Judith Read's Blog

I consider myself a writer over a marketer. It's a lot less stressful and I'm not the first to say so. Sure, I can get word of mouth going, attend local author events as well as relying on platforms like Amazon and Goodreads. Keep your readers up to date is a rallying cry. It's with that in mind that I revisit this site.
So what's so great about "Etta's Way,"? For starters, it's a Canadian book in every sense. Whether you are a fellow Canuck or not, you will be entertained by the locales, the people and the story. It takes place in the 1960s, a unique time of great transitions in society, that trickles down to small town Ontario. It recalls over forty years in the life of it's heroine, a woman whose fortitude is astounding. And the beautiful thing is, she has no idea how great her strength is.
Reviewers have taken the time to explain why "Etta's Way," gave them a look back in time as well as hope for the future.

I consider myself a writer over a marketer. It's a lot less stressful and I'm not the first to say so. Sure, I can get word of mouth going, attend local author events as well as relying on platforms like Amazon and Goodreads. Keep your readers up to date is a rallying cry. It's with that in mind that I revisit this site.
So what's so great about "Etta's Way,"? For starters, it's a Canadian book in every sense. Whether you are a fellow Canuck or not, you will be entertained by the locales, the people and the story. It takes place in the 1960s, a unique time of great transitions in society, that trickles down to small town Ontario. It recalls over forty years in the life of it's heroine, a woman whose fortitude is astounding. And the beautiful thing is, she has no idea how great her strength is.
Reviewers have taken the time to explain why "Etta's Way," gave them a look back in time as well as hope for the future.

Birthdays have a way of showing up each year. A good thing, no matter how many we’ve had. As we age, they hold a special significance. There’s the old bucket list looming ahead in some cases. Mine is fairly simple, one last time hiking the Niagara Gorge, creating a distinctive abstract painting, a day trip to some of my childhood haunts, and compiling a collection of  fiction short stories to publish. There is one wish though, that my body won’t allow, climbing up and straddling a horse for a bridle trail ride. This is something I haven’t done since I was fifteen years old. Unknown to me, a new adventure not on the list awaited

My daughters know I am no fan of our Southern Ontario winters, so they watched with glee as I opened their Christmas card to reveal a combined Christmas/ birthday gift to fly to Cancun, Mexico! We would leave in less than three weeks and I was gobsmacked. What would I pack? Where did I put my summer clothes? Would they still fit after all my holiday indulgences? Lucky for me I still have an active passport and the kids know their way around an airport much better than I do.

I couldn’t imagine a more wonderfully relaxing time. Sure, the weather was hot and sunny, but it was the hospitality that blew me away. The resort was all-inclusive with everything laid on. We had our own facilitator, a lovely young woman who answered any questions and made note of anything we desired. We had lush views of the pools, abundant greenery and of course the ocean. A photographer’s paradise and I took full advantage of that.

There were sumptuous buffets at any time of the day. Beautiful, well-appointed restaurants offering succulent cuisine from a variety of cultures. Each evening, guests gathered around the open air bars to view main stage entertainment from Karaoke to a Michael Jackson tribute. We perused an artisan market along the promenade between hotels. Silversmiths plied their gorgeous creations of rings, bracelets and necklaces next to exotic, silky clothing and scarves. Wood carvings and ceramic paintings were designed while we watched in wonder.

As we lounged around the pool, tropical drinks in hand, we planned a day-long island excursion through a trip co-ordinator. We would travel by catamaran to Isla Mujeres, a small remote island, best traveled by golf carts. There we observed the ruins of a Mayan temple, with a backdrop of blue sky and churning ocean waves below. Our golf cart followed the other revellers around the island, stopping for photos or cold refreshments.

The last day of our holiday was my birthday. I was told reservations were made for lunch and dinner. What surprised me was strolling up to our cabana to see our pool attendant, Demaris, making a card for me out of funneled sand on a beach towel! Not only that, a yellow birthday banner hung over our lounges with a coiled towel cake and gold ribbons taking centre stage. Our final cuisines were Italian for lunch and grilled Surf and Turf for dinner. Platters of colourful sushi were brought to our table, along with appetizers too numerous to mention. I didn’t know where I would find room for the entree of snow crab and octopus that was fired up by the chef at our table. Our server appeared to enjoy our attempts at Spanish and laughed when we declined dessert by grinning and holding up our hands.

