E-Publishing is here to stay. It’s not only here to stay, but it’s a rapidly growing market.  Half the world owns a Kindle. My friends brag that they have 400 titles uploaded on their Kindle e-book readers. (I haven’t asked which ones they’ve actually read, but that’s another topic!)    Accept e-publishing and approach your venture into the vast array of e-readers without falling victim to scams while taking advantage of its benefits.  E-publishing is so incredibly simple that there is almost no reason to pay anyone a significant amount for it—certainly not the inflated fees of many outfits, including those of some fee-for-publishing companies. Exceptions are any manuscript requiring a complicated or lengthy TOC (Table of Contents), lists, or technical matter. 

Be alert for scams. Almost every day I open my email to find that three or four companies I’ve never heard of, listing no credentials or references, will e-format my books for a mere $375.  Some of these “bargain offers” run as high as $600. 

E-formatting has become somewhat of a cottage industry. The field of e-formatters is totally unregulated.  Anyone owning a comupter can purport to be an e-formatter. When a sales pitch arrives containing so many irregularities and errors in the English language that I want to return it, with editing, that’s a good clue that whoever this is might lack credibility. E-pub wise: ask for references. Local, verifiable references.

There is no reason to ever pay over $100 to e-format a novel or a memoir manuscript. Besides, the main work of the process, the uploading to the three main e-book publishers/distributors, remains your work. That is, unless you feel comfortable letting total strangers have access to your banking data and Social Security number.  Hmm…?

Trash in, trash out: lack of quality-control shows. E-books have acquired a tarnished reputation simply because publishing that way is essentially free and so readily available. There are no gatekeepers whatsoever in publishing anymore.  Anything and everything, regardless of merit, can be and is published (whether in e-book or print). Frequently they’re the same authors who skipped that essential first step of editing and proofreading who upload directly to e-books.

Marketing. Remember, whoever publishes your print book, from Random House to TheHouseNextDoor.com, the marketing is always your job. The same goes for your ebooks. E-books won’t sell themselves. However, with e-books you have a chance to let the reading public sample your book, those first scintillating chapters, and that’s a marketing bonus. You may create coupon offers, encouraging readers to ”purchase” your book free. They will spread the news about you and your e-book by word of mouth and on the Internet. If they like you, their friends will download your book. Also, check out the site of Sandra Beckwith for easily understood marketing tips that work for both your print books and e-books.

My method for E-Publishing (a method that works for me). If my book is coming out in print I try to make sure the e-publication occurs at the same time. This way the marketing for one serves and helps the other. If you already have a print book, next upload your formatted manuscript (with its own enticing book cover, of course) to B&NPubit for Nook readers. I choose them first because, in their set-up, they ask:

• Does this book come in print?
• How many pages does it have?
• Where is it available? 

You’ve just taken advantage of two free, simple options for marketing! 

Next, I upload to Kindle. Accessing this popular e-book reader comes with other benefits. If you’ve already published with CreateSpace, for example, you will  have an Author Page with Amazon.com. Now your e-book can be added to part of your promotion platform. Even without a print book and/or using CreateSpace, you will quickly benefit from Amazon’s Author Page found in the site’s Author Central. 

Last, I upload to Smashwords, opting out of B&N and Amazon Kindle (per my favorite e-formatter’s suggestion). This mega e-book distribtuor serves many other e-readers.  Your first time with any of these you will be prompted to provide a snappy author bio, two synopses (one short, one longer) about your  book plus an author photo, and then you’re guided through choosing categories (Mystery>General) or (Fiction>Historical), for example. With each you will establish your method for payment (frequently PayPal) but you may also choose direct deposit to your bank.

Bookcovers—What may work on your print book may not be readily visible for your e-book. Consider using the same or similar photography or art media background, but with a larger type face. Avoid themes that are too “busy.” Your name plus your book’s title equals your brand. Give it the squint test to make sure your title and author’s name can be seen on a reduced size image.

DIY or not? It’s possible, but it may get tedious. I’ve done my own formatting on short fiction, another area where e-books excel. Smashwords’ own Mark Coker presents an excellent tutorial for ebook formatting. I always use the services of Harvey Stanbrough on longer projects. Check out his highly simplified e-book, the Essentials of E-publishing. Thanks to his expertise in formatting,  my e-books look good and are easily read on all e-readers. That’s why I continue to refer clients to him.

Royalties and realities. The financial advantages of e-publishing are obvious. Someone else is handling distribution. There are no middlemen (the percentage “they” do take is miniscule). There’s no paper wasted, no shipping costs, and the list of benefits goes on. Instead of the 15% to 20% you might receive from a print book (before it is discounted down to almost nothing), your royalties will be between 35% and 70%. Not bad at all….

 The next post at The Writers’ Table will conclude the discussion about E-publishing: Considering the Decision to E-Publish, or E-books for the Write Reason. Questions and comments are always welcome.

Watch for The Writers’ Tables’  upcoming series on the Art of Fiction and ways to promote your writing online.

Happy Writing from The Writers’  Table. 

Michaele

CreateSpace certainly is one good opportunity for today’s author who wants a print book in addition to his/her e-book. This company does professional work. Their staff is very easy to work with. There’s no pretense or high pressure.

For print publishing, which is also conveniently POD, CreateSpace will provide quality, economical books, especially for authors who are starting out and want an actual book to hold and sell. Besides, it’s an excellent way to get noticed. Many bestselling authors have started out using this route.

