Everything's fine. Or not.

If my life was a song, the refrain would be “Everything’s fine.” I am that person. The one who tries to put a positive spin on every person and event. Part of it is wanting everything to be fine and the other part is not wanting to worry people with my problems. So I’ve been singing “Everything’s fine” for years. Even when things were not. It just seemed easier.

My writing reflected that refrain. Fiction, articles, essays…none of my writing was dark. Yes, there was the occasional murder in a short story but it was always bad people who died, not innocents. I was the Pollyanna of the writing world. Even when I wrote about things in my life that were less than ideal, I always added a hopeful twist to balance out the negatives. Or more often, I would ignore the negative aspects of my life, focusing on the things that made me happy.

Because there are so many things in my life that make me happy: family, friends, art, nature, travel. When writing, I am never at a loss for a new subject.

But I’m getting too old to leave a portion of my life unwritten. I started writing about my fear, my anger, my failure. It started as middle-of-the-night letters to myself to get all the emotions out so I could finally sleep.  I guess it was my homegrown version of therapy. Then I began thinking, “Would other people read this?”

Of course, that was followed by, “Do I want other people to read this?”

Slowly, I’ve started polishing certain pieces into essays and sending them out into the world. Although it’s a part of myself few people have met, it is powerful. I’m still conflicted about the reaction of my loved ones if any of my middle-of-the-night writing is published. So I started out with flash essay contests. I didn’t win anything, but just sharing it with the contest judges was a big leap for me. Yesterday, I sent an essay to a dream market of mine: The Sun Magazine. So I’m seesawing between “Yes! What if it gets chosen?” and “Oh, no. What if it gets chosen?”

Have you found it difficult to share writing about aspects of your life you normally keep hidden?

Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to tea to butterflies.  She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing and a writing tutor at her local university. Get to know her @jodiwebbwrites,  Facebook and blogging at Words by Webb. 

Read More »

2 comments Jodi M. Webb, personal essays, trauma

Owning Our Stories

Photo by Noelle Otto from Pexels

There are times I haven’t wanted to own my story. But as I was attending a webinar on how to put together a social media plan from Jasmine Star, owner of the company Social Curator, I realized it may be better to focus on telling the story of who I really am. Jasmine makes no bones about the fact that she is the daughter of immigrants and went to college on a scholarship. She hustles, she says, because she wants to break that cycle of struggle for her family. I’m doing the exact same thing myself, but I’m normally to hesitant to share that part of myself with others because I’m embarrassed. 

My husband had to participate in the “Privilege Walk” exercise that many colleges and workplaces are conducting, where participants learn how power of privilege affects their lives, even if they don’t realize it. He told me that based on the statements that were given out, I would have had to take multiple steps backward during the exercise. He wanted me to be mindful of that whenever I get down on myself. 

 Some of the directions included, "Take a step backward if:"

 

• If you have been divorced or been impacted by divorce (my mother was divorced twice) 

• If there have been times in your life where you skipped a meal because there was no food in the house 

• If you had to take out student loans to attend college 

• If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke or statement you heard related to your race, ethnicity, gender, appearance, or sexual orientation but felt unsafe to confront the situation 

• If you have ever felt unsafe at night walking alone 

I’ve had friends who have joked with me before about how many writing gigs I take on. They wonder why I feel the need to do so much all the time. I don’t tell them it’s because I worry that I will one day go hungry again and don’t want my kids to feel like they can’t apply to the colleges of their choice. I don’t tell them that I worked my behind off all through college because I was grateful just to be there and needed to make money for basic living expenses. I realize by staying I may be doing other women like me a disservice by not speaking up. 

