Yup! I drove 185 miles last Wednesday to have lunch with the delightful Amy Newmark, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame! She graciously treated me, along with 5 other women and a few husbands and a friend in the mix! We dined at Bonefish Grill in Arlington, VA on the best Lump Crab & Corn Chowder, Fish Tacos with steamed spinach/garlic and too full, I brought my cheesecake home for later indulgence. It was just great to chat with the other authors and to hear Amy’s story of the Chicken Soup books. She started telling us from the beginning, about buying the company when other book publishers were fading from sight; into the process of reading all those stories that come in, sorting them out, finding titles for a new series, etc. Ms. Newmark is a woman who exudes happiness as she talks and who leads an interesting life loving what she does.
Her cool assistant Maureen put together gift bags for each of us with Chicken Soup books and a charming mug & matching spoon with the CS for the S logo. It was a lovely 3 hours with a smart, informative and imaginative woman. THANK YOU AMY NEWMARK! You offer opportunities for writers to stretch their writing muscles and get published!
H-m-m-m. My 185 mile ride home gave me plenty of time to think about another story to submit.
Category: books
TELLING YOUR STORY IS . . . .
Telling Your Story- Writing memoir is many things to the writer. It’s often a trip down a path that got you to where you are today, showing the result of sometimes funny things that happened to you and sometimes not so funny. You can write parts of that path, starting out at a bend in the road and ending at a bend further down the road. There is no need to try to start at the very beginning. That may overwhelm you, especially if you are older than 30 and have lived a full and varied life. I can promise you that if you write everyday, even if it is only a half hour, you will begin to remember moments you thought you had forgotten forever. It’s true, the more you write, the more you remember without effort. It just comes, sneaking up on you like a kitten trying to get your attention with a soft, tiny paw tapping on your knee.
About a year ago, I began writing about the 15 years of traveling Angelo and I did stopping at horseracing tracks from as far away as Australia, across our country, Canada, and even the Curragh in Ireland. So, look for RUNNING WITH THE HORSES, expected publishing date is August of this year.
more of HAVE I TOLD YOU? Ellie Newbauer booksigning party
HAVE I TOLD YOU? Booksigning for Ellie Newbauer went beautifully well today at the Rosemont Winery. A good turnout of friends from near and far on a lovely, sunny afternoon raised glasses in tribute to our 92 year old leader of the pack. Many HAVE I TOLD YOU? Conversations were carried on. We each read a page from Ellie’s book before we asked her to do the same.
HAVE I TOLD YOU? Booksigning Party for Ellie Newbauer
HAVE I TOLD YOU? Booksigning for Ellie Newbauer went beautifully well today at the Rosemont Winery. A good turnout of friends from near and far on a lovely, sunny afternoon raised glasses in tribute to our 92 year old leader of the pack. Many HAVE I TOLD YOU? Conversations were carried on. We each read a page from Ellie’s book before we asked her to do the same.
HAVE I TOLD YOU? Ellie Newbauer
have i told youHAVE I TOLD YOU? . . .Ellie Newbauer
Book Signing . . .January 24, Rosemont Winery 1 – 3 pm. Light refreshment served. Wines available for purchase. 1050 Blackridge Rd, La Crosse, VA 23950 A book to be read slowly to savor all the sage comments that are what Ellie does best. Her words zero in on exactly what you want and need to hear. It’s a bedside book and one to slip into your pocket to take with you. Let her thoughts sink into your heart, mind, and soul. I highly recommend this for yourself and as a gift for a dear friend.
NANCY DREW?
What are snowy days for? To start a 1,000 piece puzzle of Nancy Drew book covers. That’s what. The puzzle takes me back to when my brother Bob and I put a jigsaw puzzle together on the dining room table. Always after the Christmas holidays were over. We wouldn’t need that table until Easter.
The subject of Nancy Drew took me back, too. I loved her books! I could hardly wait until library day at school, even though the librarian would not allow me more than two books! How unfair! That means I would go for days on end without a good book to read. Of course I wanted to be Nancy Drew.
