Fourteen Days to the 2019 South Dakota Festival of Books: Day Two

As I draw nearer to attending The South Dakota Festival of Books, I am starting to read through the pages of literature I have received from the event organizers.

There are maps of Deadwood—-the town where the festival will be held, maps of the of Western South Dakota---home of the Black Hills, the Badlands and the famed Mt. Rushmore, among many other historic and tourist attractions.

There is a glossy 58-page Deadwood Visitor Guide, complete with a sketchy group of Badlanders on the cover and the tag line, "No Rules. No Regrets. Since 1876.

There are letters detailing the event itself, the author and presenter rules and regulations, contracts that must be signed and returned, author exhibitor table assignments, festival events and a letter explaining all the letters!

Then there is the high gloss magazine which, upon reading, has pulsed pure adrenaline and a streak of fear through my heart. It's the 2019 South Dakota Festival of Books Guide.

This 30-page publication will be handed out to the more than 4,000 people who attend this festival, all on a mission to meet and listen to the 65 authors presenting at the various festival locations.

It contains the traditional welcome letter from the mayor of Deadwood, maps of the festival presentation and exhibitor locations, the schedule of all events and a wealth of beautifully designed book ads. But the primary real estate in this publication houses bios and photos of the 2019 roster of festival authors.

In reading through the list of my fellow writers, I began to see a stream of recurring terms:

NY Times and USA Today Bestseller

Poet Laureate

Critically Acclaimed Film and Television Producer

Emmy Award-Winner

PBS Television Host

PBS Advisor and Archivist

Public Radio Host

Documentary Filmmaker

Theater Producer

Awarded Investigative Reporter

American Idol Contestant

Founder and Executive Director of Social Justice Center

Managing Magazine Editor

And at the very beginning of that alphabetical list of illustrious authors was me. Just plain me.

This was about the time when that streak of fear made its way through my body. How in the world did I end up in this who’s who author line-up?

Sure I was invited based upon a five-star review of my newest book, Beauty & Grace, by the Chairperson of the South Dakota Humanities Council. That had to mean something, right?

And I have written four books, conceived, directed, undertook and produced a year-long video project of interviews with people across the United States, served on a journalist panel on First Amendment Rights at the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York and was selected as the only woman to be a regularly scheduled listener-commentator for my hometown NPR Station, WBFO.

But there are no NY Times, Emmy Award Winning, Poet Laureate tags associated with my author’s byline.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I did the thing that generally helps my mind gain perspective---I researched.

There are over two million books published each year, somewhere between 600,000 to one million of those printed in the United States. Many – perhaps half or even more – are self-published and, on average, sell less than 250 copies.

Rather than gain perspective, those numbers boggled my mind. How is it that any author, no less an independent author like me, becomes successful competing against such odds? Then I unearthed a number nugget that allayed my runaway-thought process.

According to 2018 statistics, more than 80% of all Americans would like to be an author. The number one reason they don’t succeed? They don’t believe that they can.

When the latest incarnation of the movie, A Star is Born, was released last year, I read an interview article with Lady Gaga. In it she stated her belief in her songwriting and singing talents were what saw her through the years she dragged herself throughout New York City trying to sell her music, getting rejected time after time.

Gaga’s story went along with a wisdom my successful attorney /cousin, Karen, shared with me in 2014. I had just published, Crown Hill, my first book of historical fiction. Karen read it and wrote a congratulatory email for writing such a wonderful story. My response was that it wasn’t exactly Pulitizer, but hopefully one day I would become an accomplished author.

Her reply was immediate and, I quote, “It’s not talent that makes an author. It’s the determination to sit down and actually craft a book that separates writers from authors. They not only want to write, they do.”

There have been many turning points in my life when my belief in myself has carried me through. As my kids will tell you, often I don’t even stop to consider the realities, or consequences of my decisions. I just make up my mind, and I’m off and running. Which is exactly how my book writing career is evolving and reaching readers across the United States. On innate storytelling ability and a sheer detemination to, "do."

And that’s the author that will be on stage and exhibiting at the South Dakota Festival of Books in early October. Maybe not a lot of accolades behind me, but a storytelling author with the best of them.

Fourteen Days to The 2019 South Dakota Festival of Books---Day one:

While I may not be the most organized individual, there is one part of my life in which I plan and prepare---my clothing.

I'm pretty sure this is a genetic thing as my dad was a great clothes/outfit planner. Even when he was working at the Pratt and Letchworth Steel Foundry, every night before he went to bed he planned what he was going to wear the next day and laid it out on the window seat for morning.

I however have elevated my father's what-to-wear planning to new levels---moving beyond my closet to the aisles of @T.J. Maxx Stores across America (whenever I am on a road trip, I stalk them) and specialty shops like Lexi B's Boutique in North Carolina where my son lives and The Dress Shop in my hometown of East Aurora.

There I roam the aisles, pick through the racks and plan outfits for occassions that aren't even on my radar. It's heaven.

I've done this clothes planning for years, beginning when I was a young mom with few dollars and a strong fashion sense. I always aimed for quality clothing, unique footwear and classy accessories, all at sale prices that I could afford.

As a result of my shopping spree standards and some great family genetics, my closet is filled with clothes, shoes and accessories that I purchased as long as 30 years ago and still wear.

With two weeks to go until the 2019 South Dakota Festival of Books, there are a list of details to address. At the top of that list ....clothes planning for the 12-day trip.

Usually when I travel for author events, I pack mix-and-match outfits to conserve space and limit luggage. Not for South Dakota.I'm bringing the big guns! Lots of outfits with fun accessories and matching shoes.

I started my clothes planning this morning with the footwear. Researching the weather, typography and culture of the Mt. Rushmore State, I determined that boots would be
the most sensible and fashionable go-to. So I pulled out my favorite boots and lined 'em up. And my clothes planning heart did a little flutter.

