Look out for a sequel to A MEASURED THREAD in 2023!
December 20, 2022
I spent November doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and finished the first draft of the sequel to A Measured Thread. I am so excited! (Check out the whole story here in my Blog).
The hard work starts now, revising endlessly, recruiting Beta readers to give me feedback, working with my brilliant Editor, Christine Keleny to produce the best story possible, copy editing and proof reading, designing a cover... and finally publishing the book. Stay tuned.
January 16, 2022
I began the new year with a plan: write a short story one month and the following month work on my novel. Interspersed with these two projects will be occasional letters from Val spurring me on to reminiscing about travels with Dad which is to be our next joint book, Travels with Mick.
Getting back to short story writing has been good. It suits me. I can leave it for a few days and not feel guilty. If I get stuck, I can hop to writing a later point in the plot knowing that I'll be able to link the sections up at a later reading. And there's the security of having a group of beta readers waiting for their chance to set me straight. The novel continues to fester in my thoughts, but as I've got a project with a deadline (the bi-monthly short stories), I don't mind it so much. I recently listened to an interview with Maggie O'Farrell, author of Hamnet (magnificent book), and she admitted that she took a long time to finally commit to writing it.
July 28, 2021
I designed a bookmark for my book of short stories yesterday. Kernels will be released into the world on the first of August! It's been available as a paperback and an e-book for a few weeks but I was traveling and didn't have the time to dedicate to publicizing it. I plan to send out a slew of e-mails and Facebook posts on the release day, encouraging everyone I know to buy it.
On April 1, I began to write a sequel to my novel, A Measured Thread. I knew exactly how I wanted to begin and also had a good idea of how it should end. the rest was a lot more vague. Someone described this scenario as an author standing on a river bank in clear sight of the opposite bank, and with an array of stepping stones between the two, but just not sure of which stones to use in getting from one side to the other. I like that analogy, but in keeping with it, I find myself frozen on the second or third stone. I don't want to retreat, but neither do I want to go forward because it's going to take determination and a lot of soul-searching. Writing a sequel is hard! I managed to get over the insecurity of wondering if readers would be disappointed. The sequel might not address the questions I left them with, or round out Maggie's saga to their satisfaction. I reminded myself that I write for me — to figure out what I think about certain situations, and how I might respond were I placed in those circumstances. At any rate, I've put the book aside for now and given myself a delightful trip down memory lane with my sister as we write another joint memoir: Travels with Mick.
New Years Day, 2021
Fifteen months ago I began to write short stories. I set the goal of writing one a month for twelve months, a discipline that appealed to me. After all, I spent 30 years writing grant applications, always to rigid deadlines. In the end I failed to meet my deadline — a first for me! It took fifteen months to write the twelve stories.
I found the short story format was very liberating and with seventy years of life to draw upon, I had no shortage of ideas. Towards the end of each month, the story I was revising for the umpteenth time would get pushed aside, hijacked by a new idea that demanded attention. I started with a general idea of what each story would be about, and often had an ending in sight. But sometimes they took off on their own, as it were, and surprised me. I experimented with first vs. third person, present vs. past tense, a man’s or a woman’s voice, straight and gay, different locations and even countries. It was so much fun!
I have a wonderful group of beta readers who gave me valuable feedback, so now I will return to each of the stories and revise, revise, revise. Once again, I’ve given myself a deadline — April Fool’s Day 2021. Then it will be time to give the collection which I’m calling “Kernels” to my Editor, Christine Keleny who will do her best to help me turn base metal into (publishable) gold.
And what now you might ask? The wisps of ideas for a new novel are starting to gather into a recognizable shape. It’s intimidating, but at least I have another delightful project to escape to when the going gets tough. My sister and I are writing another memoir together, this time about travels with our father. 2021 looks to be full already!
My first novel, A Measured Thread, was published in April, 2020.
Here's the story of that journey.
A few years ago I found a cache of letters at our house in Ireland. These were the letters I had written to my parents when I first emigrated to the USA. There were a lot, enough to fill a carry-on suitcase. I brought them back to Wisconsin, thinking that I would delve into them some time when I felt in the mood, was sick, or snow-bound.
When Val and I were coming to the end of editing and publishing Abbey Girls, I was still excited by the question: what is memory? We have such strong memories of our past. But without some person, or some way to validate them, they are nothing more than neurons connecting to other neurons, creating images of events that may or may not have occurred. I had my sister Val to validate my memories of boarding school. But even then, we didn't agree on all the facts, and remembered very different things, despite having overlapping experiences at Loreto Abbey Rathfarnham.
So I thought it would be intriguing to read my old letters and write about the experience - what thoughts they brought to mind 40 years later. Two themes emerged from this, and I had two early drafts of manuscripts. Although both of them had some merit, I couldn't see my way forward. After a writer's block of about a year, I asked Christine Keleny (https://ckbookspublishing.com/) for some help. I worked with Christine when we were writing 'Abbey Girls'. She suggested writing fiction, using the letters as a window through which an old lady could look back on her emigrant experience.