For those who’ve been following the previous posts in this series, I’ve repeatedly pointed out that no matter who publishes your book—from Random House to TheLittleHouseNextDoor.com (whom you may have paid $4000 or more)—the responsibility for promoting your book remains yours and yours alone.  I highly recommend the web site of Sandra Beckwith for clear,  targeted marketing guidance.                          

First, make sure that your manuscript has been professionally edited. Yes, I’ve said it in every post, because this advice cannot be repeated enough. Professional editing will be a factor no matter where or how you publish.

I recommend choosing your editor, preferably someone in your area—not some distant, faceless, maybe off-shore, editorial mill. The writer-editor relationship is a sacred partnership. We strive to make your story the best it can be, working together.

I know many excellent editors, some specializing in different genres. One I recommend is Harvey Stanbrough.  No matter how you publish, you must present and upload a high-quality manuscript, otherwise you won’t produce a high-quality book. You want the print version of your book to get noticed, possibly by a major company. Right?

CreateSpace makes it easy to upload your edited manuscript into templates. Many of these are limited in type fonts and chapter headings. If you want to do the formatting yourself, follow their instructions by mimicking the page layout for each book size (6”x9” is  most common for trade-paperback ). I prefer a choice of type font and size as well as a choice of line-spacing, which contributes to reading ease. I have formatted three manuscripts, without using their templates, and uploaded them for clients. Like any task, this gets easier with repetition.

Next, if you feel comfortable with graphic work plunge into cover design. Examine the design possibilities offered by their CoverCreator software. These are somewhat limited.  Their main flaw is that the author’s name always appears in relatively small print. As a new or upcoming author, you are developing your brand: you want you to stand out.

If you choose to have CreateSpace help with book cover design, which might not be a bad idea considering the limitations of basic CoverCreator, first study examples of what you’ve seen that really works for your genre. If you present the CreateSpace design team with clear suggestions, they are better able to produce what you want.

The old saying  “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is incorrect—everyone does. You want eye appeal that pulls the reader to your book and intrigues, with an atmosphere that reflects your story. A cover doesn’t need to tell your story, but you want both your name and the title displayed prominently.

The statistics on a book cover’s importance are these. When picking up a book in a store, the average time spent looking at the front cover (the reason it was picked up in the first place) is five seconds; the time spent reading the back cover, eight seconds. Make every second count!

When using your own photographs, make certain that you have increased the resolution to 300 dpi for use on a cover. Adobe’s Photoshop Elements or most photography software can do this. This publishing advice includes the author’s photo for the back cover.

Before starting, be prepared with well-written, intriguing copy for the back of your book as well as what will appear on the web page created automatically once you publish with CreateSpace. Try to get prepublication reviews if at all possible. Reviews make your book stand out.

Do you want your book carried in bookstores and libraries? If so, you should opt for the “expanded distribution channels.” If cost is a concern, your book will still be featured on Amazon.com. If you plan on publishing more than one book or a series, it’s more economical to purchase your ISBN numbers from Bowkers .

There are services offered by CreateSpace which you can purchase if you’re not really into DIY. The first time or two you may find the learning curve time-consuming, but not overwhelming. Their services are modestly menu-priced and straightforward, with no tricky phrases.

When electing total DIY, you may encounter glitches. However, once you have uploaded your manuscript, CreateSpace cleverly detects formatting issues within your layout and they’ll alert you, so you can have another go at—as long as it takes to get it right.

Before publishing, before you see your own wonderful book in print, CreateSpace will send you a final proof for approval, that copy at cost. In formatting of any kind, where type is changed and text rearranged, little things “just plain happen.” It’s worth the cost of a professional proofreader, preferably local with references, to make sure none of these little errors and gremlins crept in. With fee-for-publishing companies, proofreading is never mentioned at the outset, but something you are presented with during the final pre-publishing phase. Therefore, it will always cost you—either an inflated fee or a more nominal fee locally. No book is ever perfect, but you can hope that yours is as near perfect as is humanly possible.

Marketing Opportunities. One very special feature about CreateSpace is that you will automatically be included in the vast array of marketing opportunities offered by Amazon, the one site where people actually go planning to buy books. This includes your Author’s Page on Amazon Author’s Central, all connected to your book, where you can add more enhanced marketing information plus connections to your web site and blog.

CreateSpace, for an extra fee, offers to convert your book to e-format—but only for Kindle. My personal choice  is to have my books independently e-formatted. I thus retain control not only of my titles, but my royalties. This is only a minor hitch: once your book’s manuscript is e-formatted, you will upload to three different entities:  B&N Nook, Kindle, and then Smashwords. The latter acts as distributor, covering an array of other e-readers (Sony, Diesel, etc.)  Once you have created an account with these companies, the process is straightforward.

Royalties and realities:  Everyone faces the same royalty-from-discounted-price issue, when books are sold in brick-and-mortar bookstores. However, with CreateSpace, upfront costs are quite modest compared to any other publishing company, while your royalties are significantly higher, especially when sold through Amazon. That’s nice to know, isn’t it?

Join me next week at The Writers’ Table for The Write Way to E-Publish (and market) your E-books.  Your comments are always welcome.

Until next week, Happy Writing,

 Michaele

However, here’s one bit of advice that I share with my students and clients. If your main concern, as you work on your story each day, is simply getting it published, maybe you’re going about the whole matter wrong. Your first and only concern should be to write the best, most intriguing, most original, and finely written story with the best characters ever.

