I will be attending the PFLAG National Convention in Nashville this weekend, I found out a few days ago and it really is a big deal to me. I was invited by the President of our local chapter and I am one of the only non board members going. I am the co host of their morning radio program so I think that is why I was invited, I'm going to make the best use of it. I'm going to tape a few short interviews to air on a later show.
For those of you who do not know, PFLAG New Orleans was the chapter that brought the transgender into PFLAG National and we are going to be well represented as of the 6 people That I know are going, 3 of us are trans.
It is important to understand that trans people are not trying to take any rights away from anyone else, we just would like to have the same rights and especially when it concerns keeping a job, a house or how we are treated in public. We are just people and as such we have our share of good and bad and would like to be able to live our lives without too much scrutiny, after all how many times can you be asked about your genitalia before it becomes offensive? The answer is NONE!
I'm going to be talking to people about my books and especially about the poetry book as it applies directly to so many that will be at the convention and as a guide for those who want to learn more about the emotional aspects rather than just the physical.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
A Little Something Of Interest
I had mentioned in an earlier blog that I had received my first rejection letter in the past 4 years that I had been submitting work for publication. The second followed from the same company, I had sent 2 short stories in at the same time.
I also entered a poetry contest and my poem was accepted for publication, they asked if I had another poem that I could send. I wrote another one that fit their criteria and sent it to them. I got the notification back on that one, it's being published too.
My poem The Land Of Misfit Toys will be published in an anthology called Where The Mind Dwells and What Makes A Lifetime? will be in another anthology called The Best Poets Of 2015.
The title of the second anthology seems like quite an honor to just be included but to have had the poem requested...I'm feeling a lot better than I did when I received those rejection Emails.
I also entered a poetry contest and my poem was accepted for publication, they asked if I had another poem that I could send. I wrote another one that fit their criteria and sent it to them. I got the notification back on that one, it's being published too.
My poem The Land Of Misfit Toys will be published in an anthology called Where The Mind Dwells and What Makes A Lifetime? will be in another anthology called The Best Poets Of 2015.
The title of the second anthology seems like quite an honor to just be included but to have had the poem requested...I'm feeling a lot better than I did when I received those rejection Emails.
Monday, October 5, 2015
What Is The Biggest Obstacle For A Writer Today?
The answer to that question may differ from author to author but most people think that with all of the self publishing outlets available today it would be easy to get a book published. It is but that isn't the hardest part.
Writing the book in the first place is a major obstacle for some writers, it isn't mine. I have never had writer's block and it doesn't seem to be looming on the horizon for me so I dodged that one. Simply by having been a prolific daydreamer for my entire life I have over sixty years' worth of short stories, novellas and novels just waiting to be put down on paper or on the Internet. You can put them out there for no cost at all, now for the major obstacle.
Getting the work into the hands of readers is the most challenging part, especially if you have no budget for advertising. You try to count on your friends and many will buy your book and have you sign it but they may not get around to reading it for a very long time and you need reviews! Reviews are a great way to boost sales, very few people are willing to risk their hard earned money on an unknown author and publishers are very much the same way.
You never see a TV spot for an unknown author but you do for James Patterson and John Grisham whose fans are already anxiously awaiting their next release. Avid readers should be the ones to jump at a new author, a chance for something truly different and fresh but they are among the biggest followers of authors. I have to admit that in my very early years of reading, before I started to school, I read the complete works of two authors before I moved on to anyone else. Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are still among my favorites.
We all do it, we go to the same restaurant and order the same meal time after time. Try someplace new, a different cuisine entirely. You might love it, you might hate it but if you never try it you will never know.
Buy a book by an author that you have never read before, take a chance and if you like it do the author a favor and write a review.
Writing the book in the first place is a major obstacle for some writers, it isn't mine. I have never had writer's block and it doesn't seem to be looming on the horizon for me so I dodged that one. Simply by having been a prolific daydreamer for my entire life I have over sixty years' worth of short stories, novellas and novels just waiting to be put down on paper or on the Internet. You can put them out there for no cost at all, now for the major obstacle.
Getting the work into the hands of readers is the most challenging part, especially if you have no budget for advertising. You try to count on your friends and many will buy your book and have you sign it but they may not get around to reading it for a very long time and you need reviews! Reviews are a great way to boost sales, very few people are willing to risk their hard earned money on an unknown author and publishers are very much the same way.
You never see a TV spot for an unknown author but you do for James Patterson and John Grisham whose fans are already anxiously awaiting their next release. Avid readers should be the ones to jump at a new author, a chance for something truly different and fresh but they are among the biggest followers of authors. I have to admit that in my very early years of reading, before I started to school, I read the complete works of two authors before I moved on to anyone else. Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are still among my favorites.
We all do it, we go to the same restaurant and order the same meal time after time. Try someplace new, a different cuisine entirely. You might love it, you might hate it but if you never try it you will never know.
Buy a book by an author that you have never read before, take a chance and if you like it do the author a favor and write a review.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)