Fast-forward to the time I opened a new, used & rare bookshop in the 90s. Gary Wheelock offered me the opportunity to meet a Nancy Drew author! WOW! Until then I had no clue that the stories were written by multiply writers. Carolyn Keene was the listed author on the cover of all the series. I went straight to the internet to do some research. Edward Stratemeyer created the series as a female counterpart to the Hardy Boys series.
Well, as least I would have the thrill of meeting one of the esteemed authors. Feeling like a 50 year old groupie I joined Gary in the visit. Some thrill! She was a miserable, unhappy woman who felt no pleasure, no pride in being the writer of the few books about Nancy Drew that she wrote, that were adored by millions of girls. It devastated me. A numbness settled on me. All my happy images of Nancy Drew and all they entailed slapped out of me by this empty woman.
Time passed as I realized that there were many other authors that I could still look up to with anticipation of meeting them. And I have. No more Nancy Drew authors, but there you have it.
SIGNED BOOKS MAKE GREAT GIFTS!
Books signed by the author and inscribed to your friend make a thoughtful, personal gift. This kind of present will be read and kept forever. When that person passes away, the book and the inscription will be read by someone who cares about such things. . . and wonders who this person was, so loved and special to someone of an earlier time. Your thoughtfulness will be carried on, re-read and treasured.
I’m happy to inscribe and/or sign a book/books for you. Email me at: arlenebice1633@gmail.com with your information and order. The books are $15 + $3 shipping for one, combined amount for more. Poetry book is $10+ shipping. Enjoy.
BIG NEWS
! A Podcast of THE MAKEOVER in Chicken Soup for the Soul Step Outside Your Comfort Zone is scheduled for Nov. 29. Wed. and will continue on your app.
PUBLICATION DATE ALERT! CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL-STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE $14.95 or $9.99
It’s finally come to light, the date is October 31. What a date to read Step Outside Your Comfort Zone! You’ll find 101 stories and I hope you will read mine, THE MAKEOVER. In it, you’ll read of my gathering encouragement to change one little thing that changed my whole life, making it better than ever!
If you like it, please write a review on Amazon.com/books. Share in my excitement of being published in this Chicken Soup for the Soul book of uplifting and encouraging stories.
A quote from Amazon: Stepping outside your comfort zone is one of the best ways to feel younger, happier, and more confident. These 101 stories will inspire you to try new things, overcome your fears and broaden your world.
When we try new things, we end up feeling energized and pleased with ourselves. There is tremendous power in saying “yes” to new things, new places, and new experiences. The authors of these stories explain how they did it and how good it made them feel, whether it was something as simple as trying a new food or something as life changing as starting a new career. You’ll be ready to shake up your own life after you read about their experiences.
ANNOUNCING. . .my inclusion of “Giving Life and Taking It”
ANNOUNCING…Giving Life and Taking It, my personal story, has been published in Writing Menopause, editors Jane Cawthorne and E. D. Morin. It is now available on Amazon at $22.89 (I think in Canadian money.) I’m honored to be published among such notable writers and groundbreaking editors.
From Amazon: The Writing Menopause literary anthology is a diverse and robust collection about menopause: a highly charged and often undervalued transformation. It includes over fifty works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, interviews and cross-genre pieces from contributors across Canada and the United States that break new ground in portraying menopause in literature. The collection includes literary work from award-winning writers such as Roberta Rees, Margaret Macpherson, Lisa Couturier and Rona Altrows. Emerging voices such as Rea Tarvydas, Leanna McLennan, Steve Passey and Gemma Meharchand, and an original interview with trans educator and pioneering filmmaker Buck Angel, are also featured. This anthology fills a sizable gap, finding the ground between punchline and pathology, between saccharine inspiration and existential gloom. The authors neither celebrate nor demonize menopause. These are diverse depictions, sometimes lighthearted, but just as often dark and scary. Some voices embrace the prospect of change, others dread it. Together, this unique offering reflects the varied experience of menopause and shatters common stereotypes.