Tag Archives: self-publishing

A Cheery Day, After All

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I’ve had a bit of a day here, dealing with a situation that’s proved impossible. (Just insurance, people, no one’s jumping off cliffs.)

(Yet.)

Anyway, I’ve put on one of my favorite Christmas music CDs (Neil Diamond’s Acoustic Christmas) and I’ve got my Peppermint Tootsie Roll Pop because chocolate and peppermint and Neil fixes everything. And now that I’m in a better place, I can tell you about my friend, Sonia, and her book.

If you’ve come over from The Muffin, then you already know Sonia. If you’re just popping in, then you’ll want to read “A Christmas (Publishing) Miracle.”

41Uy077Uf1L._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_Sonia calls me every day to ask if her books have been delivered (they’re coming Friday). Or to let me know that a friend has ordered the book (though I already know because I manage her bookshelf). And sometimes, she tells me what Father Sunny said (again). But really, Sonia just calls because she’s so darn excited. And because, though she wrote this book, I think she’s still in awe of what she’s accomplished. Sonia needs me to say, “Yep, the books are coming.” Or “Wow. You’ve sold two books!” Or even, “Father Sunny said that?!” But really, what I’m saying is, “Good for you, Sonia. You did it.”

I’m so very happy for her, and truly, it was a privilege to help her. When Sonia’s beloved husband died a few years ago, she was beyond devastated. She wasn’t interested in living in a world without Cipriano. But Sonia’s a woman of deep faith and she turned to that deep well of faith, the saints, and to the virtues that had been the constants in her life. And Sonia came back to life, back to her joyful self. This is the story she wrote about in Finding Joy in Giving Back to God. 

If you’re dealing with grief, here’s a little book of hope for you. And you can help the church in the Philippines grow because Sonia’s donating all the proceeds to the Fransalian Missionaries, Inc. in the Philippines (where she grew up). But you don’t have to buy Sonia’s book for a happy ending to this story. Sonia’s joy is back and that’s a wonder to behold. She cheers me up every day.

Even on a day when insurance thinks it will get the better of me. (But it hasn’t.)

(Yet.)

My Favorite Thing About May

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2014-08-12 15.16.02May came in with temperatures around 80 in my little corner of the world so wheeee! Bring on the heat! Bring on the flip flops, sunscreen, and sandals! Hand me a Popsicle or a long, cool beverage and then don’t bother me. I’ve got reading to do.

It’s not that I don’t read during colder temps; it’s just that I read snuggled up in bed (because duh, I’m cold) and before you know it, my eyelids are getting droopy. Bottom line, it takes me ever so long to finish a book when I do my reading late, late at night.

But when the sun’s shining and the deck’s nice and warm, I take my book (or Kindle) outside and Libs lounges about, too, watching me read. (And just so you know, I get all my writer business work done in the morning, and I write later in the afternoon, so I’m not a complete scofflaw.)

Lately, I’ve had a couple of self-pubbed books at the top of my To Be Read pile. And I thoroughly enjoyed these stories, even though they’re outside the genres I generally read. However, I do have a small bone to pick; you’ll have to zip over to The Muffin to read Self Publishing Pitfalls to get the details. And then you’ll have finished your work, too, and can join me for a lovely after-lunch read on the deck.

Wheeeee!