Category: My Journey
Ask Me
As an author, I am often asked questions about myself, not just about Immigrant soldier. Here is a sample of a more personal Q & A. What appeals to you about historical fiction? My two favorite genres to read are historical fiction and what I call location fiction—that is a story which takes place in a…
Launch Celebration
This weekend has been very exciting. Immigrant Soldier, The Story of a Ritchie Boy is now on sale, not only at Amazon but also at my local bookstore, Laguna Beach Books http://www.lagunabeachbooks.com This is a wonderful, independent purveyor of books, run by a literate and enthusiastic staff. They agreed to host my book launch on Sunday and it was…
Celebrate
Boxes of books are stacked in the living room and bottles of Champagne chill in the refrigerator. Finger food and cut fruit are prepared. Friends, family, my writing group ladies, the “beta-readers,” and loyal supporters will soon arrive. We will lift our glasses. They will say “Congratulations” and I will breathe a sigh of relief.…
A Grueling Search for Tiny Things – Careful Proofreading matters
The proofreading is finished! It was a grueling and worthwhile task. My team of 3 (my editor, my eagle-eyed friend, Barbara, and myself) have combed proof copies of Immigrant Soldier. My editor used a time honored method for checking a final proof of material seen too often—she read it backward. My friend read it for the…
Using Family Stories—or Not
From the very beginning, I was fascinated by the stories my uncle told of his experiences during WWII. But, as I began to write Immigrant Soldier, I wanted the book to be more than just a war story. I wanted to write about the forces, both political and personal, that changed him from a frustrated teenager…
A Book in My Hand—A Baby Past Due
What a journey this has been! More than 15 years gestation and birth is just around the corner. It has been an exciting two weeks as my editor, my designers, and I send a flurry of emails back and forth. But we have accomplished our goal. Immigrant Soldier was uploaded to the publication arm of Amazon (CreateSpace)…
Crossing the T’s and Dotting the I’s
When I sent what I believed to be a clean, mistake-free copy of my manuscript to a Ritchie Boy who had promised to write me a review, I was amazed when he found not only some German language that needed correction, but a few other small errors. I conveyed my distress to my editor, and…
The Inside Tells a Story – Interior Design Matters
When you open a book and look inside, there are certain things a reader expects— title page, copyright page, maybe a dedication, and a table of contents, especially for nonfiction. A self-publishing author determines the content of these pages, but it could be a steep learning curve for a writer to get everything laid out…
A Book and Its Cover
It may be true about people that ”you can’t tell a book by its cover,” but when it comes to actual books, the cover is an important selling tool. Certainly, this advice is emphasized in every source about self-publication. When I stroll down the aisles of a library or bookstore, or click through lists on…
Taking Your Baby to School – Finding Readers for a” Finished” Manuscript
Every writer knows that at some point you have to take your “baby” (the manuscript) into the wider world. It is said the work of writing a book is a solitary endeavor, but to get a manuscript to its best, it needs to be exposed to others. The fresh eyes every author needs are those…