July 2025
Sorry about missing a May post. It was a busy month with a visit to Atlanta, family events, appointments, business, and company here in Flagler Beach. Now summer is nearly upon us and 2025 is half gone.
Connecting with local publisher Terri Burger of Sunsational Publishing helped me accomplish a major goal I had for 2025. The Letter Box came out the beginning of May and sales have been brisk. Remember, if you have read it, PLEASE leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and social media outlets. Authors thrive on reviews and reader reviews really do influence buyers.
Purchase the book on Amazon or have your local bookstore order! (ISBN-10: 1953416314 or ISBN-13: 978-1953416315)
Now I’m concentrating on another goal dear to my heart. Those of you who follow me know that from time to time I’ve mentioned working on a memoir. Some bits and pieces of it have been sitting in the back rooms of my mind for years and now I am bringing them out to the front room.
A memoir is not simply a retelling of one’s life events. A good memoir has a message. Why would I want to tell anyone my innermost thoughts and why would anyone want to read them? Family and friends are usually a given, but what about drawing in other readers? Any book worth writing needs something more than words on a page.
A book is written for an audience, even if that audience is only one’s self. But if an author expects to sell books, obviously there must be larger appeal. Writing coach Amy Goldmacher is helping me formulate the core message I want this memoir to convey. Have you ever felt defeated? Like nothing you do is turning out like you expected? Have you wanted to simply give up because all you seem to do is fail? Does a little voice in the back of your head whisper that you’re not good enough so why bother? I’ve felt these ways and I’m sure most of you have too.
Some people sink to the depths of depression or become mired in a “dark night of the soul” under such circumstances. I have done so myself at times. My memoir’s message will be for those who have experienced this and want to move beyond these self-destructive feelings.
Memoirs are not fictional yet may not be factual either. A memoir is based on memory, and our memories are our own perceptions. We each have our own self-construct. What I remember about a certain event can be totally different from how someone else remembers it. It doesn’t necessarily mean one of us is right and one of us is wrong. Truth and reality only exist in the moment.
The memoir, as yet untitled, will NOT be a chronological recounting of my life. It will be what is referred to in literary circles as “an experimental memoir.” The AI Overview generated on Google for experimental memoir definition reads, “An experimental memoir defies traditional memoir formats and structures, pushing the boundaries of personal narrative by incorporating unusual techniques, forms, or styles to convey a specific experience or emotion. It’s a non-fiction work that intentionally breaks from conventional storytelling conventions, exploring new ways to represent personal stories.”
Some of you were right there beside me during some of the entries. I doubt our memories will be the same. I can look back and realize sometimes it was not at all what I thought it was at the time. Oh, the fickleness of our minds!
Funny, but that is exactly part of the solution. How can we get through hard times? By knowing they are temporary. By knowing change is certain but defeat and failure are optional. They are often the steps we need for redirection.
There is a saying that God does not close one door without opening another. Although not a direct scripture it can be extrapolated from Revelation 3:8.
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it . . .
Have you experienced feelings of not being good enough? Have you struggled with depression? Have you experienced a dark night of the soul? How did you manage? Would you read a book about how someone else has done this? Share your thoughts in a comment below.