I’m not a world traveler by any means, but I can’t imagine finding more hospitable, welcoming people than our hosts in Cancun.

“Adios mis queridas amigas!”

Everyone has heard that the best way to have a successful business is through word of mouth. A satisfied client or customer will happily spread the word. This wise and wonderful saying has been proven many times in my own life. It might be the best place to shop for discount shoes, a holiday to a warm destination that won’t break the bank, or a recommendation for the best local eatery. The list is endless, especially in our modern age of instant information.

Does this strategy work for book sales? Most definitely. Look at the proliferation of book clubs, online book chats, author interviews, book signings, book launches. Not sure if you want to spend money on a new author? Simply pull up their book online and read what other authors say about it. Parse the synopsis, consider the weight of the tagline or hook, maybe check out accolades from publishers, magazines, or book critics.

Reader reviews are another matter. This is where the nitty gritty emerges. Some readers shout praises to the skies, while others may trash a book. There are the anonymous, who may venture a rating out of five stars, but that’s all. Or if they are braver, commit to a comment like; “I really liked this book.” Or possibly, “I really didn’t like this book.” They may use an alias, especially if they throw caution to the winds and proclaim, “This book was a big zero. I spent $29.95 for a thriller and it was a drag. I was not thrilled at all.” Some reviews are short like these, others do an extensive critique, pointing out the good, the bad and the ugly. Fortunately there are review spoiler alerts for those readers still toying with the idea of buying the book.

Do you write book reviews? You may well ask me this. Yes, I do on occasion. If a book blows me away I want to let the author know it, but before I hit the keyboard, I go to their splash page and find reader reviews, if they exist. This way I can compare my take on the work with others’ opinions. If I’m disappointed, I will let the author know why, but balance things by telling them what I did like about their writing.

Something that’s very important when formulating blurbs, (those one or two lines on the cover that emphasize genre) is to deliver what is promised. A novel touted as suspenseful, edge of your seat, unputdownable (I have seen that word!) should be just that. Or more. Don’t forget the competition.

On a personal level, I have self published three stand alone books with another on the way. There are not a lot of reviews, but the ratings are good so far. Granted, most of these readers know me and want to continue to know me, so the comments are safe. Seriously, I was hoping for some new readers, who wouldn’t hesitate to let it all hang out. I know you’re out there and I’d love to hear from you.

Let me put it this way, if you find one of my books online, and you’re drawn to the cover, the story description, you take a sample read, order the e-book or even the paperback, read it, then tell someone about it, great! A review? Wowza! If you weren’t happy with it, I’d like to know why? Writing is an ongoing learning experience. My goal is to give readers the best book for their buck. It’s well worth it.

Niagara on the Lake, February 24, 2020 for the NOTL Writers Awards evening.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been posting much over the last few months. I had the last minute heady push to get my third book out which happened in mid-July. Prior to that, I was getting a strong feeling that things weren’t going well for my dear critique partner’s health.

We had a friendship built over the past five years with the love of writing’s challenges carrying us through mostly by phone. Now I was busy preparing to move to my daughter’s home in Hamilton. It was a financial decision, thanks to inflation. “To eat or not to eat?” It would be exciting to be around my family, but I was also looking forward to living in the same city as my friend. A win-win situation; he wanted my input on his long term manuscript and he was very interested in my new manuscript.

In my six years of slogging through the mire of rejections, of trying to understand the marketing game, of wondering if the whole thing was worth it, he was the only one who understood my writing and the value of it. Not in terms of profit, but of therapy. This was a person, my person, as I came to think of him, whose elation over my characters, plots and descriptions rode forefront over his own. Amazing.

A month ago his diagnosis turned out to be terminal cancer. He’d been in and out of hospital with his final surgery giving the terrible news.Thanks to family and friends who drove me to Hamilton, I was able to have a few short visits with him before I moved to this city. I tried not to cry, but I did. He told me he was sorry he wouldn’t get to see my latest work published. It didn’t surprise me, him thinking of me instead of himself.

Last Sunday evening, surrounded by his family in hospice, he passed away. If they should ask for help in completing his book I would be honoured to do my best for him. Although the thought of writing makes me sad now, I know he would want me to continue. Like he often said to me, “Just stop complaining and write!”

The urge to write. It had made an occasional appearance throughout my life, but once I retired from teaching, I had no excuse. I joined a meetup writers group which gave me a greater insight into the craft by sharing other members’ experiences. In time we formed good friendships beyond writing.