There are many good ways to publish that will not cost you thousands of dollars. Here’s a little secret: Most often, agents are not equipped to help you find these. Think of this broad general category as “Independent Publishing.”

• Seek out small traditional independent niche presses, but first and foremost be sure to e-publish.
• Everyone should consider true self-publishing with   CreateSpace (after your manuscript has been edited by a reputable editor, of course).

 Small Independent Traditional Publishers:

“Indies” are out there and they are anxious to have your work. Typically based on a niche, regional, or special interest market, they are more likely to care about you and your book. The chances of landing a contract with the famous “Big Six” of New York are slim-to-none for a new or unheard of author.

These are highly reputable traditional publishers. Unlike FFP, they operate professionally and ethically. However, always check out Preditors&Editors.com . Then browse  the site for  Independent and University Presses. They list what kind of manuscripts they are looking for as well as how to submit.

I’m familiar with one publisher who specializes in psychological and sociological issues, non-fiction and fiction. Another likes nautical adventure swashbucklers and high-action history novels; this same publisher also seeks outstanding “faction,” well-researched historical and biographical pieces that read like a novel.

Quite a few specialize in mysteries, suspense, and thrillers; others in “cozies,” while independent publishers for romance are everywhere—so choose carefully. There are many Indie presses in the self-help genre; regional interests abound too. University presses, although it might seem they are gradually becoming extinct, are excellent forums if your manuscript is of the same quality and subject matter they usually accept. The Internet is great for this research, but always use your time wisely.

Many publishers will turn to POD (publish-on-demand) after an initial run of a certain number of books. In today’s economy, this makes sense. Almost all will want to make sure that you are serious about your writing (not just publishing) and that you are willing to do your fair share of the work marketing your book. A fair share (read “most”) of the marketing will be the same, whether it’s Random House or TheHouseNextDoorPub.com.

Seek out an Indie Press  by attending one good writers’ conference per year. Frequently you’ll find agents from these publishers attending and seeking certain kinds of stories, especially if it’s a regional interest conference (Western Writers of America, for example)

Most of this information is totally free—yours for the finding—with the exception of any conference fees. Furthermore, no agent could or would provide you with this specially focused kind of work. You must do it yourself.  It’s your book, remember?

Yours is the most deeply vested interest. It requires your time devoted to research, plus your ability to write a well-phrased query letter (you’re not on FB any more) and professionalism. If you and an Indie publisher are the “write match,” insist—or try to insist—on keeping control of the digital e-book rights for yourself. This may be difficult.

E-Publishing is here to stay. This is the quickest, easiest, and least expensive way to present your writing to readers everywhere! E-books also offer the highest royalties (35% to 70%).

Unfortunately, in today’s publishing world, there are no gatekeepers anymore. Anything and everything can be published and is published, both print and e-book. To be noticed and to have your name and your story stand out, you must present your book in a professional manner—extremely well-written with a stunning cover, professionally edited, and meticulously formatted. (Many fee-for-publishing companies and the major traditional companies are using short-cuts here, as well as depriving you of the royalties you should receive.)

As with print publishing, the hard work of marketing  remains up to you. For more information on both quality e-formatting and editing, contact my colleague, Harvey Stanbrough.  His work is excellent.

Finally, there’s the wonderful world of CreateSpace.  This represents true self-publishing at its best. As a subsidiary of Amazon.com, your book is instantly exposed and available on the one site that readers visit everyday solely to buy books. You are granted an Author Page in addition to your book’s page, including both your e-book format (if you have uploaded to Kindle) plus your print book format. If you have any graphics and formatting experience, the process is totally free. They offer services that are reasonable and do not force you to use their editors. For expanded distribution, which will make your book available through Ingram’s and Baker & Taylor, there are small fees, but compared to the fee-for-publishing industry’s inflated prices, these are modest, almost negligible.

I look forward to your comments and discussion around The Writers’ Table. Next week: The Write Way—Is Create Space the Answer?

Happy Writing,

Michaele

In the United Statesalone there are at present approximately 100 large fee-for-publishing companies. These are the major ones, but scattered around it seems that everyone is trying his or her hand at the business. Most are also POD (Publish on Demand). Many of these companies are related, owned by one major umbrella-conglomerate with many sub-companies. Calling them subsidiaries would be misleading because they share common call centers, sales agents, and shipping centers. Despite varying lures and the occasional warm and homey-sounding name, they all have  one primary concern: their profit, not yours…. 

Google “publishing.” You will be inundated with “offers” to publish your book. Some sound more convincing, charming, and caring than others, but essentially these companies operate the same. Once you’ve contacted even one by e-mail, you are automatically put on the others’ contact lists. This should be your first clue.

Here is the part that hurts. You know you’ve written a wonderful book because you’re devoted to your craft and you’ve wisely discounted the opinion of family and friends and your book has been edited by a professional. Now here are these other people, total strangers, on your phone or email promising that if you publish with them, yours will be a sure-fire bestseller. Wow! How can you resist? We all want to hear those words. In fact, we live to hear them!

Let’s back up for a minute and examine who exactly these people are. Jane W. on the telephone, says she’s a “Literary Agent” for XYZBookPub.com. A literary agent? This sounds too good to be true. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Your “literary agent” is a sales rep whose job is to sell you that company’s services. When Jane W. is no longer able to sell you anything, despite the “merit of your manuscript,” you are passed on to the “Senior Literary Acquistions Agent” (or some variation thereof). “Literary Agents” are sales reps, equipped with a sales manual which they follow to upsale services to you. By then you’ve started to feel really good, haven’t you? Is this beginning to sound like buying a car? It should.

