My North Georgia Indie Bookstore Tour
Anyone who has shopped for books online knows what a noisy and crowded planet that is. While convenient for consumers and more accessible for new authors than traditional publishing, there is something idyllic about an independent bookstore that online retailers will never have. After three days of traipsing across North Georgia on my indie bookstore tour, I am qualifying myself to tell you what that special something is.
Why Not to Send a Book Press Release
Are Book Press Releases Even Done Anymore?
I sent my debut novel, BACK TO BLUE HOLLY, press release to 84 local media contacts. I got zero hits, and here’s why: publishing a novel is no longer news. It’s just not. Books of various subjects, categories, genres, and sub-genres are published every eight seconds in the United States. What makes your novel more special than all the rest?
Why We Love Animals
Artist Kelly Brewer and I are among the millions of humans who love animals and benefit each day from our connections with them. We believe animals bring us joy and healing, tapping into our souls, making us better humans. This is why Kelly and I are excited to launch a new multimedia project, Kindred Spirits: A Celebration of the Human-Animal Connection.
A Simple Solution for the Sunday Scaries
I read that August is the Sunday scaries of summer, the month we grieve that which must end like coffee on the covered porch, pontoon picnics, and a late-day ski over river glass. The good news is there are plenty of ways to combat Sunday scaries: unplugging, exercising, taking a nap, starting a project, and more. But for me, there is a single solution that works best.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines
Hay bales are nothing new to Kentucky. This time of year, they overtake the rural landscape like big hair rollers on a sandy-blonde pageant queen. But for some odd reason, for three sun-filled days, I was obsessed with them, and I tracked the four-part harvesting process like a reporter for the New York Times.
Keeping Up is Hard to Do.
My discomfort with Starlink is with the speed of technology the system represents; it is lightning-fast and too smart for me. Whether it's satellite constellations, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, augmented reality, or toilet apps that wipe our asses (I think I made that one up), I don't understand it. Any of it. Yet, I want—NEED—to know how it all WORKS because if I don't, then how do I maintain my independence?
Feel the Age You Feel
We all have actions or people or things that help us feel ourselves, our ageless selves, regardless of what the clock would have us think. Running, standing on roofs, and rebuilding the website for my new book are three of mine. What are yours, and have you made time for one of them today?
Thank You KET
I’m resharing this story from The Common Wealth of Kentucky Project website for several reasons: a.) I love it. Kentucky Educational Television’s Tom Bickley and team did a fantastic job of capturing the motivation and essence of what Kelly, Jill, and I set out to accomplish, and b.) he uses a ton of my footage from the collection of videos I created along our journey, and c.) I don’t want this waking up to go away. Thousands saw and engaged in our story about our deep connections as members of this rich and beautiful Kentucky. It was like an April rain washing away the gray winter.