It was the start of a very good day!

Being a Storyteller

Two weeks from today I will embark on an author's journey that will undoubtedly impact my career and my life, as I fly off to South Dakota Humanities Council Festival of Books.

In being invited to this prestigious literary event, there was a check list of things requested of all authors, one of those being a video.

While I have recorded several videos about my books, I have never sat down and visually shared my thoughts about my writing career and my author's perspective.

Surprisingly, it was harder than I anticipated. What exactly to talk about. Where to start. But eventually, with patient encouragement from my longtime videographer partner, Marc Odien, I hit my stride as I shared my passion for books and reading and how the wonderful individuals who read my work inspire me to continue.

Hope you enjoy.....

A Shoemaker, His Numbers and My Dreams

I have experienced a number of incarnations in my professional life. One of those was my time as a restaurant manager, a position I held from 1997 to 2000. The thing I enjoyed most about that job was the people who came through the door each day, some who eventually transitioned from dining patrons to valued friends.

One of those friends from that time is a gentleman who works as a shoemaker. Over the years this cobbler has continuously CPR’d my most comfy pair of high heels, revitalized my winter-worn boots and salvaged a variety of my purses and wallets

But that’s not all.

Whenever I bring this shoe craftsman my latest leather calamity, we fully debate the merit of my repair and then  spend anywhere from a few minutes to an hour in conversation.

Our topics can cover books, religion, spirituality, family, friendship love, life and even death. Meaningful topics that fall far from a shoemaker’s traditional realm of heels and soles.

The other day I stopped at my shoemaker’s shop with a brown bag of my latest leather repair odds and ends---one suede boot with a ripped lining and a purse with a broken shoulder strap.

Engaging in our usual repair deliberation, my shoemaker decreed the boot would have to be assigned to his, “to-do” shelf. My purse, however, he could repair on the spot. I agreed to his terms and he immediately went to work, reuniting the purse’s shoulder strap and bag. And as he did, we talked.

Our chat began with his review of my latest book, Beauty & Grace. As he stitched and clipped, he told me that in making his way through the middle of the book, he found it painfully difficult to read.

I struggled a bit with his feedback until he explained that his reading challenge was related specifically to a character I’d created by the name of Janna Mazury.

It seems that the name of my shoemaker’s mother was the same as my Beauty & Grace character. Additionally, he said the painful life circumstances I’d assigned to my fictional Janna were many of the same challenges his mother had endured throughout her life.

It was a compelling thread of conversation that fostered tear-filled eyes on both sides of his shoe repair counter.

By the time we finished our book chat, my purse was again whole and the shoemaker began filling out a claim ticket for the single boot I was leaving behind. That’s when our conversation took a most unexpected turn —-one in which he led me into an intriguing world of numbers.

He began by asking my birthdate.

Giving him the two digit month and date along with the full year, the shoemaker wrote down the eight figures. He then began scribbling calculations underneath them as if he were solving a calculus equation. Mystified, I watched and did my best to follow the mathematics, to little avail.

It was only as he began writing words in concert with his computations that I understood he was assigning a value to the numbers—-figures he’d derived from my birthdate. He then began translating those values into words, explaining that they defined my being.

He called it numerology.

I’d heard the term before but never paid attention to the concept. At that point, I wasn’t sure I wanted to start paying attention either. There was something about the various ways he moved the numbers around that made me a bit of a Doubting Thomas….until he got to the words.

Translating the jumble of figures and letters, he explained that he’d arrived at a trio of numbers, the first of which defined the foundation of my being----spirituality—-my soul. The second number he said defined the part of me that my foundation supports--- my heart. The third number he termed my strength---communication.

My shoemaker friend then began counting the numbers of letters in my name.

Following another round of mathematical gymnastics, he mined the word “creativity” from my first name and “prosperity” from my middle name, this time adding an infinity symbol to his translation. He then decreed that as long as I use my spirituality/soul and my heart to communicate, I will always be able to make my dreams come true.

I’ve spent the last few days rolling my shoemaker friend’s numbers and words around in my mind, I’ve come to realize their accuracy and almost-startling description of who I am and what I do.

Yet, it’s the suggestion of staying true to those tenets as a direct path to my life’s dreams that has give me a whole new faith in my work.

Telling my stories with heart and soul is the only thing I know—-the way to fulfill my life’s purpose. And I’m grateful to my shoemaker and his numbers for reminding me of the importance of believing in myself to achieve my storytelling dreams

The Unbreakable Bond of Irish Music

Twenty years ago I attended my first Buffalo Irish Festival

At that time, the festival was held at a restaurant on the downtown shores of Lake Erie that easily accommodated the wealth of Irish dancers, singers, musicians, vendors and food purveyors celebrating the Emerald Isle with thousands of Irish revelers….and those who wished they were!

One of the primary reasons I attended that year was the line-up of musicians performing throughout the three-day event. Being of Irish Descent, I’m a sucker for a ditty filled with fiddles, uilleann pipes, Bahrains, penny whistles or a well-played set of spoons.

It’s a passion I come by honestly as I grew up in a house where my mother’s Dennis Day’s Irish Favorites and Bing Crosby’s Shamrocks and Shillelaghs albums were played right along with my dad’s Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland collections.

It was, in fact, my mother’s devotion to Irish music that connected me with a duo of Irish singers/ musicians----brothers actually. Our introduction came about on March 12, 1999, the day my mother passed.

Being an only child, I was in charge of planning her funeral. While she hadn’t left specific instructions, I was determined that Irish music would be part of our family’s celebration of her life.

The main problem with my plan was that my mother’s funeral was set for March 15th, smack in the middle of St. Patrick’s High Holy Week. So it came as little surprise that every Irish band, duo and singer in Western New York was already booked.

The chances of me finding someone to perform Irish music at my mother’s funeral were seemingly slim and none. Then someone told me to call these Irish musician / brothers from Rochester.

