Reading at Mac's Backs

My first ever reading was at Mac's Backs on Jan 28th. It was a whirlwind for me which you can read about here. It was a wonderful evening, which was great, and then I kind of bottomed out the next day, feeling vulnerable and exposed. I guess it's all part of the process of writing memoir, especially memoir which deals with family secrets and dysfunction. I can't help but think it must be a completely different thing to write fiction.

I am so appreciative to everyone who turned out for the event.

I'll remember it forever.

My first reading is coming up Saturday

I posted this at Full Soul Ahead! today but it's relevant, so I'm posting it here as well.

This Saturday at Mac's Backs, I have my first reading ever. I'm trying not to over-think it. I'm trying not to under-think it. I want to be prepared. I sort of feel like I've gotten on a roller coaster ride and it's edging up the mountain and I'm all... on second thought....can we stop this thing? I'm not so sure about this. But it will all be okay.

It will be fine. Fine.

I know plenty of writers who do readings all the time and act like it's no big deal, but they must have had a first time. And I bet they were at least a little scared. And my book is really personal.

I'll be reading with another writer, Terre Maher. We spoke on the phone the other day and she seems lovely. That helps. We discovered in our conversation that we have much in common. Weird Stuff. No accidents stuff. I'll tell you about it after the reading, unless you live in Cleveland and want to come. Then you'll find out on Saturday.

Wish me luck. Wish that my lip or eye doesn't start to twitch. Wish that I don't read too fast. Wish that people show up. Wish that I wasn't such a nervous Nelly.

You know, it's strange. I used to work in radio. I had a White House press pass. I interviewed "important" people and my pieces were played on radio stations all over the country. Outwardly, I was intimidated by no one. I was once chastised by my boss for "not being awestruck enough" about covering the President's State of the Union address. My reply to him was,

"These Congressional Reps and Senators sit down on the can like everyone else."

One of my young colleagues almost did a spit-take over that one. The kahunas of my younger self astound me. But the bravado I used to carry around in my twenties has long since burned off. That's a good thing. Bravado is just masked insecurity afterall.

Now it's just me, being more real, which means sometimes being afraid.

Reading aloud from my memoir in public is a little scary but so what?

It will be fine. Fine.

It totally will.

Mac's Backs
7PM Jan. 28th
1820 Coventry Rd.
Cleveland Heights

Leah's Thoughts

Recently I had the honor of being interviewed by blogger Leah Singer. She is a voracious reader and I am so thrilled my book was her first read in 2012! Her blog is really beautiful, and her writing is gorgeous and inspiring and she just seems like one of those genuinely good, nice people!  

Thank you so much for supporting Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar Leah! I look forward to reading your book one day!

Jenny Rough's Virtual Book Group!

Jenny Rough and I met at a writing retreat several years ago. We clicked right away and have stayed in touch ever since. When we met, she had just left a law practice to pursue writing full time. It has been a pleasure to watch her writing career flourish. And boy has it!

Jenny recently hosted a book club on her blog featuring Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar.

Read about it here.

Thanks Jenny!

White Elephants Review

Great review of Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar at Chynna Laird's White Elephants blog!

I don't know Chynna, and have not read her books, (yet) but I respect her for tackling tough subjects, such as  bi-polar within the family and other stigma laden issues in her work. I've sometimes struggled with whether or not to share the very personal things I wrote about in my book, but ultimately I feel things must be talked about and brought out into the open in order for shame to be lifted.

Chynna seems to be on the same path. She also has a child with sensory processing issues, so we have that in common. I look forward to exploring her work.

Chynna T. Laird
LILY WOLF WORDS
www.lilywolfwords.ca 
www.the-gift-blog.com
www.seethewhiteelephants.com

Author of "White Elephants" http://eaglewingspress.com/whele.html 
Author of 'Blackbird Flies" (Now available on all online eBookstores)

Love your Kindle?

Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar is now available for purchase through Amazon's Kindle Store!

It is also available on Smashwords formatted for most e-reader devices (including Kindle) and of course in paperback on Amazon.

I love a book in hand, but have to admit I've been won over by the ease of e-books. Purchasing takes two seconds, and as someone who reads about five or six books at a time, it is so much easier to have them all in one place where I'm not losing them, or breaking my back lugging them around.

One woman reports she actually read my whole book on her iPhone! (And she liked it)! It's a whole new world out there.

Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar Video Trailer