And the Oscar Goes To...

HOOPLA TIME in Hollywood, once again. I don't live anywhere near Hollywood so no hoopla here. Actually, I'm reluctant to admit it but I'm not even sure who is in the running this year. Wait. Come to think of it, I believe Meryl Streep is a nominee once again. There'd probably be even more hoopla if she weren't, right? It would be a different kind of hoopla though. A testy, indignant kind of hoopla. Like, why did The Academy "snub" the Meryl Streep? She's an icon, no doubt about it and if she grabs the gold once again, it won't surprise any of us, will it?  

I wonder if Ms. Streep gets tired of it all. Can you just picture her, behind closed doors murmuring to her husband that she'd much rather stay at home and play Scrabble than attend yet another gala? But am I picturing the real Meryl or the public persona? It gets confusing.

From Pinterest

Because I've never ascribed to Hollywood society, I can't imagine the quandaries of such an existence; a life with such drastic disparities between one's private and public selves. 

If the rules of memoir are adhered to, the reader is getting the real deal, devoid of fictionalized sensationalism. I like this. Although I tend to avoid memoirs written by the famous, I like learning about how people think and feel and deal with their personal yet universal dilemmas. 

No delusions of grandeur here. I've got my hopes of being published but I doubt Hollywood will be calling anytime soon. No, I don't expect to turn any famous heads but I'd gladly welcome a few of the Scrabble crowd , should they be interested. 

Below is the working title of my manuscript and a brief blurb. Does it pique your interest? 

PHANTOM'S MURMUR: FROM RAW NERVES TO REALITY. 

In the predawn hours of March 23, 1993, I woke to what would be 45 seconds of seismic rumbling that shook the house and shifted my lifelong distress from meddling to mind-numbing. As a wife and the mother of four kids, it was imperative that I get help. But rather than choose the freeway, I heeded a long-ago voice that had persuaded me to take a narrow, brier-lined "shortcut."  

As always,

On Pepsi, Puppies and YouTube

I'M SURE IT was intended to convey warm feelings. Family, sunshine, laughter in the backyard, grandma...and puppies! And food. Let's not forget the food. And to drink, why Pepsi, of course. 

It was 1975. The movie Jaws was all the rage. I had read the book before seeing the movie, trying my hardest to appear bookish like my older sister. But my life, at 15 was fraught with both inner and outer conflicts. I couldn't seem to attain the achievements of my peers. My list of self-imposed goals and aspirations were out of reach and the inner critic was a blaring cacophony of judgmental missives. I was too fat, I didn't have a boyfriend... that was about it. Not exactly lofty goals but when you're a teenager, your priorities are, well, shortsighted. It's true I didn't have a boyfriend, but I was far from fat.  

I was carrying a lot of baggage, even at this early age. And because I owned a season pass to the roller coaster of life, I was constantly up and down with no adult ears to help me sort it all out. I think this is the real tragedy--not having the wisdom of a caring adult at the ready to guide me and remind me that it was okay and that one day I'd understand. 

But a survivor must do what she's got to do and despite the fact that caring adults weren't at the ready, I found solace. The Pepsi commercial spoke to me. All these years later, I remember it. Not every detail but the puppies and the joyful giggles of an innocent little boy. How it broke me. I wrote about it a few years ago while in the early stages of crafting my memoir. 

A few weeks ago, thanks to the skill of Google and YouTube, I was able to locate it. The entire commercial. The first time I listened to it, I almost burst into tears with the bubbling of submerged emotions. Wow. Isn't it amazing what our computers are capable of? 

Here it is. (It's only 59 seconds.) Do you remember it? 

As always, 

A FEW POSTS AGO I wrote about using Pinterest to post photos of places I lived and make mention of in my memoir. Since that post, I've added one more "Board" specifically for posting facsimiles of long-ago personal items, like album covers and toys. To those of you who aren't frequenters of Pinterest, you probably can't see the allure. On the other hand, if you are, indeed a Pinterest affectionado, you understand. It's quite therapeutic.

A few days ago I was proofreading a chapter and came across a paragraph where I had written about a certain cereal I liked. So I made a note of it, then later, Googled it, clicked on "images" and voila, there it was! After a few copy/paste functions, I had it on my board. So easy a cave man can do it. 

I've found that this process is really helpful when you're not sure whether you can trust your memory or not. For instance, around the time I was in first grade, I remember wanting a "Kiddle" Doll. Sure enough. It was indeed a doll, manufactured by Matel in the 1960s and 70s. It's now also on my "board." 

Have a look around. The first three "boards" are devoted to images of my memoir. They continue to be an enjoyable work in progress.  

As always, 

Thanks for visting! 

Questions, Questions...

I'M CONFUSED. It's not a bad thing necessarily. It just is and I'm used to it now. I'm often confused. But for your health and well-being, I'll narrow my confusions down to just two for now. 

First, I'm seeing the term, "Indie" flung around a lot these days. It seems that it means different things to different people. (Or maybe it's me.) So, is an "Indie Author" someone who has published a book with an independent publishing company or someone who has "self-published"? Or both? I'm not sure. If you know, please enlighten me. 

The second quandary is much bigger and has global impact, evidenced by the daily emails I'm getting from Shelf Awareness and others. It deals with the Amazon online book selling method versus the brick and mortar traditional bookstore selling method. My questions: 

• Which, method is better for our economy? 
• Is there room in this country or world for both? 
• It seems every day I hear about another bookstore closing. People are blaming Amazon for cornering the market. Are people losing jobs or are the jobs just shifting? 
• Which method of book purchasing do you prefer?    

The ramifications aren't just felt by the consumer. Many authors are choosing to self-publish because they've found traditional publishers aren't biting. And there are authors who are quite vocal about their preference for self-publishing and the full control they have over marketing and royalties this method allows. 

From Pinterest

But many bookstores won't carry books by self-published authors. This leaves these authors relying on Amazon  and other online bookstores for sales, which grows Amazon and ends up hurting the bookstores.  

So whose fault is it? The bookstores? Amazon? The publishers? Sikes. I'm dizzy! 

And then there is the whole e-publishing model. Kindle sales went through the roof over the holidays. As more people shift to e-readers, the bookstores suffer. 

Gazing in your crystal ball, what do you see? It seems that a giant hand has flung the whole industry into the air and it hasn't quite come back to earth. When it does, will there be a harmonious collaboration or will there continue to be an us vs. them mentality?

After writing this post, I was alerted to this post by Poets & Writers, further illustrating the ongoing quandary or as some say, "war." 

In closing, I thought I'd lighten the mood a bit by offering this link. The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores In the World. As a passionate gardener, my favorites were, Cafebreria in Mexico City and Bart's Books in Ojai, California. Which is your favorite?  

As Always,