In June 2017 I finished the manuscript, 80,900 words. I really enjoyed writing the book. At times it kept me away for hours in the middle of the night. At other times, I avoided it. On some days, I couldn't wait to write, irritated that I had other inconvenient tasks to finish before I could open up my computer. I always knew the ending, but found myself dragging the last 5,000 words out for longer than was needed. I didn't want the writing experience to end.
After I had finished, I went to Ireland for a couple of weeks, a perfect place to pause and catch my breath. In July 2017, I attended a week-long Writers Retreat at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It was an excellent experience, and I learned a lot about plot, character, arc of a story, etc.
I tackled the rewrite energetically from July to November, and proudly delivered my manuscript to my Editor for her input just before going on a trip to the Falkland Islands and Easter Island at the end of the year. Within a few days, she had read the manuscript and gave me a lot of feedback. Sadly, I am not going to be the next JK Rowling! Her suggestions were excellent (and humbling), so for the next several months, I worked on writing for a reader, and not for myself. There were times when I felt inspired, and other times when writing/revising was just plain hard work. The process of writing a novel is fascinating in itself. When I finished the final draft, I felt lost. I'd look at my computer each day and realize that I no longer needed to open it up and spend some hours writing. It left me feeling strangely out of sorts.
By August of 2019 the manuscript was ready for the next phase. I sent it out to eight beta readers for their feedback - an incredibly worthwhile experience - and revised it once again. While copyediting was taking place, I found a cover image. I first saw the painting in my local coffeeshop, Crossroads Cafe in Cross Plains, WI and sought out the artist, a local painter who creates inspiring landscapes. Gina Hecht's painting 'Pastoral' is the perfect representation of my story (https://www.ginahecht.com/).
At long last I was able to hold the book in my hands. Mind you, it still needed some tweaks. But as of April 15, 2020 everything was in place.
You can find the paperback at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/) for $15. The LARGE PRINT paperback is $18.
The e-book is available from Amazon (Kindle) (https://www.amazon.com/), Barnes and Noble (Nook) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/, Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/, Apple Books, and anywhere else you would normally get your e-books for $3.95.
There's an audiobook (Audible, Apple iTunes, NOOK Audiobooks, GooglePlay, libro.fm and others).
Remember, you can get the book from your local library or order it through your local bookstore.
December 20, 2022
I spent November doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and finished the first draft of the sequel to A Measured Thread. I am so excited! (Check out the whole story here in my Blog).
The hard work starts now, revising endlessly, recruiting Beta readers to give me feedback, working with my brilliant Editor, Christine Keleny to produce the best story possible, copy editing and proof reading, designing a cover... and finally publishing the book. Stay tuned.
January 16, 2022
I began the new year with a plan: write a short story one month and the following month work on my novel. Interspersed with these two projects will be occasional letters from Val spurring me on to reminiscing about travels with Dad which is to be our next joint book, Travels with Mick.
Getting back to short story writing has been good. It suits me. I can leave it for a few days and not feel guilty. If I get stuck, I can hop to writing a later point in the plot knowing that I'll be able to link the sections up at a later reading. And there's the security of having a group of beta readers waiting for their chance to set me straight. The novel continues to fester in my thoughts, but as I've got a project with a deadline (the bi-monthly short stories), I don't mind it so much. I recently listened to an interview with Maggie O'Farrell, author of Hamnet (magnificent book), and she admitted that she took a long time to finally commit to writing it.
July 28, 2021
I designed a bookmark for my book of short stories yesterday. Kernels will be released into the world on the first of August! It's been available as a paperback and an e-book for a few weeks but I was traveling and didn't have the time to dedicate to publicizing it. I plan to send out a slew of e-mails and Facebook posts on the release day, encouraging everyone I know to buy it.
On April 1, I began to write a sequel to my novel, A Measured Thread. I knew exactly how I wanted to begin and also had a good idea of how it should end. the rest was a lot more vague. Someone described this scenario as an author standing on a river bank in clear sight of the opposite bank, and with an array of stepping stones between the two, but just not sure of which stones to use in getting from one side to the other. I like that analogy, but in keeping with it, I find myself frozen on the second or third stone. I don't want to retreat, but neither do I want to go forward because it's going to take determination and a lot of soul-searching. Writing a sequel is hard! I managed to get over the insecurity of wondering if readers would be disappointed. The sequel might not address the questions I left them with, or round out Maggie's saga to their satisfaction. I reminded myself that I write for me — to figure out what I think about certain situations, and how I might respond were I placed in those circumstances. At any rate, I've put the book aside for now and given myself a delightful trip down memory lane with my sister as we write another joint memoir: Travels with Mick.