Yes, I’m Mexican American. Yes, I had a grandmother who worked as a housekeeper for a family in Texas. Yes, I had blue collar parents who never attended college. No, I didn’t have health or dental insurance as a child. No, there wasn’t a college fund waiting for me when I graduated from high school. No, I’ve never inherited money from a relative, nor will I ever. I had terrible math grades in high school and didn’t do so well on my SATs, but I also didn’t have access to tutors that could have helped give me an edge. Reading and writing are the only things that have come to me naturally, so I’ve leaned on those skills to help me survive and accomplish the things I have. 

Whether we like to admit it or not, having some of these things give us an inherent privilege over others. By speaking out and working to break the generational cycles of poverty, we can help give those who follow us a better chance at telling and triumphing over their own stories.

What's your story?

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and freelance magazine editor who also hosts the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. Visit her website at FinishedPages.com.

Read More »

5 comments overcoming adversity, owning our stories, personal essays, Renee Roberson, the writing life

Linda Petrucelli, 2nd Place Creative Nonfiction Winner, Started with a Writing Prompt

For most of her adult life, Linda Petrucelli has lived on islands—Taiwan, Manhattan, and Hawaii. Being surrounded by water suits her. Her story, “Figure Eight on the Waves,” won first place in the WOW! Women on Writing Fall 2018 Flash Fiction Contest. Her fiction and personal essays have appeared in KYSO Flash, Flash Fiction Magazine, Memoirist Magazine, and MacQueen’s Quinterly among others. Linda writes from her tin-roofed rancher on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island. She posts her flash fiction at jackrabbitfiction.com.

Linda's winning essay is "Ballsy," which you can read here.

WOW: Hi Linda! Congratulations on your win, and thank you for letting us pick your brain today. What led you to write this essay?

Linda: I keep rambling lists of my life superlatives. The lists come in handy when I need to dredge my memory for subjects to write about. Spinal fusion appears as number one on “The Weirdest Things I’ve Had Done to my Body.”

WOW: Maybe your list could lead to a lot more interesting essays! You start in an interesting way with the stat on tennis balls, and throughout the essay, you include some information about these little yellow spheres. What made you write about your topic in this way?

Linda: "Ballsy" came in response to an exercise from an online writing class I was taking with Chelsey Clammer. She posted a quirkily brilliant writing prompt: Use five facts to describe an everyday object that carries great emotional meaning exclusively to you.

I knew almost immediately that my object would be a tennis ball because I had been hoping to write about my back surgery, but didn’t exactly know how. Those fuzzy yellow orbs became a metaphor of my infirmity, Arranging the story around tennis ball facts suggested parts of the narrative, especially my relationship with my husband, that I had never considered. Those facts opened narrative doors I would never have thought to enter.

WOW: That is so awesome that this essay started from a writing prompt in Chelsey's class! You also chose to write in second person, "you," instead of first person "I." Is this how the essay started? What led you to this strong choice?

Linda: I had been reading Mayra Hornbacher’s essay, "Strip." At one point in the essay, she moves from first POV into the second, and I remember feeling how close I felt drawn in to her and her story. “You” became “Me.” I think that (intense) reading experience and desire to create intimacy with the reader were elements of my decision.

WOW: Reading is one of the best things you can do for your craft. You've also won first place in our flash fiction contest, and so we can tell that you are a dedicated, well-rounded, and talented writer. Do you have a preference between fiction or nonfiction writing? Do you think one helps you perfect the other?

Linda: When I started exploring creative writing a few years ago, I began with fiction. I never even considered memoir or the personal essay because, as I look back now, I was horribly self-conscious writing about myself. Yet, my early fiction always contained an autobiographical seed grounded in my life—a recurring dream, a memory a troubled relationship.

Last year, I began to see that writing about my life, sharing my opinions and preserving memories, was oddly therapeutic. I fell in love with the literary power of “a true story." And, what’s neat is that for those life experiences I have trouble publicly owning, or that might damage a relationship, fiction allows me to tell that story and still preserve a certain privacy.

WOW: That's a great point. What's next for you and your writing career?

