Coming Down the Mountain and Women on Writing: Nice words about Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar

It was so nice to stumble upon this blog post at Coming Down the Mountain:A Writer's Blog! Karen Gowen, writer of said post runs a website called celerytree.com, a gathering place for self-published authors to market and sell their books. I put Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar up on Karen's site a couple of months back, because I thought she offered a really nice opportunity for independently published authors to support one another. She didn't tell me about her post, I came across it when I mumble googled myself. Yes, I googled myself. There I said it. Don't act like you've never done it. It's a perfectly natural thing to do. And technically I didn't google myself, I googled my book.

I was also recently featured along with three other writers in an article by Chynna Laird for Women on Writing. It is about taboo topics. Chynna is a prolific writer and a survivor, and an amazing special needs mom. She blew the lid off of taboo topics with her own brave memoir, White Elephants. She tells her story with such grace and understanding for her mother who was mentally ill, and subsequently very abusive. I really recommend her book. The scene that is coming to me now is of a loving aunt, who took her in and loved her, and no doubt changed the way she looked at herself and the trajectory of her life.



Those of us who have survived childhood trauma know how important these people are. The ones who offer a leg up. The ones who see something of value in us, even if shame keeps us from seeing it in ourselves.

I just love writers supporting other writers in telling their stories. Thank you Karen. Thank you Chynna.

And thank you to my Grandmother Doris Wilson, who by being thrilled every time I walked in the door as a child, led me to believe I might be lovable and good.

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.