Starting
off 2019 with a blog post on The Best Book I’ve Read in 2018 has been harder for
me than it might appear. All I need to do is write about the book I most remember
reading. Right?
However
as an author, I write first and read second. There are times, especially at the
end of a day at the computer, I don’t really remember the gist of the story or
even the author’s name. Another issue is I can get stuck in “editor” mode which
means I lose the story because I’m focused on story structure or things like
grammar, punctuation, etc.
And
then when I try to remember what I’ve read, those fiction books most likely in
the romance genre, even though I’ve read at least fifty of them… .
So,
I’m throwing all that out the window because there is one book I do clearly remember
reading. Non-fiction Verbalize
by Damon Suede.
Mr. Suede gave a Master Class before the Emerald City Writer’s
Conference. He is a dynamic, energized presenter and I’ve always
learned something useful to me when I’ve heard him before.
This
Master Class did not disappoint. When I learned that his book Verbalize was
based almost verbatim on the Class, I snatched it up. Yep, that was me brushing
past people in order to grab one of the remaining copies he still had.
If
you have a chance to attend a Damon Suede workshop for writers, do. His style
is fast paced and that is usually a turn off for me. But, and that’s a big “but”
I always come away with something that is a gift to my writer-self.
What
were those gifts from his ECWC Master Class?
Gift #1: Being
true to myself and what I write. Readers can’t find my books if I don’t clearly
tell them what I write. And I write in a sub-genre of romance that isn’t listed
on any of the search engine. Pagan Spirituality
is a core theme in my books.
Gift #2: Defining
myself. A question Mr. Suede asked us had to do with the energy that is our
essence. A bit paraphrased the question was what verb describes you? My answer
was immediate “teaching.”
At one point in my life I was a public
school’s classroom teacher. I’ve a long history of presenting workshops at
conferences both national and internationally. I’m on the Senior Teaching
Faculty of The William GlasserInstitute – International. And the characters in my stories are always learning
something to ease their path to that happily-ever-after. Of course the process
of learning isn’t necessarily easy. But where would the joy of overcoming an
obstacle be if it was all easy and effortless.
Fiction? In
writing Visions of Happiness a character that first shows up in Diana: The Queen of Swords and The Knight of Pentacles actually
becomes a recurring character a couple of years earlier in Visions.
That fact prompted me to reread all of the original series, rewrite the
paragraph or two in Diana
to show Ms. Lawford was someone they all knew.To my delight, I found myself emotionally involved with these seven women. I still laughed and cried along with them and I was the one who’d written their stores and read the drafts more than once!
A
fiction reading first for me was Blindsight by Sarah Raplee. Blindsight
is a paranormal romantic suspense and not a sub-genre of romance I read.
However, I know Sarah and had listened to her talk about writing this book. I
can highly recommend Blindsight. Well-written, enough suspense to keep
me engaged but not so much I had nightmares. The paranormal elements were
well-done and, to me at least, possible.
Another
author I read is Paty Jager.
I’ve read several of her Shandra Higheagle mysteries
and many of her other books. Paty is meticulous in her research which is one
fact that draws me to her stories.
And
I’m ending this post with a swing back to non-fiction. Maggie Lynch’s “Author
Secrets” series is a Must Read for any author who is independently
published or for any author who is struggling with the decision to publish
independently. In clear language Ms. Lynch guides authors through the plethora of options and challenges they face to get their books published and to optimize their discoverability and thus their visibility. Ms. Lynch stays abreast of publishing trends and updates readers
through her newsletter, blog posts and workshops.
Judith Ashley
is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic women’s fiction
that honors pagan spiritual practices that nourish the soul. Sacred women’s circles are havens where each of us have the support of the unconditional acceptance, support and love of the others that sustain us as we overcome obstacles on our life's journey.
© 2019 Judith Ashley