The fee-for-publishing company’s sales staff will always talk you into spending not only much more than you intended (that $500 teasing-lure that you responded to) but you will also spend much more than you will ever make from the sales of your book. Remember, their main goal is profit for themselves, not you, the author.

A recent series of articles in The Independent Publishing Magazine, a journal for and about the independent publishing industry, rated the major FFP-POD companies. They identified little significant difference between any of them. Most produced attractive books, inflated their fees for editing, restricted access to their insider “rating” if you didn’t use their services (choosing to use your own editor, for example), and required you to purchase your own book in bulk.

Although they all vaguely promise to “help market your book,” that task, as with all publishers, falls mainly on you, the author. Most over-charge for e-formatting (often between $400-$600), a service that should not cost you more than $100. Some companies upload to Kindle only. But you want your book available on all e-readers, don’t you?

All FFPs give you something of a web page, but it’s based through their company’s site. Some force all buyers to buy your book from their company. Many do not list your book through Ingram’s and Baker & Taylor, the two major distributors for bookstores and libraries in theUnited States.

These entities are all related and despite varying lures, they have one primary concern: their profit, not yours.  Yes, I’m repeating this for a reason. You should never have to pay several thousand dollars to have any book published, money you will probably never recoup. The low-to-average cost to have a book published with these companies is $3000-$5000.  

A friend, with stars in her eyes, was lured by a company we’ll call ABCBookPub.com. That was a year ago. After already paying out nearly $6000 she still does not have a published book in hand; her book is under 200 pages. They continue using clever sales tactics to squeeze even more money from her! They’ll call, reminding her that her book “really has star potential.” Different “Senior Agents” and “Managing Directors” call her on a regular basis, selling her on some new level of service, such as the “BestSellerBundle” or the “Exploding Galaxy Level.”

She is not alone. Furthermore, she, like most, can’t afford this. Be informed. Check out the various discussion panels. The web site, Preditors&Editors,  is a good reference, as are authors’ forums on LinkedIn.com.

The realities of royalties. Some companies will tell you “we allow you to set your own royalties.” Hmm…? Whatever that means. No matter who you choose in this business, your royalties remain small—rarely more than 15% and never more than 20%. That’s based on the discounted sales price, not the list price.

One last caution: the publisher will wholesale your book to various online bookstores who resell your brand new book for much, much less than its suggested sales price and even less than the 40% discounted book store price. You get no royalties whatsoever from these transactions. That really hurts.

What’s an author to do?  There are good options. Remember, no matter who publishes your book—from Random House to TheLittleHouseNextDoor.com—you will be its chief marketer and the real work is up to you. More on this in my next blog. Meanwhile, save your money and spend your time researching!

Join the conversation around The Writers’ Table,

Michaele

Next week:

Publishing the Write Way!

 
Over the next several blog posts, I’ll be sharing some information and opinions about matters that concern writers. Sometimes my answers  are not exactly what those asking the questions want to hear.

Like everything else worth doing, writing requires taking the time and the effort to do it well. That means devoting time—lots of time—to your craft. That means passion and practice.

 
“How do I get an agent?” That’s one of the first questions I’m always asked. Typically this comes from a person who has never before written seriously but has completed what he or she thinks will be the next Great American Novel or The Fabulous Memoir. It’s a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. Please excuse the cliché, but it really fits here. More on agents in a later blog.

 
“I don’t really need an editor, do I? I just can’t afford one. Besides, I know I can do it myself,” I’ll  hear these remarks, sometimes combined with, “But my daughter is taking AP English in high school….” You cannot afford not to have an editor, but that is a grand, full topic for another blog.

 
“What’s the best way to get published?” and “How do I get published in the first place?” are often combined with “I know someone who published a book with an Internet company for only $500!” These, too, I’ll cover in an upcoming blog. “What about self-publishing? Isn’t there a stigma attached to it?” and finally “How can I increase my sales—‘they’ told me my book was a ‘sure bestseller’?” Ah, well, we all have our egos and it’s easy to be taken-in. Watch for my upcoming comments and statistics on the fee-for-publishing industries vs. self-publishing. There’s a vast difference between the two.

First of all, write, write, write, and then write some more!  Then rewrite, of course. Write an absolutely outstanding darned good book or short story. Before you even consider publication of any kind—whether to a magazine, as a book, or to an online journal—make  sure that what you’ve written has been professionally edited. Remember, you cannot afford not to! Locally I know several excellent editors who not only provide this valued service, they always respect the author’s voice and they are here. In another post I’ll discuss what Jerry Simmons, of WritersReaders.com, calls “editorial integrity.” Your husband or wife or best friend may be nice and blown away by your writing, but they are necessarily subjective. There is no substitute for that extra set of experienced, objective eyes, but it’s always best if they are not part of a faceless editorial mill elsewhere that charges inflated fees. More on this later too.

Good writers, really good writers, are voracious readers. When one of my students says “I don’t have time to read,” I often wonder how he finds time to write. There’s a direct co-relation between what that student reads and how he writes, if he’s able to write at all.

Other writing instructors recommend “reading extensively in the genre you’re writing.” Occasionally, that advice has merit. It will keep the writer up-to-date on conventions within that genre: what’s being done and what’s not and if, perhaps, it’s being overdone!

