This summer I had a public reading to do at Joseph-Beth bookstore for my short story in the Appalachian Angels anthology. This wasn’t my first public reading, but because this was a huge bookstore, it sure felt like my first one. My heart pounded away, my nerves were as taught as violin strings, my palms were sweaty, and I had to concentrate on breathing correctly! I was a mess and the closer it came for my turn to walk to the podium and read into the microphone, the worse I got. There was another part of me that kept thinking how ridiculous I was being! Years ago, my husband worked in another store just a short walk from Joseph-Beth. While he was there, I’d go to Joseph-Beth and spend hours walking around, soak in the atmosphere, and feel that little ping of jealousy when authors were there to do their signings and readings. I secretly dreamed that one day I’d be able to do this, and then when I get the amazing opportunity, what do I do? Freak out.

So how did I end up handling it? I arrived at Joseph-Beth two hours early. I got out of my truck and stood in the parking lot and looked up at the huge bookstore letters sitting atop Lexington Green. I took in a deep breath and smiled. It was actually happening. I was here, getting ready to walk into this place as an author. My heart beat a little faster and I started having a daydream of walking up to the front to read and tripping and falling, or dry-heaving into the microphone as I tried to speak. I squinted my eyes shut for a second and shook the thought away. I was nervous as could be, but I told myself that I would refuse to let those kinds of thoughts ruin a long-awaited dream.

Since it was a Saturday afternoon the store was busy. There are two levels at this Joseph-Beth, and as I approached the escalator I looked ahead to see the Appalachian Angels banner hanging in all its glory from the top floor balcony. I’d brought my camera and took a picture. To the right of the escalator sat a long table showcasing the days list of visiting authors and their books. I got a little choked up. I spent time walking around the store, thinking back to those days when I was here to just walk around and dream. It helped settle my nerves. Then the editor came in with her black briefcase in hand, saw me, smiled, and grabbed me and hugged me. I pointed over the banister to the lower floor where Joseph-Beth had us set up for our reading. The butterflies in my stomach flared up, but I once again reminded myself that I was going to enjoy this day and take it all in.

We headed downstairs to meet with the bookstore employee handling our reading. Sylvia, the editor, helped her set up the podium and microphone. More authors from the book arrived and we all sat together waiting for the reading to start. I think this was the worst part for me. It took a lot to handle the height of my nerves at this point. A dear friend traveled an hour to come hear me read and as I handed her my camera to take pictures, my hand shook so hard that she grabbed it and looked straight at me and said, “It is going to be just fine. You’re going to do great.” I was so glad she was there. I was even happier I didn’t have to go first. I took a sip of my coke and then hated myself for it–I just knew I would be burping into the microphone now. There go my nerves again.

It came my turn to go up. I could hear my heart pounding in my head. I didn’t trip when I walked up to the podium. I smiled at the audience (all seats were filled) as I adjusted the microphone. I introduced myself, my story, and began to read. I didn’t dry-heave or burp, but read my story with the emotion and heart it deserved. It’s only a short story, and as I got to the last paragraph which is extremely emotionally charged, I heard the gasps and ohhs. They were listening, they heard my words not my nerves, and my story touched them. I finished reading, closed the book, looked up at the audience and smiled. My heart was still beating hard as they clapped. It was a wonderful dream realized. I hope I have more public readings in my future and I know I’ll still be nervous, but I will not let it overtake the excitement, happiness, satisfaction, and sharing that comes from this writer’s dream.

AJ Caywood

Posted on December 3rd, 2009 by AJ Caywood
Filed under: Author Events | 1 Comment »

I talked in an earlier post of the advantages of setting a story in your home town or a place you’re very familiar with. It’s often easy to weave some of this local color into your narrative. However when I travel interstate or overseas I always try to get to places that are off the beaten tourist track. I love investigating the way the locals live. I don’t just mean their houses or apartment blocks. I talk to them and whenever possible accompany them to the place where they work or to those where they enjoy their leisure. This includes nightclubs, cafes, community centers, parks etc.
Writers always endeavor to absorb the atmosphere of a place and the way of life of its inhabitants. They have a heightened awareness of their surroundings. They take photographs and make notes of things while they are fresh in their minds. They may not use this information right away. Perhaps they won’t even use it for years. But at some stage it will seep back into their minds and they will write a story around the vivid memories that are stored in their heads. On the other hand they might be inspired to write something straight away about sites and sounds they have experienced.
Whenever you travel to somewhere new, take in as much as you can of the place. Tune in to its vibes. Seek things that are out of the ordinary. Someday you’ll be glad that you did!

Posted on August 29th, 2009 by Pat Turner
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I was very pleased when a reader contacted me and said she found Finding Lilies on Pat Cromwell’s multicultural and IR reading lists. I had never thought of the impact Finding Lilies could make on readers who enjoy reading multicultural romances. When writing the book, I not only wanted to encompass a tale of first love, but I also wanted to write about social issues that can affect anyone regardless of social, economical, or racial boundaries. It is my hope that readers will not only enjoy the intense romance between Blake and Jackson, but will also appreciate the heart wrenching situations that Blake must bravely face while working as a social worker in inner-city Atlanta.

Posted on June 24th, 2009 by Kelly Clark Baugher
Filed under: News | 1 Comment »

One of the advantages of setting a story in your home town or city is that you can bring in a lot of local color. Perhaps you love your landscape, or perhaps you thinks it’s drab and uninteresting, but whatever it is skillful depiction of it will engage the reader. And writers often see what others don’t until they have it described to them. For instance, a commuter might see the same people and places everyday on their journey to work without giving much thought to them, but when they read a story about those very same people and places they are suddenly brought to life.

In the new novel I’m working on, I’ve included some descriptions of my city’s landmarks and the landscape of nearby semi-rural areas. It’s important not to just describe the landscape for the sake of it, but to make it an organic part of the story. Something that is just as integral to it as the characters, the plot and the narrative.

Look around at your familiar world and see what might be worthwhile adding to your own stories.

Posted on May 20th, 2009 by Pat Turner
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Recently, I’ve been re-reading some short story classics by women writers including Grace Paley’s Somewhere else; Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Eudora Welty’s Why I live at the PO and Where is the voice coming from? I was taken from small town America to Mao’s China. Once again I was amazed at the power and impact the short story can have when written by geniuses of the genre. I marveled at the way Eudora Welty’s story Where is the voice coming from? was told by a racist killer. I laughed at the socialist narrator’s amusing innuendo in Somewhere else. I felt again the chill in my veins as the true nature of the “lottery” unfolded in Shirley Jackson’s remarkable work. Reading stories of this caliber is incredibly rewarding and if anyone hasn’t experienced the delights on offer by these authors I urge them to give them a try.

Speaking of short stories, several anthologies by contemporary women writers have been published by DLSIJ Press. One, entitled Stomping Ground is available as a FREE download by clicking on the tab in the Blog Roll on the right. The others are available from the publisher’s website after making a donation to a worthy charity.

Posted on March 27th, 2009 by Pat Turner
Filed under: General | 1 Comment »