Linda: To realize my writing dream…Pens on fire! Ruthless truth and prismatic prose. Forgiving myself over and over again when my initial clumsy attempts disgrace the glorious ideas in my head.

WOW: Thank you, Linda, for this delightful interview. Here's to your dream! 

Read More »

7 comments personal essay, personal essays, personal writing stories, winner interview

An Introduction to an Exciting New Anthology: My Body, My Words

My Body, My Words is an anthology that brings a chorus of strong voices to the fight of learning to love your body and yourself! The list of writers contributing to this book includes Beverly Donofrio (Riding in Cars with Boys), Martha Frankel (Hats and Eyeglasses), Abigail Thomas (What Comes Next and How to Like It), and many more. My Body, My Words will offer readers and educators the unique experience of finding all of these voices in one place.

We are lucky to speak with the editors today, Loren Kleinman and Amye Archer. Loren's non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Ploughshares, ROAR, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Seventeen Magazine, USA Today, Redbook, Woman’s Day, BUST, and more. Amye's memoir, Fat Girl, Skinny, was named runner-up for the Red Hen Press Nonfiction Manuscript Award and was released in April, 2016, by Big Table Publishing Company. She is a regular contributor to Feminine Collective and is the creator of The Fat Girl Blog.

WOW: We are so excited to get a chance to chat with you on The Muffin today! And we are so excited about your new anthology, My Body, My Words, (MBMW) too! So let’s start off with this: What will readers gain from the stories and poems in this book? 

Loren and Amye: We expected weight to be the most prominent (topic), so we were very surprised when it wasn't. We received many weight submissions, but we received an overwhelming amount of essays on aging, illness, mental health, and more. I think we were surprised by the spectrum of pain and pride people feel for their bodies. We’ve said this before, but when you struggle most of your life with weight, your perception of body image is focused solely on fat vs. not fat. This book opened our eyes to the shared burden of being human.

WOW: What an amazing experience for you and for readers! Why are the themes you explore--chronic illness, depression, age, weight, sexual identity, and more—so important to address in today’s society?

Amye

Amye: The #metoo movement happened while we were still building this book. It challenged our thinking in that we wondered if it should be an anthology exclusively reserved for women. In the end, however, we wanted to include voices from other genders since we really wanted this to be a collection of humanity. Excluding anyone would have been a mistake in the current climate-when we need to respect everyone's agency.

Loren: To expand on what Amye has said, I think how men and women accept their bodies starts from the top. Our models, including the American media, politicians, and businessmen and women, promote excessive lifestyles filled with violence, power, and over the top sexuality. Like Amye said, this extreme living has affected our bodies in ways that we are aware of and ways we are not.

For instance, research is continuing to prove the effects of social media on our body image and self worth. In a 2016 Time article called "How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror" by Rachel Simmons, the study, "Contingencies of Self-Worth and Social-Networking-Site Behavior" is referenced. Simmons notes: “Visual platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat deliver the tools that allow teens to earn approval for their appearance and compare themselves to others. The most vulnerable users, researchers say, are the ones who spend most of their time posting, commenting on and comparing themselves to photos.” The study she references revealed “female college students who did this on Facebook were more likely to link their self-worth to their looks.”

Loren

I realize that sexual abuse has been evident for years, but I think now more than ever, the narrative, as a result of social media use, is that any person can be reduced to "like." People are disposable, and they’re for our viewing pleasure. Rather than be treated as human beings with thoughts, feelings, goals, bodies, we are either clickable or not; we are either sexy or not. I think the #MeToo narrative is challenging this notion, and bringing back personhood, personal stories; and by doing this, the consequence is that we return to a more stable, balanced place of remembrance, which is a return to our humanity. MBMW is that return to humanity, to the body we call home, and its beautiful fragility.

WOW: Everything you are saying is so true. It would be great if we could grow as a society and learn to see past how someone looks. How did you go about collecting and choosing the pieces for this anthology?