 
However, the advice I give my students is to find and read truly excellent writing that is fairly close to his/her own particular writing style—or the style that writer wants to develop. I also point out that simply because a certain book made it to some bestseller list (a feat which is typically a result of intensive branding and marketing) does not necessarily mean that it represents “good writing.”

 
We all learn by imitation to some degree. For example, our children watch us and learn to say “please” and “thank you” (we hope). They’ll watch how we treat others and then (again, we hope) model their own behavior after ours. A word of caution: it’s ever so tempting to jump on the bandwagon of a current popular fad. That market will be saturated by the time you get your Twilight-style, DaVinci-style, or Hunger-type book out to the public. Write where your passion lies—if you’re not enthralled with what you’re writing, don’t expect a reader to be enthralled either.

 
Reading good books—those enduring and well-written stories that provide examples of structure, voice, appropriate use of vocabulary, foreshadowing, ways to handle backstory, dialogue, narrative description, character development, just to name a few elements—is a painless way to learn writing while vicariously enjoying a new experience in the form of a great story. Good books feed our minds, just as a fine meal feeds our bodies.

I currently moderate two successful and stimulating writing critique groups. Without anyone confessing, I know who writes regularly and who has tried to knock out a chapter the night or the morning before our meeting. After all, I’m a teacher—I’ve experience with assignments rushed through at the last minute.

For those interested I’ll share my suggested reading list for adult writing students with an explanation of why I chose those books and what I expect a writing student to glean from them. There’s a sureness to good writing, and a writer should never fear being “overly influenced.”

I look forward to receiving  my readers’  input and hope you’ll check back next week for another chat at The Writers’ Table.
Next week: Thinking Write about Publishing

There’s probably no good answer to that question. Today, as we commemorate Tucson’s mass shooting and tragedy of only one year ago, this is something we should ask ourselves.

Only a week ago, I devoted this blog to the much larger-scale events of September 11, 2001, as I recalled where we were and how we responded.  We, like the entire world, held our collective breaths, not knowing the extent of that tragedy for quite some time… only that there was disaster and there were no good answers at the time and never would be. Soon the horrible information would flow in, saturating our consciousness and changing our lives forever.

In much the same way on January 8, 2011, the world’s eyes turned to Tucson. I held my breath again.

I was at home and had just stepped out of a leisurely, late morning shower, still toweling my hair. It was a cool crisp morning, the sun was shining on Tucson’s magnificent mountains behind our house, the skies were blue, and all was well with the world. Or so it seemed.

We are not usually television people. My husband will watch snippets of early morning news while he prepares his breakfast. He’s a well-trained hubby who can fend for himself while I write.

However, January 8, 2011, was a Saturday. Anyone who’s had children should know that morning television on Saturday usually equals cartoons or an ample offering of shopping channel broadcasts.

Why I flicked on the remote to our bedroom television that day, while still wrapped in a bath towel and with hairdryer in hand, I can’t remember. Maybe for a weather report? What should I wear once dressed in more than a towel?

Congresswoman Giffords killed in mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, ran the subtext news ticker immediately below our picture-perfect weather forecast. We live in Tucson: our weather is almost always perfect. I sank down onto the bed and watched, waiting for the words to repeat themselves. What I just saw couldn’t have been true!  The words kept on, even when I distrusted the reliable Weather Channel and switched to a local broadcast. People I knew, from my town of Tucson, were standing before microphones and speaking those same words. CNN confirmed the awful news. Voices from across the country and various news feeds were rambling on with other versions of this misinformation. Then, of course, I called one or two close friends.

Returning to our local channels, I confirmed that something dreadful had happened: I recognized the blood, I recognized our ambulances, I recognized the police cars, and, undoubtedly from an earlier recording, I heard some of the gunshots.

Our Gabby Giffords wasn’t killed, but nearly killed and gravely wounded. Others were dead—those people who worked with her and others who wanted to meet her and still others who happened to be near. (Two of my friends had just completed their grocery shopping and left Safeway—what an ironic name for a store under the circumstances—and had returned home.) Those were the perfect ingredients and the ideal setting  for this catastrophe. Later we would learn that almost every member of our city has had some close connection to the victims of January 8.

Those who survived did so because of the excellent level of medical care our community provides and because of the caring people who offered their assistance at the scene. The University of Arizona’s medical school and the team of specialists and nurses at UMC are as much heroes of January 8 as are those official first responders.

National and international news teams quickly poured into our city, calling Tucson “a sleepy little town in southeastern Arizona.” I’m not sure if they ever mentioned Tucson’s powerful sense of community, how strongly and closely connected we are, and how caring and giving we are. The outpouring of love, help, and support that emerged spontaneously demonstrated this so well. 

Maybe the national news flocks might have said something about us, but only our local news really emphasized the unique qualities that are ours—that’s because they, too, are part of this community.

To repeat my earlier question, I wonder, why does it take the worst to really show every one of us at our best? Maybe it doesn’t. Maybe a lens was studying what we possess—for that moment—so that others could see us clearly, with those special qualities  brought into sharp focus. I want to believe that we are like Tucson was on that day and for the long period after January 8—good and helpful, caring and sharing, connected and praying—all the time.

Join me at The Writer’s Table in two weeks when articles on writing resume. Michaele

On September 11, 2001, a group of us were cocooned in natural beauty, indulging in the completely hedonistic pursuit of wine, fine cooking, and our shared passion for history. We wallowed in the peace of this golden setting, once a luxurious estate of the 1930s set amongst rolling grassy hills that were topped with sprawling oaks and surrounded by the vineyards of Northern California’s world-famous wine country.

