What I Know So Far

Anne Lamott Quote

“Our true person is outside of time and space, but looking at the paperwork, I can, in fact, see that I was born in 1954. My inside self is outside of time and space. It doesn’t have an age. I’m every age I’ve ever been, and so are you …” ~ Anne Lamott

The other day I saw a TED talk by Anne Lamott about twelve things she knows for sure. I have to say I haven’t read much of her work, but I’ve heard her speak many times and I love her humor and outlook on life. So taking a cue from her, since I’ve recently turned sixty-four, I’m going to write some things here that I know for sure. At least, so far. These are not in any particular order.

I don’t have children, and though most people don’t say it, I know many of them are thinking that I have no legacy to leave behind me, as if that’s a big deal. I don’t believe that. I think we’re made up of energy and we can’t help but leave our energy signature behind us. Even if a person seems to be leading a negative life, their energy might have positive consequences for those left behind. For example, many people saw the kind of life Hitler led and said, “Oh, heck no, I’m not living that kind of life.” What’s more, anyone who is creative leaves their work behind, and that’s a lovely legacy for all who come after.

Second, there is no reason to worry about the younger generations coming behind you. Each generation progresses, and the generations that come after build on what the ones before have done. I’ve been a teacher of both high school and community college students and I can say from experience that my students were for the most part, responsible, thoughtful, hardworking people. I’m not worried at all about the wonderful things they will accomplish. In fact, I’m excited to see what the future holds.

Third, nothing matters. Before you tie yourself into knots about that, just think about it. Everything that exists just is. We are the ones who assign a meaning to things and situations. The house is not good or bad, it just is. The situation at work is not good or bad, except what we think about it. Whether or not our lawn is mown is not good or bad, it’s just the way people pressure you to think about it. So, take a breath, and see how you feel about what happens to you. Ask yourself whether or not it will matter in a hundred years. If not, then it might be good to let it go.

Four, If you want people to be trustworthy, you have to trust them. My dad used to say that all the time, and it’s true. I practice this principle when I’m teaching. If I expect a lot from my students and trust that they will put their all into doing the work, for the most part they do. If not, I follow what Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them.” And as Iyanla Van Zant says, “If you see crazy, cross the street.”

Five is related to four, if someone is entrenched in their beliefs, don’t try to change their mind. That’s a situation in which we find ourselves on a huge scale right now, and it’s distressing because the people who believe in hatred and separation are making life miserable for the rest of us. But, as my dad also used to say, it’s best to lead by example. So be persistent in sharing love, compassion, and understanding. Eventually, when the tide turns and love is the way we conduct our places of business, and our government agencies, the haters will either change or die off.

Six, there is so much good in the world. Make a practice of looking for, and being grateful for it. When you do, your life will be so much happier. Tell people you appreciate them, be thankful for even the smallest things that go right during the day.

Seven, loving yourself is the best gift you can give the world. When you love yourself, the mistakes, the dark places, the triumphs and all, then you have added to the expansion of the human race, because we’re all connected, you know. So, take the time to forgive and love yourself. You will contribute to changing the world.

Eight, there is only now. As so many teachers have said, we can’t change what happened in the past and the future isn’t here yet, so pay attention to the moment you’re in, cherish it and/or learn from it.

Nine, love is stronger than hate, the sensitive, empathetic, compassionate people are the ones who are changing the world.

Ten, I wanted to mention chocolate, since Anne Lamott did in her list. I’m not funny like she is, so I’ll just say that drinking my supercharged hot chocolate every morning is one of the great pleasures of my life. I’m grateful that its rich goodness was discovered and developed for all of us to enjoy.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment sharing something you know for sure.

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2017

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time which is available in ebook format at Smashwords and on the iBooks store. It will soon be available at Amazon.

Slow Boat to Book Sales

Revised book cover for The Space Between Time

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but If we do each thing calmly and carefully, we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.” ~ Viggo Mortensen

What more do I need to say? Viggo Mortensen’s horse master had it right. That’s why I’m taking the slow route with my book promotion.