Loren and Amye: We both write a lot about our relationships with and to our bodies. We had read a few times together and discovered that we really had a literary kinship. We knew we wanted to work together, so it seemed natural to focus on the body since that is something we are both so passionate about.

We started with a simple idea: if you could talk to your body (and if your body could hear you), what would you say? From there, the idea just grew and grew.

WOW: We are sure that you love each and every selection because as editors, you have worked with these writers and chosen them for your beautiful book. But can you each highlight one or two titles that really hit home for you and tell us why?

Loren and Amye: We feel incredibly honored to be allowed entry into so many writers’ lives. Among the many vulnerable and authentic pieces, we loved Kathleen McKitty Harris’s piece, "A Timeline of Human Female Development". Kathleen actually came to us by way of Martha Frankel, and we fell in love with her essay on first read.

We also loved Ryan Sallans’ "Long Trek," which highlighted the mind-body connection through his transition. Sallans is an American LGBT rights advocate and out trans man. Sallans began his transition in 2005.

Wynn Chapman’s "The Fat Filly" and Jennifer Morgan’s "Fifty to Eight Pounds of Shame": both stories deal with shame--whether self-inflicted or embedded from those around them. These writers, like the other writers in the collection, are sharing the raw parts of themselves with readers.

Some other amazing moments include working with Abigail Thomas and Beverly Donofrio. We both read Abigail Thomas's Safekeeping when we were students, and it changed the way we thought about being a woman. Then, we had the pleasure working with Beverly Donofrio who wrote Riding in Cars with Boys, another book that changed our lives.

WOW: Thank you for sharing those highlights with us! What has the reader response been like for My Body, My Words?

Loren and Amye: So far we’ve received so many beautiful emails and feedback via social media about how the book really showcased a variety of body image conversations, such as eating disorders, amputation, illness, pregnancy, etc. Readers have been enjoying the breadth of offerings this book shares.

WOW: If someone is interested in learning more about the book and then purchasing it also, what is the next step?

Loren and Amye: My Body, My Words is available on Amazon. (Download the Kindle at here . Buy the hardback book at: this link. UK versions available here: http://bit.ly/MBMWUK) 

For more about our books, to sign up for the newsletter, or invitations to speak, run workshops, visit us at www.mybodymywords.com or email us at info (at) mybodymywords.com.

WOW: Great! I'm sure many of our readers are already clicking over there to check this all out. Any parting words?

Loren and Amye: If you read the book, we’d love it if you sent us feedback, notes, stories, left reviews on Amazon, and spread the love. Please feel free to email us at info(at)mybodymywords.com.

Follow us on Twitter at @MyBodyMyWords

WOW: Again, thank you for your time today, and readers, remember to check out this anthology at the links above! 

Read More »

4 comments anthology, gender roles, interview, Margo L. Dill, personal essays, poetry, women's issues

Living Through My Own Version of “The Glass Castle”

A double rainbow over the home we hope to stay in for years to come.

This weekend, the film adaptation of Jeanette Walls’ powerful memoir “The Glass Castle” opened in theaters. I read the book a few years ago and couldn’t put it down. Although I was fortunate and didn’t grow up with parents quite as erratic as the author’s, there were so many parts of the story that resonated with me. In fact, when I showed the movie trailer to both of my kids a few days ago, I couldn’t help but break down and weep.

I had a step-father who thought nothing of moving us from place to place every few months, we were constantly dodging creditors throughout my childhood, and there were many times we moved into questionable places that he had grand plans to “fix up and make our dream house.” That would only last a few months, and then we would move once again, leaving behind a house or mobile home with modest renovations completed. I tried to put some of my feelings about this down in an essay I wrote a few years ago, titled “Moving.”