Here are the memories we all should have treasured from that special week:

Sorties to an old Russian fort, tours of historic olive presses that still produced extra virgin olive oil in a time-honored, traditional manner, visits to boutique vineyards with tastings of course, and the sunrise shimmering red and gold across mists arising from the RussianRiverValley.

About forty of us had been drawn together by simple bonds: our love of western history, good wines, and gourmet cooking provided by the CIA-trained staff (that’s the Culinary Institute of America, not the other organization with the same initials). Fresh produce was either grown right there, on the grounds, or delivered by local farmers, and even the simplest vin ordinaire, brought from local wineries, tasted great. We walked through small villages and strolled the endless grounds. We could have been in Provence.

Once this had been a true estate, in the grandest sense of the term, surrounded by several hundred unspoiled acres ofNorthern California. Upon the death of the owner, it had been donated to the Episcopal Diocese of California and was now leased out for religious retreats, corporate think-tank conferences, and gastronomic orgies such as ours.

Its gilded elegance had faded over the years, but the charm remained. The bonds of camaraderie had pulled us there, not the need to name-drop “where we had stayed.” None of us cared about television reception, which was fortunate, because there was none. Seclusion had been its original owners’ prime objective, and in September of 2001, it would further isolate us, too.

For four days we’d luxuriated in the beauty of this calm setting. Cradling our expanding abdomens, we’d check our watches during history and culinary lectures, already anticipating the next meal. Would it be Portabellas with locally made Parmesan from the cheese maker we’d visited earlier? Maybe Veal Marsala? Which wine? Would it be from Mantanzas Creek, the winery we’d visited yesterday? And that whole grain, freshly-baked bread—seasoned with locally grown garlic. Yum… fresh butter from the creamery in the next town. And in the morning… would there be omelettes aux fines herbes? The herbs snipped from their own special garden? Maybe those blueberry muffins again: the blueberries would have been picked the night before, also grown here on the estate. Fresh food, delicious food. Our thoughts were simple and focused, our concerns really important.

The last morning of our stay we climbed up the increasingly steep hill from the guest cottage we’d been given. At least we had that climb: we needed the exercise. Fortunately, my husband and I had planned a hiking trip into King’s Canyon after leaving this gathering.

“Thank goodness for that hill,” we’d often say. Some of us would stroll across the estate’s oak-capped hills, but that wasn’t sufficient to counteract the diabolical temptation of the CIA’s epicurean fare. Our daily walk took us up neatly bricked paths, past the pool and several terraces, and through an arbor of tawny grapes.

“I smell French toast,” I contributed, sniffing appreciatively. It would be served with garden fresh strawberries, picked yesterday or maybe this morning and still fresh with dew. I knew this. They would also serve their own yogurt. rich, thick, and creamy.

“No,” my hubby replied. “I think I smell their sausage grilling.” They did make their own—preservative free, nitrite free, and seasoned to perfection.

If a group of people could actually hallucinate food, I believe we could have done so. None of us were overeaters, just highly appreciative ones. We huffed and puffed our way to the top, en route to the dining room. Other couples joined us;  huffing and puffing in unison like a steam engine arriving slowly at a train station.

We acted like a raving pack of starved animals, although nothing could be further from the truth. We had perfected a habit of trying to rush the dining room, especially in the morning. The CIA staff had grown wise to us and locked the doors, not to be opened until—groan!—seven forty-five. We had no formal organization as such, but usually one person would station himself closest to the doors, trying to decipher from scent or sound what was going on; he was the self-appointed, volunteer Guard and Lookout.

The morning of September 11 seemed different somehow.

The Guard and Lookout wasn’t positioned at the narrow crack between the dining room doors; he wasn’t posed for spying and sniffing. The staff wasn’t entirely cruel and into deprivation-torture (that’s supposed to be the other CIA) because they had placed a long table outside and there arranged a coffeepot and cups, anticipating the stampede of forty-some impatient, salivating guests each morning.

The Guard and Lookout, a tall slender man whose name I’ve forgotten, leaned over the table. No one had filled a coffee cup as yet. Others had gathered around this gentleman who was staring down at something, a small object on the table.

It is important to once again consider that, in this rolling remote countryside, miles from anything in the way of a technological center, there was no television—none at all. In the year 2001 the multiple complex satellite systems, what we depend on for television signals, for relays for cable communication, for most of our cell phones’ connections, and now even for some radio transmission—these didn’t exist, certainly not in the vast numbers that provide today’s wide coverage. Cellular technology, although well-established, was in a state of relative infancy compared to current far-reaching possibilities.

A group had gathered around the man and whatever was on the table. Then words, like the ripples a pebble creates when tossed into a pond, began to work outward from the center of the group, this man and his transistor radio, a small object about the size of a package of cigarettes. I couldn’t remember when I’d last seen one—it was that unfamiliar.

“A plane’s crashed into the Pentagon!” and then, “Those towers inNew York—a plane’s crashed into one of them!” followed by “Another plane’s heading for the Capitol!” He paused a fraction of a second. “No, they said the White House has been hit!”

Amongst the ripples, waves of confusion further disturbed the placid waters of morning. “This must be a hoax,” someone said—he must have known about Orson Welles’ 1939 radio broadcast, War of the Worlds.