My friend Debrah, the writer who helped me hone my book, and I are getting together tomorrow to plan strategies to promote our books. Debrah has published three, soon to be four, books. She and I are kind of alike. We want to plan our own strategies for promoting our books. It’s good to read about how other people have created massive interest and lots of sales for their products, but I’ve always been a little bit of a rebel when it comes to rules. I hardly ever follow a recipe exactly as written, and as I’ve written before, I didn’t follow all the rules when I was a teacher. I feel the same about promoting my book.

There are so many stories of people and their “instant” success. For example, hugely popular actors like George Clooney who slept on his Aunt Rosemary’s couch for a year or so, then took small parts for ten years before his big breakthrough. Or Jim Carrey who at one point lived with his family in their Volkswagon van, before getting his break as a stand up comedian. Even authors like J.K. Rowling had hurdles to jump over before their books became hits.

Taking our cue from others who “made it” after lots of effort, Debrah and I will create our own method, all the while believing in our work, forging relationships and continuing to write.

Since the ebook version of The Space Between Time is finally published, find the link below, I’d like to share some ways you can help promote my book, should you choose to read it, and those of your favorite authors.

I got these tips from an article “13 Ways to Support an Author Without Ever Spending a Dime,” by Florida author, Steph Post, from a site called Lit Reactor. You can read the full article for yourself. I’m picking and choosing my favorites to list here.

Check out a book from the library
“Anyone, anywhere, can purchase a book on Amazon. A library book can give an author a sense of how far their book has traveled,” Ms. Post writes. I plan to ask friends all across the country to request that their local library carry my book, which is the second suggestion on the list. Request that your local library carry your favorite books.

Review a book
You can go to sites like Necessary Fiction and Small Press & Indie Book Review and request a free copy of a book you might like to review. This can help you if you’re a new author and/or reviewer. It also helps the author. Another way to help an author is by writing a review on Amazon, iBooks, or Goodreads. I have an author page on Goodreads and have just listed The Space Between Time on it. If you follow any of my author pages throughout social media, consider writing a review. That helps me get more exposure. Again, you can do this for all your favorite authors, especially those just starting out.

Talk to your local bookseller
If you read a book, especially one by a new author, and your bookstore doesn’t carry it, suggest they stock it. This goes for any book you liked reading, even if you checked it out from the library. You can suggest they create a feature books display, or introduce it in their newsletter. I have friends in Portland, Oregon and I plan to ask them to suggest my book to Powell’s Books. It’s the largest independent bookstore in the world, so if one of their employees reads my book and likes it, and they feature it in their newsletter … well, that would be a dream come true.

Face a book out on the bookshelves
When your local bookstore listens to you and buys the book you suggested, pull the book out so the browsers can see the cover.

Take a book selfie
Use your selfie stick and social media to promote books you have read and loved, even if they are older. It might revive interest in the book. Remember to be creative!

Nominate a book
I don’t know about you, but it seems self-serving to nominate my own book for an award. I have a love-hate relationship with awards anyway. However, as Ms. Post points out, many sites with awards, like Goodreads, are reader driven, so nominate your favorites.

Recommend a book to a book club, and talk to your friends about the books you love
Word of mouth is still the best advertising tool, so be creative about sharing the news about books you have enjoyed reading.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with your friends.

The Space Between Time will soon be available at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, and other ebook retailers. You can download it today at Smashwords. I’ll let you know when the print versions are ready.

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2017

My Book is Published. Now What?

Elizabeth Gilbert At TED

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” ~ Edward de Bono

“Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something, then you’re more willing to take risks.” ~ Yo-Yo Ma

“I was a writer before ‘Eat, Pray, Love,’ and I’ll be a writer after it’s over. It’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

I was going to make this post about the marketing and promotion that is a necessary part of publishing a book, but this morning I saw a TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert from 2009 about what happens to many creatives after a big success. She related what she had experienced after the explosive success of her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. It wasn’t her reaction to the fame, that caused her to take a step back and examine the creative process, it was the reaction of others.