With fingers crossed, I made the call and pled my case. With a time adjustment on my side and some creative scheduling on theirs, the brothers agreed to play the music for my mother’s funeral, beginning at the church through to the procession to the adjacent gravesite and at the “Irish wake” we held afterwards for family and friends at my home. By the end of that day of memories and mourning, the musical brothers John and Joe Dady, had officially become part of my family.

For years after my mother’s funeral I remained connected to The Dady Brothers traveling to concerts whenever they performed in Western New York.

With the advent of Facebook, Joe, John and I became “friends,” allowing us to stay in touch through good times and bad---the brothers’ annual trips to Ireland, the birth of my grandchildren, Joe’s heart attack and stroke, the passing of my father, the successful debut of a play using their original music, the publication of my books (especially Crown Hill that Joe read and loved), the addition of a recording studio in Joe's home where we talked about creating audio versions of my books. We celebrated. We mourned. and whenever we gathered in the name of Irish music, we reinforced our bond.

I continued to go to the Buffalo Irish Festival for years, timing my attendance with the Dady Brothers’ performances. It came to be a tradition within our “family.” That is until this year.

In the spring, Joe wrote a Facebook post that I can only imagine was close to impossible. In it he told all that he had been diagnosed with leukemia. Heavy chemotherapy followed by an injection of stem cells was the most aggressive and hopeful treatment. The challenge was finding a matching donor for the cells.

As in all good stories, John tested as a perfect match for his brother and without question, volunteered to undergo the surgery.

On April 24th, 2019, Joe received an infusion of life from John. Despite all efforts to the good, less than a month later Joe’s spirit gave up the fight and he passed.

Now it is August…time for the Buffalo Irish Festival. I am not attending this year. Somehow without Joe and John Dady, it was a bit too painful.

However, I decided to take Beauty & Grace to the festival as an exhibitor and share the book’s story of one of the main characters, Teagan Cormick, a young girl from Queenstown, County Cork.

And as I sit at my exhibitor’s table and talk about Teagan and Ireland, as Irish music from the festival stages filteri in and around me, I have no doubt that Joe Dady is here in spirit, fiddle in hand, a good story at the ready.

Is breá liom agus cailleann tú mo chara.

Written at the Buffalo Irish Festival Opening Day
Friday, September 24, 2019
In honor and memory of Joseph Bernard Dady 
1/8/1958-5/18/2019

Behind the Scenes of an Indie Author's World

I love meeting readers and telling the stories of my books but as an Indie Author, there is so much more that goes in to scheduling, promoting and executing those presentations and signings.

There are hours spent writing website blogs and social media posts, editing images to capture the essence of my author/reader experiences, answering emails from readers and for book orders, packaging books and mailing them, keeping track of my four-book inventory and ordering more as I need them.

Then there's creating support promotional items such as bookmarks and flyers, researching bookstores and book groups that might be interested in scheduling one of my presentations/signings, figuring out unique ways to engage those stores and groups, keeping my roller suitcase filled with copies of all four books, a cash box of money to make change, credit card swipers and lots of pens for signing and.... ultimately.....tracking all of my presentations/signings and making sure I don't miss even one (thank goodness that hasn't happened---YET!)

Oh, and did I mention, carving out the time to write a book or two?!

The latest of my Indie author tasks is something I have wanted to do for years, but never felt that it was a wise investment. However, after receiving an invitation from The South Dakota Humanities Council Book Festival to present and exhibit my work, I finally took the leap. I ordered a promotional author banner to include in my display at book festivals and fairs.

Thank you Adrienne Carr Sparks and Holly L. Soderstrom Lorincz for your feedback and advice on my banner layout and design. And special thanks to Kayleigh Schaefer at On The Mark Signs for your time and talents in creating this banner that looks great and doesn't make me feel too uncomfortable being pictured at the top of a 7-foot display!

A Play A Memory and a Whole New World

I had the good fortune to graduate from Mt. St. Mary Academy where, to this day, arts as well as sciences are equally valued as integral parts of a high school education. That fact is underscored not only in the classroom, but in extracurricular activities, one of the most prominent being my alma mater’s annual senior play.

The play that my class of ‘69 staged was the wonderfully romantic, Lerner and Loewe's, "Brigadoon." It was a memorable experience on a number of levels, which has kept the musical close in my heart ever since.

Recently, I was reminded of my youthful thespian experience as my granddaughter and I celebrated her 13th birthday.  For years we have maintained a tradition of going to dinner and the theater in honor of her special day. When Brigadoon came up on my Shaw Festival Google, my only decisions were which date and what time to choose.

Over our pre-theater dinner, the new-teen and I discussed the play’s characters, the music, Lerner and Loewe and my senior class experience as the onstage leader of one of Brigadoon’s Scottish Clans, The MacLarens. I also tried to explain the storyline to my sweet grandchild, which I must admit sounded a bit dated even to me, some 70 years after the musical’s Broadway debut.

That being said, I had faith that no matter the passage of time, once we were settled in our seats, the fantasy love story would engage us both.

 It was on our post-dinner stroll to the theater that our Brigadoon chat took an unexpected turn. It started when I had a flashback to my senior play experience. Since the Mount is a young-woman-only academy, the male roles in their plays are filled by actors from area all-male and co-ed schools. As it turned out, in Brigadoon, the lead role of Tommy Albright was filled by a senior from nearby Canisius High School.

Bruce was the young man’s name and, as memory recalls, he was as kind and sweet as he was talented and handsome. He was also African American, a reality that made no difference to anyone in our cast, class or school. It was simply a matter of fact.

Throughout weeks into months of rehearsals, Bruce and I became friends. We chatted, joked and enjoyed each other’s company. And, as teenage girls will do, I became smitten.

