 Wisteria at my house |
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Dear Friends and Readers,
I’m very excited that we’ll have the first two books of the Pluto’s Snitch series back in print very soon. We have new covers designed by Pamela DuMond, great editing and proofing from Mahala Church, great interior design by Priya Bhakta. It takes a village to raise a Carolyn. Boy is that true.
It’s a process to bring a book back into print. The rights have to be reverted by the original publisher to the author (that would be me!). Then files need to be found or the book scanned into a Word file. Then it has to be edited, edited, edited. The conversion process causes a lot of wonky issues. I was lucky to have some files the publisher sent to me and some people who know a lot more about computers than I do. But anyway, that part is done for THE BOOK OF BELOVED. Mahala is reading THE HOUSE OF MEMORY, and we’ll have that up very soon.
THE BOOK OF BELOVED is available in digital and print form, and it is also available for a brief time in Kindle Unlimited, which means if you subscribe to the service, you can read the book for free. And if you don’t have KU, I believe today (March 31st) it is only .99 to purchase. I scheduled a Kindle countdown deal two weeks ago, so fingers crossed it launches at this special price today.
This summer I’m going to be exploring options to buy books directly from me. It sounds interesting—for digital books. I remember the good old days before Print on Demand and I do not want to be going to the post office every day to mail books out. I just don’t have the time. So I’ll investigate and report back to Priya, who is the brains behind this operation.
Also, it won’t be long before DOGGONE BONES will be for sale. I’m going to do a book signing downtown at The Haunted Book Shop—date to be determined. And I’m also going to sign with Mobile author Wanda Green at my local feed store, G&D Farms. Starla is a big supporter of books and reading and the feed store is a great place to visit and have a cup of coffee. There are some smart ladies planning this event, so I’m sure it will be terrific.
I’ve had a very, very hard time focusing this year on writing. It’s not writer’s block; it’s a lack of ability to hold a focus. My brain just sloshes around in my skull, accomplishing nothing. I know why this is happening, but I can’t change it. So, I’m going to have to figure out better mental skills to apply. I’ve published 80+ books. I love telling stories and writing. That love hasn’t changed. I just have to find the way to grab hold of it and let everything else disappear. A lot of my creative friends are going through the same thing. There is so much needless suffering all around me—Ukraine, Gaza, the millions of unwanted animals and children—totally unnecessary horrors inflicted on people and animals who are innocents. It’s hard to get past that. But I must! Send me focus juju.
My grandmother came to this country in 1896. She was only 6. She lived through the birth of her first child with a heart condition and no medical help, the death of another infant son, the 1918 flu, WWI, the Great Depression, the death of her husband, WWII, her youngest child with polio, the Korean War, Vietnam—the fact that people are capable of enduring so much and continuing to find pockets of joy amazes me. I have no choice but to continue and find that dang, stinky focus.
 Dolly and little Pearl sleeping |
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 Dolly |
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 Erik the cat |
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On the animal front, my foster Dolly is doing great. To get her ready for her new home (and it is the PERFECT home, I think) I hired Bark Busters to work with her (mostly they work with me because, yeah, it’s me!). She had her last heart worm shot in mid-March. I have done all I can do to make sure she has the best start possible. She is an older dog at 8, but she is whip smart and she will be a great protector of her human. Yes, it is only one dog, and I’ve put a lot of resources into her, along with my friends Stacey and Ashley. But for this one dog, we have changed her world to something joyful and filled with kindness. Please, please offer to foster dogs from the local shelters or rescues. It will enrich your life and save the life of the dog or cat or horse or possum or pig! Make a difference for the better.
Here’s a tune for St. Paddy’s Day: Great Big Sea – Night Patty Murphy Died. No one will be shocked to learn that my mama taught me this song and sent me to the second grade talent show to sing it. In a dry county. Ha ha ha. Right? Well, it was pretty darn funny. I upset a few people but a lot of people also thought it was brilliant. Learn to laugh.
Until next month-from Carolyn and the Critters.