I learned to live in a constant state of flux, holding my breath and waiting for the inevitable. If my parents were unhappy with our living situation, we simply packed up all our things and left. By the time I was in seventh grade, I had attended six different schools and lived in more houses and mobile homes than I’ll ever be able to remember. The cars my parents drove changed just as frequently. I hated starting new schools and trying to make friends from scratch. The Hispanic heritage on my mother’s side, awkward haircuts and big bulky glasses left me a prime target for ridicule and bullying in my younger years. To this day, I cannot walk into a room full of strangers without feeling my skin crawl.

For a long time, I had issues with all the “things” I felt we were collecting in our home. I wasn’t used to being able to save so much, because I was used to only holding on to the bare minimum of possessions so we could be ready for the next move. While I still don’t like clutter, I’ve made peace with a few things, as I also wrote.

So I’ve come to realize that maybe it’s a good thing to have an entire bin in the garage full of artwork from my son and daughter. It is okay if we store some of their old toys in our attic so they can reclaim them someday. That is what normal families do. My kids both attended the same preschool and have grown up with the children at their elementary school. I never had that opportunity. I lived in so many homes, had so many babysitters and attended so many schools, that its often hard to remember details like street names and zip codes, much less what the inside of the homes looked like.

I admire the courage Jeanette Walls had to put her story out there, especially since her mother is still alive. From what I can tell from some of the interviews I’ve read with Walls, her mother Rose Mary came to terms with what she describes as  "how her daughter remembered her childhood" and now even lives with the author and her husband in a cottage on their property.

As for me, my parents divorced in 2004. My stepfather went on to remarry and did end up building his dream house out in Colorado—only he did it with his new wife and not with us. My mother lives in a small home two-bedroom home but is happy as she can be, because she is dependent upon her own survival and supports herself by working 40+ hours a week at a hardware store. She has lived in the same place since the divorce. My husband and I bought a new house back in April that has everything we could ever want in it and we don’t plan on moving anytime soon.

I hope to provide a different life for my kids than the one I had.

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who resides in North Carolina with her husband and two kids.

Read More »

7 comments Jeanette Walls, Memoir writing, personal essays, Renee Roberson, The Glass Castle

David W Berner Launches his tour for There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets

& giveaway contest!

A book of essays by award-winning author and journalist David W. Berner is the next best thing to storytelling around a bonfire. In There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard, Berner shares stories of “a life in pets”—from a collie that herds Berner home when the author goes “streaking” through the neighborhood as a two-year-old, to a father crying in front of his son for the only time in his life while burying the family dog on the Fourth of July. And from the ant farm that seems like a great learning experience (until the ants learn how to escape), to the hamster that sets out on its own road trip (but only gets as far as the dashboard). Along the way, Berner shows that pets not only connect us with the animal world, but also with each other and with ourselves. The result is a collection of essays that is insightful and humorous, entertaining and touching.

Paperback: 138 Pages
Genre: Memoir, Pets, Essays
Publisher: Dream of Things (April 23, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0990840719
ISBN-13: 978-0990840718
Twitter hashtag: # HamsterDash

There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets is available as an e-book and paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore.

Book Giveaway Contest:
To win a copy of There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard please enter using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. The giveaway contest closes this Friday, July 17th at 12:00 AM EST. We will announce the winner the same day in the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!

About the Author: 
David W. Berner is a journalist, broadcaster, teacher, and author of two award-winning books: Accidental Lessons, which earned the Royal Dragonfly Grand Prize for Literature, and Any Road Will Take You There, which was a Grand Prize Finalist for the 2015 Hoffer Award for Books. Berner’s stories have been published in a number of literary magazines and journals, and his broadcast reporting and audio documentaries have aired on the CBS Radio Network and dozens of public radio stations across America. He teaches at Columbia College Chicago.

Find more about David by visiting his website, www.davidwberner.com, connect with him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter @DavidWBerner.

-----Interview by Crystal J. Otto

WOW: First of all, thank you so much for touring with us again! I had so much fun with your last tour and I’m tickled pink you chose WOW again!