I was not the only Mountie to feel this way about Bruce. He was popular with all my classmates and the hot topic of many senior class conversations. What ramped up those conversations was the fact that as our Brigadoon performances drew near, so too did the Canisius High School date dance.

Which lucky girl was Bruce going to ask?

Speculation ran rampant with daily updates spreading like wildfire. This seems like an appropriate moment to mention that while I was a popular girl among my peers, I never qualified as the ultimate dream date for most guys. I was tall, talkative, and politically and socially opinionated. I was also surrounded by fellow Mounties who were model gorgeous and sophisticated. All of which meant I was not on anyone’s top ten list of date dance options for our “Brigadoon” leading man…including my own.

One day at rehearsal, Bruce found me in the hallway outside the backstage door. As always, we talked and laughed with ease. Then, out of nowhere, he asked if I’d like to go the date dance with him.

I was so shocked that, to this day, I’m not exactly sure how I replied, other than I know I said yes…followed no doubt by Snoopy happy dancing once he walked away.

Of course, word quickly circulated throughout rehearsal that I was Bruce’s date of choice. Suddenly I was seen differently….pretty, appealing, someone a boy like Bruce could like.

To be honest, I’m not sure if that perception was within my class, or myself. Perhaps both. All I knew was that unexpectedly and out of nowhere, I’d become THAT girl, the pretty and popular variety of my classmates that I’d been admiring all through those turbulent teen years.

Later that night, I patiently waited through my parent’s dinner conversation about work and the world before broaching the subject of my date dance invite. My father and mother were both professionals in their fields. Work was their primary focus. I was an only child that they loved by allotting me enough time outside of their jobs to get me raised and on my way.

As far as their rules about my social life, there were few activities they approved outside of scouts and school groups. Dating and boys bordered on taboo. As we finished our meal, I offered a silent prayer and delicately began my ask to attend the date dance with Bruce.

I can’t tell you exactly how that night unfolded, but somewhere along the way I told my parents of Bruce’s heritage. That’s when our conversation completely shut down. My mother and father were not interested in knowing anything else. I would never be allowed to go out with, “a black boy”.

 I was devastated. It never occurred to me that Bruce’s skin color or genes could outweigh the value of his heart and soul. He was kind, funny, sweet and he liked me enough above all other girls in my class to ask me to the dance. That was all that mattered to me.

Later that night when Bruce called to make plans for our date, I answered the phone with my parents standing around me like a human prison wall. Through tears, I told Bruce I was sorry, but I wouldn’t be able to go to the dance with him. I didn’t say anything more. I didn’t have to. We both knew why.

The next day at rehearsal life went on, but it was different. Bruce and I didn’t share our backstage chats and jokes and once word got out that I was no longer his date, my classmates veered slightly from my path.

No one knew what to say or how to handle the racism that had clearly invaded our magical Brigadoon world. Worse, for months afterwards, I was heartbroken over the friendship that was destroyed and filled with shame that my parent’s prejudice had been the destructive weapon.

 As I shared those memories of the story with my granddaughter, she asked only one question. “Why Nana? Why did your parents do that?”  It was in that moment that gratitude replaced my resurrected feelings of shame as I realized my family had moved on from a world of selective racism into a world of diversity, a world of colors and choices. And the idea of eliminating good people from our lives due to heritage, skin color or gender has become unimaginable to all of us.

That’s exactly what I told my granddaughter as the curtain to Brigadoon began to rise. And as the play unfolded I realized that despite its antiquated, romantic, storyline, on this particular night, Mr. Lerner and Mr. Lowe’s music and words were offering a much greater meaning.

A Writers Festival, Facebook and a Forty-Three-Year Dream

I have been a storyteller all of my life, a journalist/professional writer for 43 years and an author since my first book, Chicken Wing Wisdom, published in 2005. That's a lot of words and a long time to work towards my dream of becoming a nationally recognized author/speaker.

Yesterday I realized that I am achieving my dream thanks to the South Dakota Humanities Council Festival of Books.

For those unfamiliar, the festival was started in 2002 and has become the state's premier annual literary event, drawing around 4,000 attendees and showcasing more than 50 distinguished authors, scholars, and publishers.

Everytime I read that description, I pinch myself, realizing that those last nine words include me.

To help promote the event, festival organizers ask participating authors to donate one of their books to give away to interested readers. A random drawing on the festival's Facebook page is the process, with people winning by commenting on a book's post that they would like to read it.

Yesterday was the giveaway for Beauty & Grace.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous. What if no one wanted to read a book they'd never heard of, by an author from a state thousands of miles away?

One hundred and seventy three comments and 82 shares later, I learned that my fears were needless. Yet it was one comment by a woman from Sioux Falls, South Dakota that truly made my day.

"Heard it's a great book."

Beverly Alexander, I don't know how or where you heard that Beauty & Grace is, "...a great book," but I am thrilled---not only for that acknowlegement of my work, but for the validation that state by state, reader by reader, book by book, 43-years of writing words and telling stories is turning my dream into my life's reality.

From the depths of my writer’s heart and soul, thank you.

One Book Club at a Time

Building audience is tough for an independent author.

Every day you have to figure out a new way to engage and encourage readers to choose your books over a million other published authors, many of whom are more famous and also have publishers/agents promoting them.

What that means is hours of brainstorming creative ideas to engage readers and executing them in ways you hope the world will find as clever as you imagined them in your mind!

At the same time, you can't rest on your laurels as the fans you have worked so hard to earn are ready and excited to read your next book. And while writing is definitely my passion, it takes discipline to carve out time each day to sit and write a novel--- to imagine unknown people, places and events and craft them into a story you hope readers will relate to and enjoy---but may not.

Then comes the day when you decide to raise the stakes and extend your author's reach from local to regional and national audiences.

While such a bold idea is attainable thanks to the Internet and the worldwide reach of social media, there is no doubt that unless Oprah Winfrey or Reese Witherspoon or Shondra Rhimes waves their magic book club wand your way, it's a daunting task.

