When I was getting close to finishing my new novel Finding Isobel, I began to fret about the cover. If you put “cover design for a novel” into a Google search, an overwhelming number of sites, blogs, videos and advertisements pop up. Ever cautious, I emailed a few other writer friends asking what they do. One person uses a sort-of lottery design website where you describe your book’s theme and make some suggestions as to style. The query then goes out to artists all over the world, and any of them can submit a cover. If you like one, you fine tune the concept with that artist, for a fee of course. It’s a great idea, but I found it hard to come up with a concept that I could put into words. Another suggestion was to go to Amazon and look at covers for recent best sellers in my genre (contemporary fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction). This is particularly helpful when you realize that most people will only see an image measuring 1x2 inches or even smaller on their computer or iPad. I liked the suggestion of going to a bookstore and checking out covers that caught my attention, perhaps even photographing them. Arcadia in Spring Green, Wisconsin is my go-to bookstore — a truly wonderful Independent local bookstore, plus they have great coffee and cookies! Sadly, I liked almost none of the covers I saw on display with the exception of a poetry collection which is definitely not my genre.

It was during one of those 3-hour sleep interruptions in the middle of the night that it dawned on me: What about the artist who did the cover for A Measured Thread? The moment I saw that painting hanging on the wall in our local coffee shop, Crossroads in Cross Plains, I knew it was perfect. Two years later when I was finishing A Measured Thread, I tracked down the artist, Gina Hecht, and purchased the painting and rights.

Gina’s website showed several beautiful abstract paintings, but most of them were listed as “sold” by the gallery in Chicago where she shows her work. Back to square one. I decided to reach out to Gina personally and see if she had anything in the works. Her response was immediate and encouraging; she had three pieces recently finished. All of them were lovely, but one in particular, a small abstract piece titled “Finding Joy”, lifted my heart.

Gina and I met over coffee in Waunakee which is near where both of us live, to conclude the transaction. We had the most wonderful conversation about painting vs. writing. She talked about what it felt like to shift from painting small to large pieces, as she did during Covid when demand for large landscapes was high. In contrast, during Covid I shifted to writing short stories (Kernels). It was only afterwards that I had the energy to begin writing another novel. I came away from our meeting with a precious box containing what I know will be the perfect cover for my new novel which will be released in March, 2024. I’ll keep you posted. 

​Well, November is over and with it NaNoWriMo – that ridiculous artificial challenge that requires you to write a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. I had heard about NaNoWriMo several years ago but had carefully avoided it. Something changed this year though. I’m not sure why, but perhaps I saw it as a lifeline to finishing something I started on April Fool’s Day, 2020!
 
I came across mention of NaNoWriMo several times in early October. Paging through various websites about it, I learned that only 10-15% of people succeed with the project. Mind you, I also read lots of other stuff that led me to question those numbers. Most websites wanted to sell you something to help you achieve your goal. Nonetheless, the thought of being one of those 15% was a challenge.
 
I can be very goal-oriented. The other thing is, I happen to love deadlines. Add to that the fact that I have been sitting on a writing project for almost two years now with little to show. It’s a sequel to my first novel, A Measured Thread. I hadn’t planned to write a sequel, but I was curious about one of the characters, Isobel, and wanted to know what became of her. Funny how that works. The characters become very real over the course of writing a novel, and you don’t want to leave them in limbo.
 
I hadn’t planned any major trips in November nor was anyone coming to stay. My latest short story had just been sent out to Beta Readers, and I hadn’t come up with an idea for the next one. No excuses. I decided to do NaNoWriMo, and immediately looked around for partners-in-crime amongst my Book Club (all writers), and a few other writer friends. Valerie Biel of Lostlake Press agreed to join me, and she recruited Silvia Acevedo. These are two amazing women, both successfully published and prize-winning authors, and two of the best companions one could ever have in NaNoWriMo.
 
Val is the queen of organization. She set up a shared calendar where we could “confess” our word count every day. She also organized a Zoom call each Tuesday morning where we chatted about much more than just writing… and laughed a lot. Finally, we had a Facebook Messenger spot for those instantaneous outbursts when we were in the midst of a frustrating piece of composition that drove us to more than expletives!
 
And I succeeded in writing a novel.
 
In fairness, I had 15,000 words in the bag when I started, and the final tally was 60,000 words. So, I suppose technically I’m one of those 85-90% who failed. But I really do have a novel — one that I like and think people will enjoy reading, especially those who liked my first book.
 