I don’t know why we think we have a right to comment on, or be concerned for other people in intrusive soul killing ways. When Elizabeth related the fact that people were indicating that she had created her ONE masterpiece and how did she feel about that? And how was she going to cope with that fact? I cringed, just like she did.

The thing is, she has written another big block buster book since her first. It’s Big Magic, which I have read. It’s about the creative process and it’s been an inspiration for me. She debunks lots of old myths about the tortured artist idea. She’s right it’s time to think of artists in new ways. And she wrote the book for artists, so they can be cycle breakers. I decided to break out of the starving, tortured artist mould and just have fun writing.

Here’s the thing, I’ve written a novel, my first. It took me seven years to complete. It’s taking my husband a week, to prepare the manuscript for publication as an ebook. Then it will take us two or three weeks, maybe more, to complete the process to publish it for the print-on-demand version. It will be a big relief and, of course, I’ll have lots of work to do promoting the book. It may be popular, it may not. But I have lots more to say, and in fact, I’ve started work on its sequel. In addition, I have begun a fantasy book, and I’ve got an idea of taking some of my blog posts and creating a book of them as well. None of my work may hit the New York Times bestseller list. I have fun visualizing that one or two will, but if that never happens, I’ll be just fine. Because I write for me, not for you. Sorry if that sounds callous.

I do hope that my work touches people, that they get something out of it. But, my writing is about doing what poetess Ruth Stone does, I’m catching ideas as they flow by and putting them down on paper. Only in my process, unlike hers, some of the ideas come and pitch a tent, go fishing, hiking, bathe in the sun, roast marshmallows at the campfire for a while before they turn back to letting me in on what it is they want to say. I have lots of ideas camping out in the back of my head. So if one of them comes to fruition and it’s popular, that’s great! But I’ve got others waiting to let me in on their secrets, and when they do I’ll learn something as I’m writing them down.

I hope next week to share the download link for The Space Between Time. If you decide to read it, I hope you’ll share it with others, and even write a review.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share this post with a friend, and leave a comment.

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2017

3, 2, 1, Launch

Cover for THE SPACE BETWEEN TIME

After seven years, it’s finally happening! In a way it’s hard to believe that The Space Between Time will launch Memorial Day weekend. The book should be available at all ebook retailers by May 30 or 31. it takes Smashwords awhile to format the book for the different e-reader formats.

My husband and I have decided to do what we call a soft launch by publishing the ebook first. In two or three weeks we’ll launch the print-on-demand book, which we hope to make available in both hard and paperback.

It’s been a long, at times frustrating journey, but one that has convinced me that the writing life is for me. I’m already working on the sequel novel tentatively titled Time’s Echo.

Below find the book description, written by my good friend Debrah Strait. It’s much better than the one I wrote. Also endorsements from Debrah and another friend, Dorothy Sander, their books and contact information are also listed. I’m so grateful to both these women for their comments on, and support of my work.

Book description:
Life is not going well for Jenna Holden. Her live-in-fiancé walks out. Instead of the promotion she’s expecting at her book editor job, she’s fired. Her estranged mother is in a terrible accident that may kill her. And Jenna must return to the small town where she grew up to recoup. With all that’s happened she sees no future for herself.

But then, in her mother’s attic, Jenna finds journals written by a long-dead ancestress. They transport her to another time and place, giving her access to the thoughts and feelings of another woman, also alone in the world, who is facing similar trials of heartache and loss. Reading them somehow gives Jenna an escape from her own pain and sorrow, yet offers a doorway to resilience, healing and the joy of a supportive love. Jenna need only find the self-knowledge and courage to step through, into that space between time.

Dorothy Sander endorsement
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden cosmically blends the lives of two women, generations apart, and takes her readers on a compelling journey into the heart, mind and soul of every woman. The Space Between Time is a clever, page turning book. Worlds apart, each woman wrestles with the familial and cultural claims on their lives and the vagaries of life itself. Determined to follow their hearts, no matter where they take them, their severest tests birth their greatest strengths. Separately, yet together, they grow in wisdom and understanding and find their way home to their hearts. A great read.