That being said, there is no greater reward for facing such challenges than receiving an email from someone in one of the many states where you've journeyed, with your suitcase of books and bookmarks, who has attended your presentation, read your book and loved it and would like to invite you to return to their community and do it all over again for a new group of readers.

Thank you Mary Mills for your support of my work and your passion for my storytelling. You are fulfilling my author's dream as I imagined it four years ago--- connecting with book clubs across America and, through them, expanding my readership, one book club at a time.

With cherished memories of meeting you at Margi’s book club (pictured here from my 2018 Indy Presentation) I look forward to returning to Indianapolis in 2020 and sharing the Beauty & Grace Journey with you and your book club members.

A Place Where I Belong

Growing up as an only child of working parents, I spent countless hours on my own---reading books, listening to music and watching movies. Somewhere in the midst of all that multimedia stimulation, I found a place where I belonged.

I fully envisioned and formed friendships with characters from Nancy Drew to Scarlett O’Hara. I harmonized lyrics with Julie Andrews and Joan Baez. I dressed up in my mother’s satin wedding gown and made dramatic entrances down the stairs channeling Vivien Leigh and Bette Davis. And all of it was made real within my imaginings.

While my imagination helped filled a void in my latch-key life, it also helped me develop a storytelling skill that made me stand out---in the hallway at school, in time-out at home---where ever adults would banish me to try and help me understand that, unlike fictional performance arts, not every story in real life needs to be told!

The thing is, telling the story of my life is second nature to me. While I have learned that there are boundaries, people who read my newspaper columns, blogs and books have clearly let me know that sharing my story details, both joyous and painful, are why they connect to my writing. Why my words have meaning.

I’ve been thinking about the evolution of my storytelling skills as I am preparing to do something which, before now, only happened amid the privacy of my adolescent bedroom in the recesses of my mind. One week from tonight I will step on stage at The Cell Theatre, located in the mecca of all performance arts, New York City.

No, I’m not taking a behind the scenes tour or interviewing the theater’s manager.  In fact, I have been invited by theater producer, Charles R. Hale to perform in his Artists Without Walls Showcase on this Manhattan theater stage. I will be reading from the pages of my newest book, Beauty & Grace.

Needless to say, I am practicing and editing my reading and praying novenas to Mary Mother of God that I don’t screw up this momentous opportunity. I’m also putting together different outfits every night to try and figure out if I’m going glam or classic author.

Most importantly, I am doing my best to fully embrace and celebrate this moment in my life, understanding that storytelling is part of my DNA. And, as I learned at a very young age, it is a place where I truly do belong.

The Beauty & Grace Quilt

Today as I started to write a post in search of book lovers in Philadelphia and San Diego who are interested in gathering for a Beauty & Grace Presentation, it struck me how lucky I have been with this book.

Since launching Beauty & Grace, I have enjoyed the support and hospitality of people throughout Western New York as well as in Indianpolis, the Greater Porlland Oregon area, Winter Garden, Oakland and St. Augustine Florida, Denver, Colorado and, come this October, Deadwood, South Dakota.

Some of these people I have known, while others have been complete strangers willing to take a chance on me and my book.

These photographs represent those who have been an integral part of the Beauty & Grace journey to date. Their support has been humbling. It's also been thrilling and inspires me to keep reaching out and adding to this amazing quilt of women and men.

To those pictured and those yet to come, thank you. from the depth of my heart and soul.

Storytelling Validation From Down Under

This morning as I fired up my laptop and checked emails, I discovered a correspondence sent by a gentleman named, Gavin, from Sydney Australia. He identified himself as a professional in the field of spinal implants.

One of the most famous physicians and a pioneer in the spinal implant/surgery field is an American named, Arthur Steffee. During my year-long, 64 and More Interview Project, I traveled to Foxburg, PA to interview Dr. Steffee.

At the time he was unknown to me. We only connected through a third-person introduction by a woman I met while walking down the streets of the neighboring town of Oil City, Pa. And that was the adventure of 64 and More!

Anyway, Gavin also traveled to Foxburg to try and interview Dr. Steffee, to no avail. He did however enjoy the opportunity to chat with the accomplished physician and greatly valued that experience. It also inspired him to continue to learn more about the American physician when he returned home.

Recently while googling Dr. Steffee, Gavin came across my 64 and More interview series with the renown surgeon. That led him to scan through the 52 weeks of my interview series posted on my Youtube Channel which, in turn, compelled him to reach out to me.

It's been three years since I blindly purchased a video camera and, with no technical experience or know how, set off to interview people across America whose life experiences could provide us all with valuable life wisdoms.

It was a life-changing project that taught me as much about myself as others. Yet I will admit, there are days when I wonder if my work ever really made a difference to anyone else.

Thanks to my new friend from halfway around the world, I now know that answer. Thanks, Gavin. You just helped validate the work that was my storyteller's life dream.

"I really just want to acknowldege you and your incredible work - absolutley amazing!! A HUGE well done, an extraordinary effort, and inspiring work for us all to enjoy."

The Synchronicity of My Writer's Life

Some mornings I rise with inspired realization of life’s synchronicity. Today is one of those days.

For twenty years I lived in a farmhouse, built in the 1840's. It’s set on a property of 13 acres dotted with outbuildings and a two-story barn, all of which compliment the sprawling white house set atop a hill in the rural town of Eden, NY.

I was drawn to this home from the moment I entered its welcoming country kitchen and moved through its three floors, ultimately exiting onto a magical wrap-around porch.

I was also intrigued by the home's owners, Clem and Mary Crowe. Together they were parents to ten children. Individually, each was accomplished ---Clem as a Notre Dame football star under renown coach, Knute Rockne and later as a professional coach for The Buffalo Bills and The Baltimore Colts----Mary as a graduate from Purdue University and a respected community activist that earned her the honor of NYS Mother of the Year.