After a few months of weekly meetings, our leader suggested a get away for those who could find the time and money for a weekend of dedicated pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Our destination was a sprawling lakeside manor only an hour away. At the turn of the century it had housed a religious order. Six of us signed up for this adventure. We were on our way!

An avenue of red maples led up the long driveway to tall, white Doric columns that framed a massive portico. We entered in wonder to view beautifully decorated rooms off a sumptuous main lobby. A wide curving staircase wound its way to the second level where our guest rooms awaited. Once settled in our respective lodgings, we went downstairs for further exploration; floor to ceiling windows on the ground floor faced a broad expanse of lush lawn leading down to the lake. It was getting late, so we saved further views until the morning.

It was hard to sleep in a place that grand, but the gentle roll of the waves outside gradually lulled me to slumber. After breakfast, we chose separate rooms to whet our writing appetites and to knuckle under. Our writer chat would take place in the boat room at the end of the upper hall. A room with a boat? Strange, but sure enough there it was, a gleaming wooden canoe mounted before a long lakeside window. We arranged ourselves along an old trestle table, drinking in the unusual atmosphere before sharing what we had written.

Cat Ranch was my work in progress at the time, but on my walks around the stately grounds,  ideas for a new book wormed its way into my head. This estate would be the perfect setting for a book about a well organized writing retreat. A drama of some sort. Murder mystery, suspense maybe? With all those hallways and rooms the possibilities for guests to get into trouble were endless.

Once I was back home, I started an outline for a psychological drama. I had read so much of this genre over the years, I figured our recent lakeside experience would inspire me to write something suitably creepy, without going overboard. I pictured a successful, well-known author as host to an adoring group of fan writers over a summer weekend. Like us, they would be awed by their surroundings. Some could be regulars. Only this year’s retreat would be different. It would buzz with a sinister undercurrent of misogyny, anger and fear. A weekend the guests would never forget..for all the wrong reasons.

And so, three years later, I self-published “Claddagh Hall: A Nest of Writers.” Handsome crime author Terrance Mayville eagerly awaits your arrival.

I often awaken in the middle of the night with a song pulsating through my head. It may derive from an earlier trip to the grocery store, some T.V. commercial, (like Pampers’ desecration of Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild,”) or more recently, “The Lonely Bull,” by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. This lively tune came out of the blue. I hadn’t thought of this illustrious man and his talented group for years.

As it turned out, this song would lead me on a path to an unexpected conclusion. My next nudge came when I was searching biographies on Tubi for musical greats. Up came Herb Alpert, with his trumpet of course and a complete update as to what he’s been doing all these years. I tuned in, quite happy for some jazzy vibes and his gorgeous smile. The bio is called “Herb Alpert Is.” It’s well worth the watch. The following was my takeaway.

Herb Alpert is more than a fantastic trumpet musician. Years back he worked in recording studios, promoting new talent like Sam Cooke and eventually joined record producer Jerry Moss to form A&M Records. Word got out about what a fresh new label it was. Over the years they signed names like The Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Carole King, the Police, Peter Frampton and Janet Jackson to name only a few.

When Alpert decided to launch his own instrumental group, he knew they would need a recognizable sound. On a whim he attended a bullfight in Mexico where the crowd’s jubilant roar inspired the brass sound that would be their trademark hit after hit over the following years. Thus their first album, “The Lonely Bull,” was born.

Sergio Mendez and Brasil ‘66 were invited to front the group when they started touring. Their Latin/Portugese jazz vibe complimented the Tijuana Brass, plus they featured two beautiful young female vocalists, one of whom was lead singer Lani Hall, a teenager at the time. The Alperts love story is a beautiful one. Lani is now 77 and Herb 88 years old. They are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

A week after watching his musical biography, I came across a box of old albums in a thrift store. The LP that jumped out at me was the sensational “Whipped Cream and Other Delights.” You may recall the sexy beauty seated low, covered in nothing but a white froth. (Alpert claims that it’s shaving cream.) With an album cover considered risque for the times (remember the band appealed to all ages), it became the surprise number one album of 1966, even outselling the Beatles.

My path was coming to its conclusion. While scrolling news bits on my phone I caught sight of a feature article via the Hamilton Spectator. Herb Alpert and his wife Lani Hall were starting a tour through Eastern Ontario and the U.S. After Toronto, their next stop was the FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton on Mother’s Day! One of my daughters lives a few blocks from there. I was pumped and gave her a call. Within minutes she bought our tickets. (My last live music concert was twelve years ago when Gordon Lightfoot came to Kitchener.)