Another voice, from someone bent closer to this archaic piece of technology, shouted out. “The second tower—those tall ones—it’s been struck, too!” There was almost silence for a split second as the little radio crackled uncertainly on its two AA batteries. “Everyone’s been killed.”

Breakfast had lost its importance.

Late comers climbing up the hill or arriving from the main mansion were told—and the murmuring and questioning rippled outward.

The doors to the dining room opened. No one went in. The CIA staff hadn’t heard either—during these events they would stay on the grounds too. They gathered with us, standing about in their white, string-tied aprons, as they learned the truth.

Then, as we would do and still do now, almost as if choreographed, all reached for cell phones—our impotent, silent cell phones. Our group varied in age from mid-40s to early-80s but all of us, even in 2001, carried cell phones. We might not have been as well-connected then as we are now, but we had this basic technology at our disposal and we counted on it.

Much of the information we received that day, as for most of the nation, proved incorrect or speculative. But it was bad enough. My son, who works in D.C. two blocks from the Capitol, travels from Dulles to NYC at least twice a month. Try as I might, for hours, I couldn’t reach him or my daughter-in-law. We assumed the worst.

I’m sure we ate breakfast, but what it was didn’t register, for us or for the others. The lecturer on Northern California history arrived as we were finishing. He had driven in from an area with television reception. He had watched it happen, live, on the small screen. We crowded around him, our questions repeated again and again, because we couldn’t process the answers.

The resident managers of the estate opened the vast old living room, a grandiose hall where moguls had once brought their mistresses to hobnob with movie stars and sip martinis—in what seemed such a distant, innocent age. There was a television after all. The staff had kept it for group classes at conferences, because it could be used as a VCR.

 The manager switched it on. “Sometimes, we can get reception on a PBS station because their transmitter is right up there.” She pointed out the window to a distant hillcrest. There was no sound, but frantic black and white lines darted and flickered across the small screen, and then began to scroll upwards, until they disappeared, too. Occasionally, just before the speckled lines vanished and the screen turned black, a faint picture teased us: one airplane, a tall building, black smoke, and then there was no more building.

Meanwhile, as if we thought our cell phones were lying, we kept punching at them. One small group went up to the Gazebo, a large redwood structure where one could view the countryside for miles around—acre upon acre of undulating vineyards in one direction, small towns in another, the Russian River in another, and the pristine rolling grasslands the estate was trying to protect as stewards of God’s bounty on earth. There still was no phone reception.

This property, like many of the grand estates of that era, had built its own chapel, long since deconsecrated and now an ecumenical meeting place for all. The pretty little building might not have a cross or crucifix or a sanctuary light to indicate its holiness, but no one had removed those genuine Tiffany stained-glass windows revealing this had once been a consecrated place of worship.

At noon—with all of us still incommunicado—the staff announced they had organized a short prayer service in the chapel, for two o’clock. By one-thirty I stood on the hill, staring out toward the vineyards, doing nothing. I’d occasionally pluck out my phone and try and try again.  

One of the resident coordinators passed by, put her arm around my shoulders, and asked, “Where are you trying to call?”

I told her.

“Oh, no,” she gasped. Then she pointed out in the distance. “There’s the priest now. He’s retired and he’ll come in from the next town if we ask him.”

I squinted into the soft golden haze that covered the vineyards and finally identified what she was pointing at. A road curved through the fields, and, every few seconds, I could make out a man on a bicycle, pedaling furiously. Black shirt and white collar on top; faded blue jeans on his pumping legs below; gray hair flying loose in the breeze. Only inCalifornia.

Our group represented all faiths and cultures and some of those with no faith at all, but I’ll surmise that right then, at that moment, everyone needed something to believe in. Something to cling to. Everyone attended the service. And there were volunteers of goodness. Someone in our group offered to play the chapel’s simple electric organ. One of the staff brought out a battered guitar. There were hymns—ones that everyone sang: “God BlessAmerica,” “America the Beautiful,” the moving “National Hymn,” concluding with our National Anthem. Brief prayers were interspersed among short readings from the Psalms. It was one of the most beautiful, moving, and heartfelt services I’ve ever attended.

After the prayer service, we returned to the Gazebo. At three o’clock California time I reached my daughter-in-law. She, too, hadn’t been able to call my son from their suburban Virginia home, only a short distance away. They’d finally spoken. “It wasn’t my day, dear,” he told her. “I’m safe.” She and I sobbed together on the telephone, tears of relief. Her brother works in the Pentagon, the wing that was hit. However, he and his wife, at the last minute, had found a cancellation for a week on Martha’s Vineyard: they were on vacation. His office was demolished.

I looked up from my cell phone and met the eyes of the woman sitting across from me, her eyes brimming too. We’d sat with her and her husband at meals, establishing a nice friendship—and I’m embarrassed to say I’ve forgotten their name.

“I just reached Annie, our daughter.” She gulped and composed herself. “Her husband’s a firefighter in New York City.”

My heart lurched several inches toward my throat.

“He was in that group that rushed into the first tower when it was hit. He was overcome with whatever he inhaled. He was carried out immediately, but his crew continued in. They’re all presumed dead—but Eric’s in the hospital and he’ll be all right.” She cried. I came across and held her.

By the next morning, the outside world had reached us. Newspapers were brought in. We looked and we saw. After one more exquisite meal to prepare us for the road, we headed out for the Lodge in King’s Canyon National Park. Others weren’t so lucky. For those who had flown to California, it would be days before they could reschedule their flights.