Seventeen years after the Crowe’s guided me on my first tour of their farmhouse, I was finally able to purchase it and make it my own. Despite all the naysayers who warned me of the workload of an oversized house and acres of land, I had no doubts that I was living my dream.

As I settled in to my new surroundings people who knew the house better than I began sharing its story through anonymous letters, late night phone calls and neighborly chats. The written and oral histories fueled my curiosity and led me to independent research about my home and those who had lived there before me. And that is how "Crown Hill A Novel of Love, Life and The Afterlife came to life.

Five years later, I wrote my second book of historical fiction, Beauty & Grace. While it took two years of research to complete this novel, it took more than time to craft the book's fifteen characters that readers meet along the dank Wood Haven Asylum hallways.

Not only was I crafting personalities, I was making choices of illnesses (physical and mental), nationalities, family histories, physical characteristics and….the most intriguing element of each character…..their names.

My creative process was always the same. First I would decide why the character had been committed. Then I determined their nationality, imagined their families and detailed their appearance.

When all defining details were in place, I would google names based on the character’s gender, nationality and era in which they were born. It was like giving birth to each one of them and, like every mother, there were days when I agonized over christening a character with just the right name.

However, there was one name that transferred from mind to manuscript, as if pre-programmed from my writer’s treasure trove of imaginings.

Maeve Dempsey.

Maeve is such a classic Irish name and the character I’d created was just that. Mother to a brood of four, Maeve’s life was defined by her devotion to family, faith and home. It was also that devotion that caused the kind women to be institutionalized with a diagnosis of depression and grief.

As I crafted Maeve’s story and we got to know each other I felt a growing attachment to this sweet woman. She was special and as I wrote of her circumstances--- locked away and never again to see her children---- I could feel my heart breaking.

At the same time, I wanted better for Maeve….she deserved better. So, as the storyline evolved, I gave Maeve strength and courage, not only to help herself, but to help others locked away with her.

And as she evolved, so did her need for a different name. Something to more fully reflect this invigorated depth of her being. And again, as if pre-programmed, the name Maeve Mulherin Dempsey came to my mind.

As I repeated it over and over, I could feel the power of centuries of Irish women who faced unbearable hardships, yet still carried on in the name of family and faith. I could hear Maeve proudly speaking her name---the name of her mam’s family as well as her da’s. And I knew it was right.

Last month I traveled to Denver on my Beauty & Grace Journey. While there I enjoyed the honor of speaking to three generations of Mary and Clem Crowe’s descendants----child, grandchildren and great grandchild.

The presentation lasted five hours, yet seemed like minutes as we shared stories of “our” Eden farmhouse on the hill as well as in-depth conversation about the state of mental health care and immigration during the era of Beauty & Grace and today.

It was during our Beauty & Grace discussion that one of the Crowe grandchildren asked me about the character of Maeve. As I launched into an explanation of how I created her, the grandchild politely interrupted with the question, “No, I meant about her name. Why did you use Mulherin as her middle name?”

When I replied that it came from inspiration, the granddaughter smiled and nodded as she explained, “My grandmother, Mary Crowe, that was her maiden name.”

So today, I share these images of Mary Mulherin Crowe...in acknowledgment of the inspiring synchronicity of my life and the blessings of being connected to so many remarkable people in this world.
And perhaps even beyond.

An Author's Inspiration

Writing Beauty & Grace was often a struggle in my heart and in my mind, as I tried to imagine and craft the lives of the women and men locked away in Wood Haven.Asylum.

Truthfully, there was a time mid-book when I wanted to quit. When each day, in order to write, I had to enter the dark and dank Wood Haven hallways and immerse myself into the unimaginable world of institutionalization.

Then came the day when everything changed. When instead of struggling, my heart and mind became deeply inspired and dedicated to telling this story.

Deeply and Properly Kissed

Novelist, John Cheever

During my Beaty & Grace Presentations , I am often asked about writing——how to go beyond dreaming of authoring a book and actually getting it done.

While I have a short list of writing tips that I gladly share, I always finish by explaining that writing and publishing are only half of an author’s journey.

When the inevitable question of “why” is asked, I state the following:

“As novelist, John Cheever once said, ‘Authors can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss—you can’t do it alone.’ ”

Whether an independent or contracted author, I believe attracting readers is one of the toughest parts of the publishing industry. It’s also an area in which I am blessed with success, as a result of hard work and an innate ability.

My dedication to writing has resulted in a collection of four books that creates a level of interest among readers. It’s as if if my expanded body of work equates to an accomplished ability. Practically, it allows readers a varied selection, which can encourage them to purchase one or more books to detemine if I’m “their type” of author.

Additionally, I am a passionate storyteller with an Irish gift of gab. It’s a combination that makes speaking to groups and engaging with individuals second nature to me.

As much as I become deeoply immersed in creating my books, I live for speaking to a room filled with readers and sharing the story-behind-the-story of what I’ve have written. It’s a process that feeds my author's soul and inspires me to begin again on new literary journeys.

Recently, after a particularly meaningful Beauty & Grace Presentation, a friend asked how I manage to keep audiences attentive for hours on end, without notes or knowledge of what people are going to share or ask of me.

It was a question I’d never before considered. Yet an answer immediately came to mind as I replied, “ I have no idea.”

Since then, I have given more thought to my friend’s question and ultimately decided, I don’t want to know the answer.

It’s enough that each time I join with an audience of book lovers, it’s as if we enter into a sacred space where our imaginations become engaged and our souls connected through characters and words created from the very fibre of my being.

And that, experience, as I believe Mr. Cheever would agree, comes pretty darn close to being deeply and properly kissed.