Stage lights flashed, then glowed. The audience cheered as the backup musicians tuned up while Lani and Herb made their way to centre stage. The couple quickly made friends with the crowd, Herb played top tunes sprinkled throughout the evening, Lani sang a spellbinding melody from the Broadway show, “Rent”. A backdrop of Alpert’s modern artscapes and sculpture he created, gave a window into the man’s ongoing love of artistic culture.

Grateful for their own blessings, Herb and Lani have been giving back where it counts. In 2010 The Harlem School of the Arts in Manhattan was about to close its doors due to financial hardship. When the Alperts heard about this, he underwrote financial assistance through the Herb Alpert Foundation to save it. To date Herb and Lani have donated over 19 million dollars to the school.

And just think. It all started with a lonely bull.

I remember feeling quite grown up when I received my first library card. We lived at Clare’s Corners, back then, at the intersection of Thorold Road and South Pelham Street. Our rural branch was only a short walk away, but I could only go with an adult. Going to the library was an occasion back then, and happily still is for me.

Fast forward sixty years, when I had a new library experience. Welland’s Central Library downtown now schedules an annual day to recognize the contributions of local authors. As a regular library visitor, I know they have a prominent display of local authors’ books, but this was something I didn’t expect. I received an email asking if I would like to bring my books to sell or display. The library would provide tables and chairs for participants.

My writer friend Jan and I walked over on Saturday, just before 10 a.m. to set up. I expected a few card tables with a couple of folding chairs in the hallway. Instead, there were two long rows of meeting tables opposite each other inside. I did a quick count and was pleased to see we would be joined by ten other writers. Our seats were marked by clear acrylic name signs. We were gifted with library logo pens, little paper pads, lip balm and a smart navy book bag to carry our goodies home.

Annie Ferguson, Adult Services Co-ordinator, welcomed us with a big smile, thanked us for coming and answered our questions. A room down the hall provided hot and cold drinks, with yummy muffins and cookies from Tim Hortons.

As the entryway filled, I made my way around to schmooze a bit with the authors and check out their books. The variety of genres was exhilarating. Fantasy, Self Help, Memoir, Mystery, Humour, Young Adult fiction, Children’s Literature. We had two hours before the readings and it flew by. The buoyancy of the crowd made me think that this was a new experience for others too. Everyone was eager to share about their writing journey, but more importantly, they were interested in other’s forays into the unique world of scribes.

Authors’ short readings were voluntarily given in the lounge. We were treated to a number of lively excerpts that prompted laughter and applause. One children’s writer acted out a picture book to the delight of all, big and small.

Too soon it was time to say good-bye. We gathered our things, exchanged last minute information, profusely thanked Annie and wended our way home, recharged and invigorated.

 

Author Janice J Richardson with her cat, who looks strikingly like my Cubby!

“Thank you for joining us today Jan.”

“Thank you for having me.”

Q. “I’m going to dive right in and ask. What prompted your writing journey as an older adult?”        

A. “That old saying, ‘Write what you know.’ I had years of training and experience in funeral directorship. I sat at my desk one day and started to write a book about a young woman who inherited her uncle’s funeral home. To my surprise, this laid the groundwork for a cozy mystery series of four books.”

Q. “How would you define a cozy mystery?”

A. “Cozies” as these books are called, have an amateur sleuth who is often pulled unwittingly into a murder mystery. There is no bad language, violence or sexual content in these stories. Often the locale is a quaint little town, possibly by the seaside or lake, with a cast of memorable characters. The television series, “Murder She Wrote,” was early writing of this nature.”

Q. “How did the “Cozy” emerge as a popular sub genre?”

A. “Cozy readers are looking for a satisfying read that poses a problem, like a dead body.  Through a clever investigation, the culprit is found and the case is solved.These books usually come in a series.”

Q. “I’ve heard that self publishing has been the cozy writers’ best friend. What are your thoughts?”

A. “The rise of independent/self published books have opened doors for a surge of would be authors. All that’s required is a desire to write a book, get it edited, proofread, formatted and printed with an eye-catching cover of the writer’s choosing. If amateur writers can’t do all this, and many don’t have those skills, they can hire the services of a professional, but it is expensive. As an author, you know that Amazon paved the way for indie authors to get their ebooks and paperbacks into the hands of readers all over the world.”