Let’s get right to it David, who or what inspired you to write and how have you been instrumental in encouraging others?

David: There have been and still are a lot of influential people, artists, and family. I read a good piece of writing—a book, a magazine article, even poetry—and I can get very inspired. Even hearing a great song or good lyrics. Art in all forms has inspired me to write. I’ve been at the Art Institute in Chicago and stood in front a great painting, and BAM, I am motivated to create. It’s really about the expression of emotions, and that can manifest in many ways. But if I had to pick one person, it would be my mother. She inspired me to be creative, to keep working in the creative world, and to write—to write anything—song lyrics, short stories, even take the time when you sign a birthday card to say something important, interesting, heart-felt.

As for encouraging others…I teach college and I hope I can motivate my students to create inspiring work. But out of the classroom, I hope my books and my writing have found a way to inspire others to write. It sounds so cliché, but it’s true—everyone has a story. Keep a journal. Examine what’s in your heart, and most of all, learn the craft. And read people who inspire you. Good writing comes from good reading.

WOW: I’m sure you’ve inspired countless numbers of people. I hope some of them have dropped you a note letting you know? If not, let me say…you’re a constant inspiration to me and I appreciate the nudge back to my journal!

And speaking of inspiration, I know my writer and reader friends are quite inspirational. How do you feel about writer groups and book clubs?

David: I’ve spoken and read at two book clubs. It was after the release of my first book, Accidental Lessons. The book clubs were in the Chicago area, the groups had chosen my book to read, and then I came to a meeting and they asked questions. It was loads of fun. I would hope that some book clubs would consider expanding their horizons a bit, though. I would like to see members challenge themselves to read something new or out of typical genres they might first choose.

I belong to the Chicago Writers Association. I love this group. It has a wide range of writers with various experiences and working in an array of genres. And it’s a great network for all of us involved. They encourage and motivate and support. However, I am not real big on writer’s groups that critique each other’s works, especially for beginning writers. I think these can be debilitating for many. They can shut down creativity. Writers are highly emotional, close-to-the-nerves kind of people. One wrongly offered critique might destroy a beginning writer. And who’s to say the one critiquing even knows what they’re talking about. Everyone needs and wants constructive criticism, editing, and support. Even Hemingway did. But be careful whom you ask. Take your work to people you respect, not just to a random group of writers who may or may not know anything about your journey as a writer.

WOW: Stepping out of our comfort zone…that’s great advice! I also appreciate what you said about choosing an audience of people you respect. Great advice! We are all pressed for time, and choosing the right audience can really help streamline things.

How do you manage your time to make sure your writing doesn’t get neglected? Do you have any advice for those of us struggling with time management?

David: It’s no secret. Writing doesn’t happen unless you write. You can’t create without the actual act of writing. Just like you can’t get into shape simply by thinking about it. You have to get on the treadmill, go to the gym, plan your meals. I write nearly every day. When my kids were growing up, I got up early, 4 or 5am, well before them, and wrote for an hour. I tried to stick to a relative plan, a schedule, like going to a job. There is no special solution to this. You have to find time—even if it’s just a half-hour sometime—and make that YOUR time. Tell your family, your friends, this is the time you write. Turn off the phone. Turn off the Internet. It doesn’t matter where you do it. I work a lot in coffee shops. Just steal away and get at the work. I wish I had a more innovative approach here. But it’s as simple as this: Make the time. Stick to it regularly. And make a goal. Three hundred words a day or 500 words a day. Whatever you find reasonable for the way you work. But knuckle down and do it.

WOW: That explains not only my writing problem but my soft mid-section. Thanks! (blushing and changing the subject…)

Who is your favorite author and why?