 “It was so lovely to be with you Christina. Beauty & Grace is such a compassionate and compelling story. And your story behind the story—-wow!”---Mary Jo

“What a magical night and our amazing discussion!! You are an outstanding storyteller!”---Eileen

“It was a great afternoon and your presentation about how you came to write and research this wonderful book just added to my love of Teagan and Grace's stories!”—-Janelle

The Beauty & Grace Colorado Journey

My March Beauty & Grace Presentations in Denver are turning in to remarkable reunion with people from many parts of my past.

My first presentation is with a Denver book club of a woman that I met once, in 1976. She was the girlfriend of a college buddy of my then-husband. We spent a weekend together playing, cards, listening to music and sharing meals around the table. It was special and memorable, but we never again spoke--- until this week when we reconnected via email, through a wonderfully serendipitous series of events.

My next Denver presentation is with a group organized by a woman I have never met in person. We have only corresponded through Facebook. We connected somewhere around 2011 through her fun and funny FB coverage of The Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show, an event at which I had exhibited between 1986 and 1994. Over the years we expanded our conversations outside the world of Morgan Horses and shows, gradually evolving into a virtual friendship. Now, at last, we are going to meet.

My third presentation is one that touches my heart whenever I imagine it. It is with members of the Crowe Family, who once owned the Crown Hill Farm that so strongly defined my life and inspired my writing career. A Crowe granddaughter is hosting this presentation and I look forward to reconnecting with this special group with whom I gladly shared, "our home."

Interesting how this book is leading me on a journey more than 1,500 miles from the place I call home, yet connecting me with people who have long been a part of the fabric of my life.

#beautyandgrace
#beautyandgracecolorado
https://www.christinaabt.com/beauty-grace/

Love Notes

Of all the Heart & Soul newspaper columns and radio commentaries I penned on the subject of love during my 15-year career, the one you are about to read is my absolute favorite.

It’s about a story told to me by my friend, Barbara Polasik, a very special lady I met upon moving to the Town of Eden, NY in 1995, as I was starting over in my post-divorce life.

Barbara first shared her story as part of our conversation about, of all things, junk drawers. However, by the time she was done telling her tale, I was teary-eyed and she was glowing with an aura of love.

A few years later, I wrote about Barbara’s story in my Heart & Soul newspaper column and it became so popular with readers that it was eventually included in a Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul Anthology. I’m sharing it today, on Valentine’s Day, in memory of my friend, Barbara, who passed in 2017, and in honor of the special marriage she shared with her husband, Dick.

Thank you, my friend, for teaching me that true love does exist, and providing hope that it can happen.

There’s a moment in the Disney classic, “Cinderella” when the ragamuffin heroine lays claim to her wayward glass slipper and Prince Charming adoringly sweeps her into his arms and waltzes her away. It’s a scene that draws longing sighs from every woman who watches it. 

 Why?

 Romance. That’s what it’s all about.

I’ve often wondered how that intangible “true love” ideal makes the leap from celluloid to reality. I know it can happen. I’ve been around couples who have been married for decades and still glow as they sit side-by-side, hands lovingly intertwined. 

However, as a child of divorce and a divorcee myself, I also know that the course of true love never runs smooth.  In fact, “rocky road” might better entitle the majority of marriages I’ve known throughout my life.

Yet last week a friend of mine shared a little secret—a tale of love that brought tears to my eyes and, I must admit, a little envy to my heart. 

Her story wasn’t about the latest piece of jewelry that her adoring spouse had purchased or the gorgeous flowers he’d recently sent.

For you see this lady’s husband passed away two years ago, just short of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Now at the age of seventy, this special woman is alone, but thanks to her lifelong sweetheart, never lonely. Here’s why.

Tucked away in drawers and cabinets throughout my friend’s home are love notes, scripted by her husband. Each carries with it endearments that he crafted for her and then hid away as romantic surprises during the course of their marriage. 

Over the years, she saved her husband’s sweet inscriptions, often leaving them in their original hiding places—his loving sentiments playing anew with each re-discovery. 

Now that he is gone, my friend’s life is a daily challenge of loving memories and sad yearning for this romantic man with whom she shared almost half a century of life. 

 Yet in her indomitable way, she is continuing on with determination and enthusiasm. She is healthy and strong and lives each day with an interest in the world around her. She is also surrounded by family and friends who support her and a community where she is acknowledged and respected.

Most of all, my friend endures with the inner sense that she is loved, truly and totally. And anytime she thinks otherwise, all she has to do is open a kitchen drawer or look in her bedroom nightstand and find a love note to remind her. 

But you know, somehow, I’m pretty sure she already knows.

Her Him Me

Recently I watched the movie, Her.

If you are unfamiliar with the film, it explores the possibilities of futuristic, interpersonal relationships between humans and computers.

Sounds weird, I know, but hang with me.

 While I am not an official movie critic, Her has rocketed to the top of my must-see-again list, as a week after my initial viewing, snippets of dialogue and clips of vignettes continue to weave through my thoughts.

The most compelling elements of this movie are the steps the main character (Theodore) and his computer operating system (Samantha) take toward a “real” relationship. Initially it all seems implausible—then it becomes potentially believable. 

The plausibility of the storyline comes from a combination of the sweetly gentle performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, blended with the evolving computer technology of the real world.

 Samantha is a voice—an incredibly sensuous and appealing voice—available to Theodore 7/24. As a computer operating system (OS), she is highly intelligent on   all   topics, making   her   an   excellent   personal   assistant   and   a   stimulating   conversationalist. 

 As    interaction    between    the   two advances, Samantha’s OS interfacing capabilities begin to compute Theodore’s human responses and mimic them at just the right moments.  She even “shares” in his life experiences by her ability to become part of his job, his home life and his world through an app on his cell phone. 

