I love writing and the sheer fun of maneuvering words. When I return to old essays and journal
entries, I am glad to have more than my failing memory to chart past
reflections and events. But how do
I justify hours spent scribbling away
simply for my own amusement? For
now, this blog has provided an answer, a circle of kind cheerleaders in you. I love
reading your feedback and free associations when you relate to something I’ve
written.
Depending on my mood and phase of life, reading has been a
source of comfort, escape, amusement, or companionship. During hard times, I have been blessed
to find authors who have seemed to say, “I know just how you feel….been there
myself.” It is always my hope that
my writing might be, for others, that stand-in for a friend and a cup of tea.
My friend Tricia Tierney has invited me to participate in
“The Next Big Thing,” a blog –tour of writings. I think you’ll enjoy checking
out her blog as well as those of Casey Sylvestro, Eliza Twichell, Laurie Stone,
Lynne Openshaw, and Elise Broach.
More on them in a moment, but first, I am supposed to answer a series of
questions:
What is the working title of your
book? Currently Time
Given or possibly Lift-Off. Many titles have come and gone, each
reflecting a changed tone or emphasis in the book.
Where
did the idea come from for the book?
It was always one of my goals to write a book when we
planned our sabbatical in Italy.
What
genre does your book fall under? Travel memoir, with a
taste of self-help.
Which
actors would you choose to play you in a movie rendition?
Sandra Bullock. Love her…
plus my daughter, Casey, and I like to think Sandra’s a blend of the two of us.
What
is a one-sentence synopsis of your book? A couple
and their daughter, each carrying a burden of pain, seek spontaneity, healing,
and re-connection in the people, history, and countryside of Italy.
Will
your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It would be a wonder to find an agency, but I want this book to happen
and am open to self-publication.
How
long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Six months, but many
drafts have followed.
What
other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Eat, Pray, Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert and Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.
Who
or What inspired you to write this book?
All three of us had a difficult year prior to leaving. Dave and I were over-committed and spending a
fair amount of time in a nursing home visiting Dave’s father. Dave’s brother had just been diagnosed
with prostate cancer. Casey had
broken up with the boy she thought she’d marry. The trip was such an adventure, such a release, such a
return to ourselves that it is a story I believe will uplift others.
What
else about your book might pique the reader's interest? There is wry humor in my sleep-deprived,
menopausal point of view and struggles with identity and life issues faced by
virtually every person over forty.
The reminders, lessons, and joys in the book are equally universal.
That's it!
Now let me introduce to you...
Tricia Tierney grew up
in New York but spent many years as an expatriate, including over 3 years in
Kyoto, Japan where she painted and sculpted and rode her bicycle everywhere.
She also lived in Croatia and Bosnia, working for the United Nations'
Peacekeeping Department during the Balkan wars, where she met a number of
budding war criminals as well as the dashing but troubled English international
relief-worker she would marry. After a thrilling war-zone romance, Tricia wed
her now-late husband in Sarajevo and a year later, after one-too-many bumpy
helicopter rides while pregnant, prematurely gave birth to her daughter in
Southern Italy. As she prepares to send her (long thriving) daughter off to college
in the fall, Tricia is beginning to think about her own next adventures, while
continuing to work on her memoir of life during war and peace, loss and
sorrow. She writes mostly at the crack of dawn before going off to her
full-time job at a Barnes & Noble bookstore.
After a life of performance, both as her natural state
and through high school and college, Casey Sylvestro spent three
years in New York pursuing theater and teaching pilates at
Equinox. In August of 2011, she decided to “throw her life up in the
air and see where the pieces fell." With her best friend Karis
LeBlanc, she set off to South East Asia for four months of
travel. Her blog, “Running To Not Running From” follows the two
women by cable car, careening vans, motorbike, tuktuk, and elephant into
the Forbidden City in Hong Kong, the mountain country of Sapa, the rice paddies
of Cambodia, the rivers of Laos, the jungles of Thailand, the beaches of
Indonesia, and market after market after market…Casey now teaches pilates at
Black Rock Pilates in Black Rock and is Assistant Store Manager for Lululemon
Athletica in Westport.
Laurie
Stone is a writer with a mixed bag of interests – fiction, essays, blogging,
and travel writing. She started as a local reporter but the siren call of
novels and short stories became too strong. Several years ago she won an
award for her short story, “Just One More Thing.” Her essays have
appeared in the Connecticut Post, Connecticut Muse Magazine, Westport News, and County Kids Magazine. She’s also in the process of writing and editing
two novels. Recently Laurie began blogging and loves sending her newest
entries to family, friends, and colleagues. Travel writing is a recent
passion and her seven-part blog, “A Peek at Provence” ran weekly on the website,
“In the Know Traveler.” Laurie lives in Easton, CT with
her husband and two sons.
Eliza Twichell is an artist, writer, and Therapeutic Touch
practitioner and teacher. She
lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico but sneaks off to the Adirondack mountains for
three months in the summer to get her fix of water and family. Fascinated with where the subtle
becomes physical, Eliza is always exploring that frontier in terms of well
being and being well. She is
increasingly comfortable with how much she doesn’t know.
Lynne Openshaw wrote her first book, Circle Dance,
with her sister Valerie. Circle Dance was a legacy of love fueled by
the desire to pass on to their children the traditions and experiences unique
to them as second generation Greek Americans. Lynne was raised in a
close-knit family surrounded by extended family and “adopted” family through
the Greek community. Both she and her sister wanted to leave a legacy for
their children and future generations of a bygone era. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Lynne
relocated to the New York area with her husband and children. In addition to
her writing, she is active in her church and local community. She
serves on the board of her town’s Women’s League – a philanthropic organization
dedicated to helping women and children. She is passionate about
education, reading, health, and wellness. She enjoys traveling,
spending time on the beach and taking walks with her family and their adorable
golden retriever. She has written for magazines and journals but her true
passion is fiction and currently, she is working on her next book, a thriller.
1 comment:
Thanks for playing, Lea! As always, I love reading your words and hope to be reading that book too before long. I shared this on facebook. xx Tricia
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