Once in our car and away from obstructing hills, news on the car radio came in, loud and clear. That’s all there was. Even after two days of hiking in King’s Canyon, that’s all there was. It seemed impossible to talk about anything. For a long time it felt as though the necessary connections in our brains that could make conversation about anything else had been severed.

Ten years later, it’s difficult to write about. I feel that isolation and horror, fresh and new. The question is not “What if…?” Not anymore. It’s only “When?”

I’ve learned too that six degrees of separation is a myth—we are joined more closely than we could ever imagine. A second more important lesson is that we should never again take our happiness or peace and safety for granted.

This story, for those of you who’ve read my novel, Last Night at the Claremont, might  sound familiar: now you know where it came from.

Hope and pray for peace in 2012.

Jody's Story: A Christmas Legend

Mornings in Tucson are nippy and our fall is finally here. What a beautiful time of year!  

Brilliant orange sycamores reach toward the heavens in competition with the bold color of our western, cobalt blue skies. This morning, when the clouds parted over the Catalina Mountains, we even noticed a hint of snow, high on the pine-covered crests. Next week it will be Thanksgiving… there’s always so much to be thankful for, like good friends and the time to enjoy them.

It seems like the year will speed by after that and Christmas will be here. Just in time for this special time of year, my piece of short fiction, a tender,  modern Christmas tale,  Jody’s Story: A Christmas Legend,  has just been published

with all the major eBook providers, www.Amazon.com for Kindle and www.BarnesandNoble.com for Nook, and many others.

Christmas miracles keep on happening, it seems… sometimes in the strangest places.

Five days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jody must leave the southeast New Mexico ranch he’s called home for the past ten years. With Christmas less than two weeks away, Jody is scarcely evading the call to serve his country. Another duty beckons first. Follow his journey of minor miracles that leads up to the greatest gift of new life and a life saved on Christmas Day.

Warm your heart with this modern tale of a Christmas legend reborn and retold and of gratitude repaid.

This story is available for immediate download and enjoyment with all the main eBook suppliers. For those who love the feel of print on paper in a small book, one that would fit nicely in a Christmas stocking, contact me via email on my web site.

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 The Consortium is supported in part by the Arizona Commission for the Arts with funding from the State of Arizona and the National Endowment for the Arts. All of us who support our local PBS station and NPR should rejoice. We are part of that bigger picture too.

Like most of you, I may not always agree with what’s supported or, in some cases, printed, but I’m so thankful that there are still certain organizations and people in them who care.

 The Blue Guitar is the Arizona Consortium for the Arts on-line literary magazine. It is free and offered up to the public as a showcase for the various talents our State is proud to sponsor. To access the magazine, please go to their website, http://www.theblueguitarmagazine.org/ , where the current Fall Issue is available for your free downloading and reading pleasure.  

 The Blue Guitar offers a selection of art, poetry, and a variety of writing talents—all by people fromArizona, reflecting a wide range of ages, voices, and talents. Please help spread the word that the issue is now available for free downloading by letting your family, friends, students, classmates, co-workers, and colleagues know! We should be proud to live in a state where this kind of support is still available.

 By the way, one of my essays, Arizona Winter Sunrise, and one of my poems, A Barrio Christmas, are featured in this Fall Issue. (They’re on pages 13-15)

 Thank you so much. Enjoy and forward on if you wish.  Happy Reading!

 Michaele Lockhart

 http://www.theblueguitarmagazine.org

That’s discounting those many hours of thinking about it before you even put pen-to-paper (or sit down before your computer), when  ideas simmer in the back of your mind and bubble over with what-ifs or the hours of necessary research so you won’t get a tidbit detail wrong that might discredit you with your readers.

Then follow those long, soul-searching moments—should I include that passage or is it really helping the story? Those moments go on and on.

Of course, there will inevitably follow minor disagreements with editors, but they’re usually right on. I’ve been blessed with fine people to work with the past several years.

Yes, writing a book is easy—compared to finding a suitable title. Now, that’s pure, raw agony.

The collection that many of my readers may know, drawn together into a cohesive novel by intrigues revolving around my character Renata DiMonte, is entitled Last Night at the Claremont, evoking the hotel where this pianist entertains in an upscale New York City cocktail lounge. My book probably could have benefitted from a better title. But it’s still out there in print and holding its own. Last Night at the Claremont was re-released in August 2011 as an eBook and is now available through all the major retailers and in all formats.

Coming Home, The Old Men and the Sea, with its unwieldy title, will benefit from a new name when it’s re-released as an eBook next summer.

SteelCutPress, an independent publishing house in California, has contracted with me to publish my next novel. However, I’ve already advertised it on my web site as Hoarding Lies and Secrets—a title which seemed fine at first. The story examines complex psychological issues within a dysfunctional family of hoarders and so much more.  It’s been a delight working with SteelCutPress, but they wanted to change the title. That’s fine with me! My business is writing; theirs is publishing and knowing the reading public. (My web site still has the old title featured, but the story has remained the same.)

We’ve been through permutations and combinations of words that boggle the mind and listing them would only clutter space here.  At last count there were twelve possible combinations and then a rash of several new titles suddenly appeared, some of which seemed far-fetched. And thus at last, the new book—with the manuscript firmly in someone else’s hands—has been renamed: Hoarding Lies, Keeping Secrets.  My first horror novel ever. Coming early next year by SteelCutPress. 

Happy reading. Come back and visit me at The Writers Table.

Michaele