David: It’s usually the one I’m reading at the moment. There are SO many great writers. In a way I’m a traditionalist. I love Hemingway, especially his short stories. Jack Kerouac is a fan for his unbridled passion. I love Phillip Lopate and Abigail Thomas for their honesty. I love Dinty W. Moore for his insight. I’m currently reading Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle and it is brilliant. I’ve been told he’s my man crush these days. What he’s been doing with the four volumes of his memoir/novel is incredible, interesting, and groundbreaking.

WOW: What about the first book you remember reading? Does anything in particular come to mind?

David: Go Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman. Still love that book! I can still quote it, too. It showed this little boy how great reading could be. How colorful and fascinating and warm a story could be. After that I remember The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I’m sure there were others in between.

WOW: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Was there on particular or defining moment?

David: I’ve always been a writer. My very first book was something I made in a 3rd grade classroom out of paper mache and watercolor paint. It was a class project. The book was entitled The Cyclops, a story inspired by watching Jacque Cousteau documentaries on television. I still have it.

I wrote songs in my teens and early 20s. Still do a little of that today. But I started my career in radio, writing, reporting, and broadcasting, and I really began getting serious about writing then. Print journalism and books came later. But writing has always been a part of my life. I just don’t think I got any good at it until my later years. I’m still trying to get better.

WOW: I imagine your parents were quite proud back then and still are. Who has been most supportive through your journey as a writer?

David: I’ve had a lot of support—colleagues, professionals, family, and friends. It would be hard to name one person. There have been so many special people who have given me a boost now and then or an encouraging word. My readers are great, too. When someone I don’t know seeks me out to tell me they were taken or moved by something I wrote, that is just the best thing in the world.

WOW: I’m sure that happens quite regularly these days. David W Berner is becoming quite a household name now. Congratulations!

How do you celebrate your successes?

David: Glass of wine. I don’t really celebrate successes. I just keep moving on to the next project.

WOW: That’s impressive; you are so driven! I dwell on everything, good and bad…and since that’s on the table now, let’s talk about rejection. How do you deal with it?

David: Rejection is part of the process. I’ve been rejected a zillion times! Any Road Will Take You There, my second memoir received over 30 rejections from publishers. My agent at the time said they were all what she called, “good rejections.” That meant they liked the book but for whatever reason—marketing issues, other projects, timing, etc.—they couldn’t publish it. Remember—writing is an artistic endeavor and that means it’s quite subjective. Yes, there are parameters for good, insightful, meaningful writing, but one editor may hate your story and another may love it. My advice is to just keep sending out your material. Perfect it, perfect it some more, and keep putting it out there. Work at your craft, and send it out again. Publishing is not writing. Publishing is business. Sometimes what you write is just not what a publisher wants right now. But tomorrow, well, that’s another story.

WOW: I’m glad you kept at it and partnered with Dream of Things and Mike O’Mary – I’m glad you had a chance to share your story!

What’s next for you?

David: Marketing and promoting the new book—There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets. I also have a fiction manuscript—Night Radio—making the rounds that I’m hoping to get published. And I’m also working on a new memoir. The first draft is done, but there’s a lot of refining to do. Some of it needs plenty of work. But I like this process. The working title is October Song: The Journey of a Musical Soul. It’s about my long-standing love of music, performing, and writing songs as a young man and how our dreams as young a man manifest later in life. It was inspired when I was unexpectedly chosen as a finalist in a songwriting competition and had to perform it in front of an audience and judges decades after I last played in front of a crowd. It was exhilarating and terrifying.

WOW: Songs and music are so much of life, and I can totally appreciate the exhilarating and terrifying comment!

If you had to choose a song to go along with your book, what would it be and why?

David: If you’re talking about There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets…maybe Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog?” Patty Griffin’s “Wild Old Dog?” Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit?” (Probably too many drug references in that one.) “Wild Horses” by The Rolling Stones? Maybe the Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon” or “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except  My Monkey?” Yes, that’s it! Why? Some say the song was about heroin. But Lennon said, no, it was about his love for Yoko and how people didn’t understand it. I think maybe our love for animals—our pets—is many times misunderstood, and I can relate to Lennon’s song in that way. Not to somehow compare his love for Yoko with the love for my Labrador, of course, but misunderstood love? Sure. That makes sense.