 Then   comes   the   moment   when   Samantha   becomes   completely   real   to Theodore as he summons her in the middle of the night for pillow talk that leads to virtual sex.  It is a most compelling “blank screen” scene in this oddly touching and romantic movie

As   a   single   woman   still   entertaining   the   idea   of   a   relationship   in my life, Her has enticed me with its suggestion of love via artificial intelligence. It has also made me realize how much such a relationship mirrors online dating.

For seven years I have stealthily navigated my way through the world of Internet dating sites.  It has been an education in the human condition and our never-ending need/search for love. 

What I have also learned along the way is that it’s much easier to maintain a special relationship with someone through carefully phrased and edited emails and faceless chitchat, none of which deals with overflowing laundry baskets, moldy refrigerator bins or post-holiday bills for purchases that seemed wise in December. 

 In short, online dating sites provide a fantasy situation in which the other person can become whoever your imagination desires, readily available at the click of an email or text, much as portrayed in Her.

The more I think about it, the more I am intrigued by the Her relationship model of someone in my life. An individual readily available to talk to me, comfort me and share in my experiences and also accepting of being set aside in deference to my already-ordered life, without anger or offense. It all seems neat and tidy and very manageable.

Then again, maybe messy and wildly unpredictable is what makes love so fun and exciting—and in the end---so worthwhile.

Some Enchanted Evening

In the last few years, my life has evolved into a new category: single and dating.

It’s an interesting world that has introduced me to a wide range of people all dealing with the same life circumstances—finding someone to love.

Based on conversations with other singles on this topic, the general consensus is that in trying to meet someone, bars aren’t really a viable option. Church has faded as a reasonable meet-and-greet.  Family doesn’t have a clue and friend-arranged blind dates generally end up as disasters.  As a result, many of my single friends have turned to the only remaining resource for one-to-one connecting—online dating.

For those who have never come close to Match.com or eHarmony, let me set the stage. 

 You begin by going to the specific dating site where you register your “screen name”.  That generally takes the better part of a night as you dream up endless pseudo-identities in the hopes that no one will actually recognize you.

 Next comes the profile information.  This part is rather like going to the doctor and filling out those endless “life history” forms.  Only in this case, people tend to embellish their stories with descriptive phrases like, “young in spirit,” “ready to try new things” and “a few extra pounds”—most of which really mean “old enough to collect social security,” “basically a couch potato” and “could qualify to appear on The Biggest Loser.”

Once   your   profile   of   intimate   personal   information   is   complete, the momentous decision looms—to photograph, or not to photograph?  This is where I would like to pause and address the men who choose to post pictures with their dating profiles.

Gentlemen: Are you serious? I mean, really, do you think women are going to be attracted to some of the images you are posting online? 

Let’s start with those of you who go incognito and wear sunglasses in your photos. Every time I see one of these pictures I wonder why?  Do you think you’re projecting a cool dude image?  An intriguing mystique?

 Here’s a news flash for you:  women want to see a man’s eyes.  So if your photo hides your eyes behind a pair of dark lenses—no matter how cool they may be—there are only a few conclusions a woman can reach. 

One: you’re beady eyed and shiftless. 

Two: you’re trying to hide aging wrinkles. 

Three: it’s the only picture you can find--- in
which case, ask a friend to snap a picture of you,
sans shades.

Which brings me to my next gripe about dating site photos—mirror selfies.

 While I understand not everyone has a picture suitable for posting, standing in front of a mirror and taking a flash photo of yourself is not the answer. The freaky images that result make most of you appear like ghoulish stalkers. 

 Again, find a friend and have them take a photo on your phone. And for heaven’s sake, if it looks bad on your phone screen, putting it on the World Wide Web won’t make it better.

 And can we talk about those of you who think that posing shirtless will make a woman swoon into your manly arms?  NOTE TO ALL NUDIES:  Unless you have a ripped body, please remain fully clothed.

 Finally, it’s amazing how many men between 50 and 60 only want to meet woman ages 35-to-40 who are thin and blond—especially when these men tend to tip the scales at 20 or more pounds over their ideal weight and sport balding hairstyles. Men, be reasonable about the women who take the time to correspond with you. I realize we are all entitled to the date of our dreams, but take a long hard look in the mirror and acknowledge the reflected reality before dismissing we women who are reaching out in earnest.

Like I said, the Internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for those of us in the single-and-dating crowd. Yet for my nickel, I’m still hoping that some enchanted evening I may see a stranger across a crowded room—not wearing sunglasses, fully clothed and interested in getting to know a real, live, middle-aged woman.

Ten Years Later Love Still Knows No Boundaries

Ten years. 
A decade of time passed, yet still seared with images immediate and razor-sharp.

Fifty one people were lost in that night of fuselage and flames, but from the ashes came unity.

Unity among the families of those who died. Men, women and children connected through unimaginable sorrow, bonding them forever as warriors, determined to never again allow government and corporations to value dollars over human lives.

Unity among a community of government officials, business owners, religious leaders, first responders, school administrators, not for profits, media outlets, families and individuals that gave of their time and talents, and most essentially their hearts, over endless days that led to weeks and months....and for some, years.

Unity throughout the Town of Clarence, who through the recovery process healed the wounds of a destroyed property in the heart of their village by creating a refuge of tranquility and natural beauty— a place to remember and reflect for all to share.

Unity among a group of singers, songwriters, musicians, business owners, graphic designers and a videographer, all of whom who came together in the spirit of love….love that knew no boundaries when it came to their collective desire to do something to somehow help and heal a community hemorrhaging in shared pain and loss.

Ten years. 
Life has gone on and changed---for the Flight 3407 families, for our community, for the Town of Clarence and for the group who came together to create the music and words of Love Knows No Boundaries. We are united in our memories, sharing the burden of that cold and icy February night. Remembering, honoring, finding ways to continue.

"Our hearts bound together. We will never forget."

To watch the Love Knows No Boundaries Video click on the link. https://youtu.be/LYrZelG4-rc