Magical Memoir Moments

BLUSH Turning Two — Means a Bargain for You

This picture was taken in 1961 when I was in seventh grade and 13 years old. Two years ago this week Herald Press chose it for the cover of my memoir. See the subtle differences? When a baby turns two, people cluck their tongues and wish the parents well. “Enjoy the Terrible Twos,” they say….

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Author Carol Bodensteiner

Interview with Carol Bodensteiner, Memoirist Turned Novelist

Meet Carol Bodensteiner. Pershaps you already have. Fellow writer Janet Givens refers to her as my twin! That’s because both of us wrote memoirs about being country girls and growing up on dairy farms. But only one of us is a blonde. 1. Your first book was about growing up on an Iowa dairy farm…

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After the First Blush: So, How's the Book Doing?

This morning the sun in the East illuminated the view in the West. I ran outside to try to experience the brilliant light. But when I tried to capture it, I found the result disappointing. Here’s the best example of a pool of November light below the mountains. November light flits and turns, bright, low…

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How a Romantic Getaway Led Me to An Ideal Reader: And Another Book Giveaway

Kathy Pooler is one of my most prolific and generous memoir writer friends. If you’ve been following this blog, you have met her talking about how to use Twitter to build meaningful relationships. Today she is featuring a guest blog from me about how I stumbled onto an “ideal reader” while on a romantic getaway…

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A Sneak Peak into the Black Box of Preparing to Launch a Book: A To-Do List for Book Marketing

Sometimes this book launch project seems a little like re-learning how to hoop. I can jump in enthusiastically, keep the hoop going for a little while, but mostly I have to laugh, pick up the hoop, and start over again. The analogy between preparing to launch and relearning hula works like this: I’ve got a…

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An Inspiring Gift Leads Me to Ask for Your Memoir Help

Today’s New Beginning just happened to me. And I did nothing to ask for it. It was like grace. Unmerited and free. Did you know that when you pre-order a book on Amazon you can share the news on Facebook and Twitter?  Today one of my Facebook friends, Renee Nofzinger Quistorf, did that. Then she…

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The Author Responds to Critique: Thrill of the Chaste Part III

I’ve admired Valerie Weaver-Zercher’s insights and frisky, learned (not a combo you meet every day) writing style ever since I first read her work in magazines. Over the years, I found her reviews in Christian Century, her articles about practical spirituality in Sojourners (you can purchase at Amazon through the link) and her op-eds in…

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Adventures with eReaders: The Kindle Part 3

Here’s what Amazon calls “Shirley’s 2nd Kindle.” They gave me this one because I called their customer service department when my first one, an earlier model, died. Pretty impressive, eh? How many other companies offer you a newer model of a product valued at $149 for free without kicking and screaming? A more cynical person…

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24 Hour-Only Memoir Bargain: William Styron's Darkness Visible on Kindle

We all get spam and the next thing to spam–email from companies we have done business with in the past. Amazon just sent me an email, something that happens without my response several times a week. But this one caught my attention. Here is the link to an offer I couldn’t refuse: an electronic copy…

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In Praise of Book Reviews and An Invitation to Review

Did you ever think about how important book reviews are? Jo Parfitt, over at Write Your Life Stories explains just why and how books and book reviews need each other in this post called “The brilliance of book reviews.” If you love to read, you can help your favorite author by writing a review. Using…

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