ever trout.

Also a first: Ziplining!

I took a day to go to nearby Hermann for some genealogical research, and found quite a bit of information, including this picture of my great-great-grandfather, Joseph Crider, Sr. I can’t see any resemblance.

Book-related, we agreed upon a collaboration to publish a non-fiction related to aquaculture in the coming months. My co-author has completed most of the research (including with long-term experience), and we’ve already begun the writing process. I’ll keep you updated.

Aside: I’m still also working on my novel. When I had a draft about 75% finished, I decided it needed a couple of changes, but they are pretty major and I have to rewrite close to half of what I had. I’d say I’m about half done with the new draft. While I haven’t worked up a summary/blurb/etc. that I can share yet, since people keep asking what it’s about, I’ll tell you this much: Two strangers, James Freer and Carol Galins, experience the after-affects of a fatal accident in differing ways, which makes each of them question their worldview and life choices. As each one faces the joys and sorrows of life, these issues and they way they resolve them will affect not only themselves, but their families and others. When faced with the biggest threat of all—to the lives of their children—will their differing perspectives help them through, or add to the violence? (That’s pretty vague, I know, but like I said, haven’t worked up anything that can be shared yet. It’ll come. Stay tuned!)

In addition, if things go as planned, I’ll have another LIW-related work out by Midsummer Day. That’s my self-imposed deadline; we’ll see if I meet it. It’s been a secret, but now that it’s coming together, I’m letting the cat out of the bag. What’s it about? Watch for the announcement on this blog, or on my Facebook or twitter pages or Henscratches website.

Back to the trip. After a week, we made our way to Springfield/Mansfield, where I met up with some Laura Ingalls Wilder friends. The museum had a ribbon cutting, which was our excuse to go, and it’s always a treat to visit a LIW site, especially with friends.

I purchased William Anderson’s latest, The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Most people will find quite a bit of “new” information about Laura. Having done so much research for Little Lodges on the Prairie, I was familiar with most of it, but it was still nice to be reminded of LIW’s real life story. You can learn quite a bit about a person from their letters, can’t you? If you enjoy Little House (or ever did), you should seriously consider purchasing this book.

Afterward, we met at Lambert’s for food and laughs. Love these ladies!

Hubby and I are back home now. I’ll spend the day tomorrow (Mother’s Day) with my girl. On the agenda: games, books, movies, cooking, yoga, coloring, and a walk in the park. I’m sure we won’t get to all of it, but we’ll have a relaxing day just doing whatever we want to.

Monday, it’ll be back to the usual routine, including working on the 3 books. I do best when I can switch between projects; prevents brain fag. Good thing I have several more in the pipeline!

Out With the Old

Live each Season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.  ~Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)

It finally feels like winter here in the heart of Texas. We’ve had a couple of mornings that needed the heater. As many of you have discovered this year, it’s more difficult to get into the holiday spirit when it’s 80 degrees out. But we manage.

I hope that your holidays have been as merry and bright as ours. We’ve enjoyed visits with family and friends, fun surprises, and more tasty food than is good for us. Now it’s almost time to say farewell to 2015 and open a new calendar.

Do you make resolutions at the beginning of the year? I used to, but don’t anymore.

Seriously, these days I’ve grown to believe that if something’s worth beginning, it’s worth beginning now.

OK, I talk big, but it’s usually more like this.

But we do look over the past year, cherishing the good and learning from the rest, and set goals for the coming year. One of the highlights of the past year was LauraPalooza—including the trip back home. Taking the family to iFly at Thanksgiving was also lots of fun.

My personal goals for 2016 include taking certain steps toward a healthier life, posting more regularly on this blog, and getting the current WIP published.

And for you, I wish peace and prosperity, health and wealth, love and laughter, joy in the journey, dreams realized, and work rewarded.

Merry Christmas

May you all have a very Merry Christmas!