Why did NaNoWriMo work? First, I am retired and have (almost) complete control of my time. I refused invitations and made none. Also, I made sure all the outdoor projects were finished, and put aside books I was reading. Next, I stopped reading/watching/listening to all news. My habit each morning over breakfast is to check four or five news websites from Ireland, England, Europe and the USA. It’s amazing how that alters your day; it’s a distraction — one that you cannot shake easily during the day’s writing. And it’s an addiction. So many times during the month, I found my fingers drifting to those Apps on my iPad and had to chastise myself before a relapse. I’ve missed nothing. The world continues to spin.
 
Another reason NaNoWriMo worked, at least for me, was the piece of advice I read on one of those websites: do not edit. Most of us are inclined to re-read the previous day’s work in preparation for moving the story forward. Unfortunately, we tend to get bogged down in editing which is much easier than creating. But it can suck up a lot of time. Sure I’ll edit the manuscript, but later.
 
In case you are wondering if I outline stories or just go by the seat of my pants, it’s a bit of both. I had an outline — something written during my last failed attempt last February. I had written the beginning of the story, knew where it should go in the middle (albeit with few details), and I was certain of how I wanted it to end. I even had Chapters laid out — all 27 of them. As it turned out, I followed that outline reasonably closely, but finished with 39 chapters. Along the way, I took a couple of detours, and met a few wonderful characters that literally waltzed onto the page, leaving me excited in anticipation of what they might do the following day. That’s the fun part of writing a novel: when you get in a zone and things just flow and you genuinely are having fun. But have no illusions; there were many days when it felt like digging a trench in muddy clay. I called those my “digging potatoes” days. You get something out of the effort, for sure, but it’s only later you realize you were still making progress.
 
Having a story bouncing around in your head for 30 days and nights is something of an obsession, but fortunately friends and family are very forgiving.
 
The last few days of writing were wonderful because I could see the finishing line. Plus, all along I had wanted my characters to be happy, and finally they were going to achieve that. It’s amazing to hold people’s fate in your hands like that. Power, control, kindness, sympathy, understanding. And that’s just the writer!
 
I’m still a little dazed by having wrapped up the story. My plan now is to leave the manuscript alone for at least a month. No more disciplined days and sleep-interrupted nights. Sometime in January I’ll embark on the next phase: editing. I have no illusions about how long that takes; it will keep me (and my Editor and Beta Readers) busy for several months. Getting a novel into the best shape it can possibly be before finally letting the world see it is a long haul.
 
Expect to see “it” (no firm title as yet) around November 2023, just in time for Christmas.

​I had a wonderful time at Milwaukee Irish Fest this year. It’s an amazing 4-day event on the shores of Lake Michigan that celebrates everything Irish, including music, dancing, writing and heritage. I had a table for my three books in the Writers’ Corner along with with five other wonderful authors whose books all have Irish themes. Over the course of the festival I sold nearly 100 books! But best of all were the conversations I had with people who came by. A big shout out to the members of the CelticMKE Book Club who made a special effort to come to my table because they were reading “A Measured Thread” as their book choice for August.

I woke around 3 AM last night and spent the next 3 hours working on a short story in my head! I thought I was finished with short stories, at least for now, but this one popped up and kept getting better and better. Of course, it started with a vivid setting – a place I have spent many wonderful days called Kemp Station. It’s a property belonging to the University of Wisconsin situated on a lake in northern Wisconsin. The driveway is three miles long, and when you arrive it’s as if you stepped back into the early part of the 1900s. The log lodge was gifted by the Kemp Family to the university and it’s now used as a field station for research as well as a place to host small research gatherings.
 
I had this image in my mind of some students jumping off the roof of the boathouse into the lake, like lemmings. Fleshing out the story, I ended up creating a rather ho-hum protagonist. In none of my other stories is there a wishy-washy female, but she seemed to fit in this one.
 
I gave up trying to get back to sleep and got up around 7AM. Sensibly I opened up my computer and began to tap-tap away, fleshing out an outline. I’ll find it again sometime and finish the job properly. It's a good story.

I set out to write twelve short stories over twelve months. I’d finished my novel, ‘A Measured Thread’ and wasn’t ready for another marathon. A number of short sprints seemed like a better idea. I’ve never written short stories, although I suppose all the letters I’ve written over the years are just that. Still, the format allows for many more lies and fabrication. Although I’m a month or two behind my stated goal, I’ve just started on story #11. It’s been such fun, especially as I have a group of wonderful beta readers who are not shy to give me excellent and critical feedback. With Covid-19 lurking around every encounter, spending time writing is a wonderfully safe alternative. I’ve been surprised at what, when and how ideas pop into my brain for stories. Towards the end of the month when I am wrapping up a story, reading and editing it for the umpteenth time, it will get ‘bumped’ by an idea so compelling that I cannot wait to move on. At other times I’ve dragged out the story I am writing, not wanting to let it go because the location is so compelling… and of course with Covid-19, I’m not traveling. My plan is to publish the collection (title: Kernels) next year. I’m also going to ask my beta readers for their top three stories, and which of them, if any, might make a novel.  

