Uncategorized

It’s Out!!!

madelynmarch031 Comment

Google_plus_header

This day took a mountain of other days to reach, but finally, publishing day has arrived!  Am I nervous?  Yes!  But I’m ready to offer Anna’s story to others and hope that they find the experience worthwhile.

Read it for free!  It’s available on Kindle for free starting tomorrow.  Read the blurb below, if it’s not your genre of choice, no problem, but please pass it along if you know of someone who might enjoy it.

Darkness is growing within Anna Montagna and she can’t control it. She’s hurt someone that she loves. She fears that mental illness is descending upon her, like it did her mother, except her mother never hurt anyone.  Scared and alone, Anna flees to small-town Mikamaw in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to save her family from the monster that she has become.

Anna hopes to find anonymity and solitude in Mikamaw, but instead finds a slightly-psychic friend, nosy locals, and the healing nature of the landscape. Despite the hundreds of miles Anna travels to escape her past, it continues to haunt her.  She tries to drown her life’s regrets in alcohol and deep water, but they always resurface. When her husband and best friend find her in Mikamaw, she must decide whether to confront the past or turn and keep running.

Are You a Writer?

madelynmarch032 Comments

36054434_s

When is it okay to call yourself a writer?

If you are reading this, you probably have some interest in writing.  Have you written poetry, essays, novels, or all of the above?  Do you call yourself a writer?

When is it okay to label ourselves as such?  For me, this was tough.  I am not the type to talk much about myself, much less advertise that I write novels.  I know, we have to promote ourselves and such, but like many “writers” it’s just not my thing.

I have spent years writing, editing, and working to grow as a writer, but I still find it difficult to label myself as much.  We had a similar conversation a long while back in my writing group and someone simply said to me, “you are a writer” and hearing it come from someone else’s lips helped quite a bit.

Now when the what-do-you-do conversation comes up, I list my other occupations and include that I write novels.  It’s hard for me not to cast my eyes down when I say this part but I resist because if I can’t call myself a writer, why would anyone else?

So, when should we call ourselves writers?  When the big publishing house calls?  After our self-published books sales reach some magic number?  Or after we’ve invested years of time and energy in developing the craft even if the masses yet haven’t consumed it?

I’m not blogging this because I have the answer, clearly I don’t!!!  But I’m curious on your thoughts out there.  So, I put it to you…  When did you start calling yourself a writer?  Or when will you?

Build Your Community of Writers

Image madelynmarch03Leave a comment

33112821_m

Writing need not be a lonely endeavor. The experiences that have nudged me along to become a better writer have been the ones where I talked with other writers about (you guessed it) writing.  Writing is not a finite craft.  There are so many subtle, and not so subtle, variations of it.  Once we think we’ve got it and are finally the writer we’re meant to be–no extra work needed– it’s time to put down the keyboard because we are done (and not in the good way).

The purpose of this blog is to talk about writing.  Sometimes as writers we are so engrossed in our stories that we forget to look up and around (or is it only me?), but exploring the craft is a way to further develop our skills.  So, let’s talk.  Look around my blog, add your comments or questions, and let’s see what we can learn from each other, or at the very least find a useful mind-break from writing for a few moments.