Q. “Your first book, “The Making Of A Funeral Director,” was a memoir. In it you recounted the challenges a mature female student faced in that industry. How have times changed since you graduated from Humber College 30 years ago?

A. “There are definitely more female funeral directors today. There are now four licenced levels of funeral service. Class One directors do the embalming. Class Two directors do not embalm. The other positions are Transfer Service and Funeral PrePlanner. Cremations have surpassed burials since the 1990s.”

Q. “Last year your novel,“Fading Expectations” was published. The story is based upon your own experiences raising children with special needs in the 1970s and 1980s. What message did you want to convey in that book?

A. “Raising children with special needs is a full-time job which often falls on the mother’s shoulders. It’s heart-breaking at times when your child does not meet developmental milestones, is frequently hospitalized and there’s limited support. Feelings of inadequacy haunted the character Joyce, as she struggled with innumerable appointments with professionals such as medical providers, therapists, advocates and school personnel, leading her to eventually pull her son from school.”

Q. “Your newest series, “SAM (Suddenly A Millionaire”) was written during the pandemic. It follows a senior woman who finds herself the lottery winner of $53,000,000. What moved you into such a different genre from your previous books?”

A. “I needed to write something light for a change.”

Q. “When you’re not writing, what else do you like to do?”

A. “I love getting together with friends for coffee and good conversation. Walking keeps me active and when I want to relax, my kittybrat, Vegas is more than ready to cuddle.”

Q. “Speaking of coffee chats, if you could have one with anyone famous, who would that be and why?”

A. “Well, I have to say, Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. I believe she is a role model for women. The other person would be Caimh McDonnell, an Irish novelist who primarily writes comic crime fiction.”

“I’m looking forward to reading what Sam’s going to do with all that money, Jan. Thanks again for sharing with us.”

“My pleasure Judith.”

Check out Jan’s profile on Goodreads. Her books are available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, etc.

The push to re-use, re-purpose and recycle is not new. Though today it’s more ecologically based, the “waste not, want not” strategy has been around for many years. On a personal level, my first forays into the world of second hand buying started in the Sixties. I had the advantage of knowing my way around a sewing machine which meant I could alter, repair or redesign clothing. There were thrift shops, used furniture stores, church rummage sales, garage sales and much later online markets to search.

Over the years I have been attracted to the same kind of item. Chairs would charm me, I swooned over small purses, glass topped tables beckoned, cherrywood furniture cheered me. There were silver and bronze chunky picture frames, stone and metal garden statuary, and large trays made from wicker, wood or ceramic that worked well for my interior decorating.

These days friends come over and remark about a recent acquisition of furniture or ornamentation in my apartment. Most often I have made these discoveries on my travels, which is another way of saying the goods are not new. When I tell them the cost, because I’m proud of a bargain, they’re surprised.

On a whim, I thought I’d share here some of the pieces that I have acquired over the years. I have a one bedroom apartment with 900 square feet of living space. For me, minimalist decorating with furniture works best. Rooms tend to look larger with well chosen pieces and there’s more space for movement. I admit to downsizing for some of my relocations. That’s fun because my children and friends can be the recipients of age old finds that I still see in their homes.

LIVING ROOM

$ 10.00              Ebony wood tall four drawer chest.

$  7.00               Retro style one drawer ornate table.

$125.00             Retro style cherrywood desk with matching chair.

$ 80.00              2 Art Deco style wood and glass end tables.

$ 10.00              Ornately carved wood and brocade chair.

$ 70.00              Art Deco style cherrywood electric fireplace.

Found                Red matte painted bar chair.

$ 20.00               2 brushed metal table lamps

DINING AREA

$ 25.00             Round glass top dining table with steel accent and 4 cherrywood legs.

$ 15.00             2 ebony wooden chairs.

$  8.00              Folding black vinyl and wood dining chair.

$ 40.00             Cherrywood serving table on brass casters.

Found.             Metal Blue Heron garden sculpture.

$ 25.00            2 large ornately framed paintings.

BEDROOM

Found.              Natural wicker laundry basket with lid.

$  4.00              Cherrywood 2 drawer night table

$ 10.00             Large framed landscape photo.

$ 50.00             Mocha brown olefin wing-backed armchair.

The larger furniture to complete these spaces was purchased brand new on sale. I love the slogan, “One person’s trash is another one’s treasure.”

Thanks for joining me and happy hunting!