I hadn’t realized that I chose the feast of Beltane for my book launch. Auspicious indeed. A Celtic celebration, half way between the spring equinox and the summer solstice that marks the beginning of summer. I just remembered: The first party I threw when I moved to the log cabin where I still live was on Beltane, and of course there was a bonfire!
 
Writing A Measured Thread reminds me a little of doing a PhD with all its ups and downs, creativity and challenges, elation and worries… and it took about the same amount of time, 4+ years. And how do I feel now with manuscript delivered and proof of accomplishment in hand? Strangely bereft.
 
Yesterday I sent an e-mail to everyone whose addresses were in my contact list, telling them about the May Day Book Launch: friends, colleagues, relatives in Ireland, ex-students, and some people I hadn’t contacted in years. The e-mails I’ve received in the last twenty-four hours have been wonderfully affirming, filled with delight at my accomplishment. I want to hug everyone.

​The proof copy of A Measured Thread arrived yesterday. In case you are wondering, I changed the title of my new novel after much consultation with my beta readers and my editor, Christine Keleny. The original title came about because I was going on a trip to Morocco and a friend said, “bring back one beautiful thing.” I took her advice and purchased a magnificent pair of silver and bronze antique stirrups that Genghis Khan would have been proud of. I gave one to my sister, Valerie, because it felt right; they are together essentially even if they are 1000 miles apart. When I look at mine, I think of Val, and I expect she does the same.
 
Oddly enough, seeing the proof copy of the novel was a bit of an anti-climax, even sad. Maybe it’s because this particular writing journey is coming to an end. Also, I’m leaving for a 3-week vacation and cannot proof read it just now. It’s top of my list when I get back, but for now it sits on a bench in the living room reproaching me for not truly finishing it!
 
Of course, then there are the next steps including organizing a launch party and advertising it on social media. The former will be held at Crossroads Coffeehouse in Cross Plains thanks to Mary Devitt, a special place that several of my beta readers frequent. Fortunately, I have another wonderful writer friend, Valerie Biel, who said she would help me with the social media aspects. And I’m seriously thinking of recording the book. My voice should work well (it’s the story of an Irish immigrant to the USA), and I enjoyed the experience of recording Abbey Girls at Paradyme Productions in Madison with Jake Johnson.
 
I now have a fantastic cover that comes with a great story. One day in June 2019 after Yoga class, I noticed a painting on the wall at Crossroads Coffeehouse in Cross Plains. It looked ‘right’ for the cover, at least at that moment, and I took a photo of it with my cell phone. It was called ‘Pastoral’, a great title. Fast forward to January 2020. I was in Ireland and decided to take some photos of a piece of sculpture on St. Stephens Green that features in A Measured Thread, thinking it might make a good cover (It’s called Fountain of the Three Fates by Josef Wackerle). Christine Keleny mocked-up the two covers and I sent them out to my beta readers for a vote. The painting won hands down. Fortunately, I was able to track down the artist, Gina Hecht (from Waunakee, WI) and purchased both the piece and the rights. The photographer George Siede, an old friend from my rock-climbing days, helped with the digital image. I love the cover!

​What a wonderful statement: I finished my novel! Actually, I finished it in August, but it’s only now as I am beginning a new project that I feel it is truly done, complete, executed (I should look up more words in a thesaurus, but you get the idea.) Once I had something to actually try to sell, I began to send query letters out to literary agents all over the country. Literary agents are the gate keepers to most large publishing houses. They try to sell your story, and if successful, get a share in the profits. The ultimate middle-person, unlicensed, unaudited, unburdened. Fifty queries was initially my goal, but after talking with other authors, I realized that 100 queries or even 125 might be more appropriate. It’s a tough world out there. I’ve pitched 75 queries so far, with not a single bite, and I’m definitely running out of steam. One agent was interested but they wanted a major rewrite. That’s when I knew I was truly finished because I didn’t want to change anything.
 
My plan for the new year is to self-publish One Beautiful Thing. Meanwhile, I set myself a goal of writing a short story every month for a year. I have a wonderful group of beta readers who are willing to give me feedback as to what they liked, what worked or didn’t, and where they stumbled or got distracted. I’ll definitely try to get some of the stories published. Eventually I’ll assemble the best of them into a collection. It’s fun, especially when a beta reader tells me they enjoyed my last story and are can’t wait to see what I’ll come up with this month!