New Years Day, 2021
Fifteen months ago I began to write short stories. I set the goal of writing one a month for twelve months, a discipline that appealed to me. After all, I spent 30 years writing grant applications, always to rigid deadlines. In the end I failed to meet my deadline — a first for me! It took fifteen months to write the twelve stories.
I found the short story format was very liberating and with seventy years of life to draw upon, I had no shortage of ideas. Towards the end of each month, the story I was revising for the umpteenth time would get pushed aside, hijacked by a new idea that demanded attention. I started with a general idea of what each story would be about, and often had an ending in sight. But sometimes they took off on their own, as it were, and surprised me. I experimented with first vs. third person, present vs. past tense, a man’s or a woman’s voice, straight and gay, different locations and even countries. It was so much fun!
I have a wonderful group of beta readers who gave me valuable feedback, so now I will return to each of the stories and revise, revise, revise. Once again, I’ve given myself a deadline — April Fool’s Day 2021. Then it will be time to give the collection which I’m calling “Kernels” to my Editor, Christine Keleny who will do her best to help me turn base metal into (publishable) gold.
And what now you might ask? The wisps of ideas for a new novel are starting to gather into a recognizable shape. It’s intimidating, but at least I have another delightful project to escape to when the going gets tough. My sister and I are writing another memoir together, this time about travels with our father. 2021 looks to be full already!
My first novel, A Measured Thread, was published in April, 2020.
Here's the story of that journey.
A few years ago I found a cache of letters at our house in Ireland. These were the letters I had written to my parents when I first emigrated to the USA. There were a lot, enough to fill a carry-on suitcase. I brought them back to Wisconsin, thinking that I would delve into them some time when I felt in the mood, was sick, or snow-bound.
When Val and I were coming to the end of editing and publishing Abbey Girls, I was still excited by the question: what is memory? We have such strong memories of our past. But without some person, or some way to validate them, they are nothing more than neurons connecting to other neurons, creating images of events that may or may not have occurred. I had my sister Val to validate my memories of boarding school. But even then, we didn't agree on all the facts, and remembered very different things, despite having overlapping experiences at Loreto Abbey Rathfarnham.
So I thought it would be intriguing to read my old letters and write about the experience - what thoughts they brought to mind 40 years later. Two themes emerged from this, and I had two early drafts of manuscripts. Although both of them had some merit, I couldn't see my way forward. After a writer's block of about a year, I asked Christine Keleny (https://ckbookspublishing.com/) for some help. I worked with Christine when we were writing 'Abbey Girls'. She suggested writing fiction, using the letters as a window through which an old lady could look back on her emigrant experience.
In June 2017 I finished the manuscript, 80,900 words. I really enjoyed writing the book. At times it kept me away for hours in the middle of the night. At other times, I avoided it. On some days, I couldn't wait to write, irritated that I had other inconvenient tasks to finish before I could open up my computer. I always knew the ending, but found myself dragging the last 5,000 words out for longer than was needed. I didn't want the writing experience to end.
After I had finished, I went to Ireland for a couple of weeks, a perfect place to pause and catch my breath. In July 2017, I attended a week-long Writers Retreat at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It was an excellent experience, and I learned a lot about plot, character, arc of a story, etc.
I tackled the rewrite energetically from July to November, and proudly delivered my manuscript to my Editor for her input just before going on a trip to the Falkland Islands and Easter Island at the end of the year. Within a few days, she had read the manuscript and gave me a lot of feedback. Sadly, I am not going to be the next JK Rowling! Her suggestions were excellent (and humbling), so for the next several months, I worked on writing for a reader, and not for myself. There were times when I felt inspired, and other times when writing/revising was just plain hard work. The process of writing a novel is fascinating in itself. When I finished the final draft, I felt lost. I'd look at my computer each day and realize that I no longer needed to open it up and spend some hours writing. It left me feeling strangely out of sorts.
By August of 2019 the manuscript was ready for the next phase. I sent it out to eight beta readers for their feedback - an incredibly worthwhile experience - and revised it once again. While copyediting was taking place, I found a cover image. I first saw the painting in my local coffeeshop, Crossroads Cafe in Cross Plains, WI and sought out the artist, a local painter who creates inspiring landscapes. Gina Hecht's painting 'Pastoral' is the perfect representation of my story (https://www.ginahecht.com/).
At long last I was able to hold the book in my hands. Mind you, it still needed some tweaks. But as of April 15, 2020 everything was in place.
You can find the paperback at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/) for $15. The LARGE PRINT paperback is $18.
The e-book is available from Amazon (Kindle) (https://www.amazon.com/), Barnes and Noble (Nook) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/, Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/, Apple Books, and anywhere else you would normally get your e-books for $3.95.
There's an audiobook (Audible, Apple iTunes, NOOK Audiobooks, GooglePlay, libro.fm and others).
Remember, you can get the book from your local library or order it through your local bookstore.