Dorothy Sander, Author of Finding Hope, Quotes & Inspiration for the Midlife Woman, and founder of AgingAbundantly.com. She can also be found at Dorothy Sander about.me/dsander and Aging Abundantly on Twitter.

Debrah Strait endorsement
This intriguing story of two women, living in two different time periods, caught me early on and never let go. There are accurate historical details, challenges of loss and heartache, mysteries to solve, and love to find for both women, in a well-paced and satisfying read. It is a book to be savored and re-read.

Debrah Strait can be contacted at  debrahstrait.com .  All her books are listed there, along with samples and first chapters. Her e-mail address is listed on the first page::(debrahstrait@yahoo.com)

The Sweet Trade — pirate adventure yarn

The Dragon’s Gold – comic fairy tale

Flash of the Pen –  22 pieces of flash fiction, plus two haiku.

By July, book #4 will be launched. Title: Notes From Bisbee; Twenty years on the Border with killer bees, rattlesnakes, and folks in need of attention. It’s a collections of her Christmas newsletters sent out every year since 1996, a memoir of sorts.

You can find Lucinda at: Facebook writer’s page, Goodreads Author Dashboard, Twitter, and She Writes.

And if you want to join my email list for updates on all my creative projects, click here.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend.

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2017

The Magic is Within You

Red Shadow Sky
Red Shadow Sky Magic Wand Sunset Cloud Girl

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” ~ Jane Austen, from Mansfield Park

“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” ~ Gloria Steinem

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” ~ Albert Einstein

“The main thing to do is relax and let your talent do the work.” ~ Charles Barkley

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” ~ Hillary Clinton

“I would like to be remembered as someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.” ~ J. K. Rowling

Recently my Facebook feed has been inundated with ads for apps that help writers come up with plots, market their books, create great characters, create a best seller, or yada, yada, yada. I’m sorry, but I don’t think an algorithm can create a better book, or article than the one that comes from a human being’s imagination, experience, and heart. The magic is within the artist to follow unlikely trails that lead to a piece of artwork that touches others. We all have the magic inside of us.

I’ve always had, at least since I became self-aware, an internal advisor that I called my “Little Voice”. This voice is different than my inner critic, which I also had and sometimes they would battle for my attention. But as I grew, I learned that if I followed my little voice, things would turn out well. If I followed my inner critic, I’d find myself in the middle of a disaster.

I’m convinced that we all have an inner guide. It’s just that we don’t learn how to use our intuition from our parents, in school, at church, or other organizations. Well, I did, but then I have unusual parents and a rather unusual church. But eventually I had to leave my church because I found that my spiritual journey was going in one direction while the church was going in another. My little voice told me I could leave and live or stay and die. I chose to leave, and I’ve never been sorry I did. I would not be here writing this blog post, or about to publish my first novel if I had not listened to my little voice.

It’s sad that we’re taught to conform instead of listen to our intuition and follow our own sacred path. It’s been that way for millennia, except now there are a growing number of schools around the world that are teaching their students to meditate, to examine and express their feelings in constructive ways so they can find their inner guidance system. Actually, many adults are incorporating meditation into their daily routines as well and I say woo hoo for that!

My point in writing all of the above is to say that we all have a genius for something creative inside us. We all have a little voice and following it can not only make our lives happier, but just think of the impact what we create may have on others. If we all share the talents we have, the ripple effect will be enormous. You don’t have to take classes to begin, unless your little voice guides to take them.

I trust my intuition to put the books, or courses, or people in my path that will help me in some way. Just this past week or so, as I’ve been waiting for my husband to create the cover art for my book, I came across an article that helped me improve my novel. Then I was gathering maps to include in my book and I discovered that I had made mistake on the wagon trail route my main character in the past was to take. Fortunately those adjustments didn’t take long, but I must say, I’m extremely grateful to have been able to improve my manuscript before publication.

So, in a week or two my husband and I will do a soft launch of The Space Between Time. We’ve decided to publish the ebook first, then the print on demand books a week or two later. I hope to have the cover art for you to see next week and news of the launch dates. This may not be what many marketing experts say to do, but it feels right to me.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend.

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Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2017