WOW: Makes perfect sense – love your sense of humor!

I could go on asking you questions all day, but here’s the last one. Let us into your process. What does it look like when you write? What do you need?

David: Always coffee and most always a coffee shop. But I’m also setting up a new writing space in a new home. So, I’m excited about that. One thing I will insist on…noise. I can’t write in dead quiet. I need the whir of a coffee shop, some music, or street sounds. Very quiet hurts my head. A good desk with simple surroundings works. Just like the title of the Hemingway short story: “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.”

WOW: What a great interview David; I can’t believe we have to wrap things up. I’m excited about your next project and hope to have you back again later this year or early next year. Until then, I hope our readers will follow the tour and learn more about you and There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard!

----------Blog Tour Dates

Monday, July 13 (today) @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Wednesday, July 15 @ Choices with Madeline Sharples
"The Best Way to Submit Your Creative Nonfiction to small publications and literary journals" is today's hot topic at Choices. Stop by today to hear from guest post author David W Berner as he shares his thoughts with Madeline Sharples and her readers. You won't want to miss this insightful article and opportunity to learn more about Berner's latest book, There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://madelinesharples.com/

Thursday, July 16 @ Mari McCarthy’s Create Write Now
Today you're in for a special treat with a giveaway and guest post at Create Write Now. Win a copy of David W Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets and read his guest post titled "So, Your Life is Not That Interesting...Oh, yes it is! Now Write About it!"
http://www.createwritenow.com/

Friday, July 17 @ Building Bookshelves
Jodi Webb reviews David W Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets  at Building Bookshelves today! Don't miss this great blog stop!
http://blogs.republicanherald.com/bookshelves/

Monday, July 20 @ Hott Books
Today is a special treat with a review and giveaway at Hott Books! Head on over to find out more about (and possibly win a copy of) David W. Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://www.hottbooks.com/

Tuesday, July 21 @ All Things Audry
David W Berner writes today's guest post at All Things Audry. Today's topic is" Mini-Memoirs: How to tell your story in fewer than 1000 words". Don't miss this fabulous blog stop and opportunity to learn more about Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, July 21 @ I’d So Rather be Reading
"Tell True Stories, Not Sentimentalized Ones" is the hot topic today as David W Berner guest authors at I'd So Rather be Reading. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about Berner and his latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://www.idsoratherbereading.com/

Thursday, July 23 @ Cathy Hall
David W Berner is today's guest author at Cathy C Hall's blog and the topic is " Staying Disciplined.,.. Write, Write, Write!". Read this great post and find out more about Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://c-c-hall.com/

Friday, July 24 @ Words by Webb
Jodi Webb interviews David W. Berner about his latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://jodiwebb.com/

Monday, July 27 @ Bring On Lemons
Educator and avid reader, Cathy Hansen reviews There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets by David W Berner. Don't miss this insightful review as well as a giveaway for your chance to read this great book for yourself!
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

Monday, August 3 @ Sioux’s Page
Sioux reviews David W Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://siouxspage.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, August 3 @ Lisa Haselton
Join David W Berner as he writes today's guest blog post at the blog of Lisa Haselton. Today's topic is: "How the Story of Your Pet Can Tell Your Story." Learn more about this and Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/

Thursday, August 6 @ Selling Books
"Is Your Writing Space the Right Space" is today's topic as David W Berner writes the guest post at Cathy Stucker's Selling Books blog. Don't miss this great post and wonderful opportunity to learn more about Berner's latest book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets.
http://www.sellingbooks.com/

Thursday, August 13 @ MC Simon Writes
MC Simon reviews the latest book by David W Berner There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets and offers readers a giveaway of this fabulous collection of essays.
http://www.mcsimonwrites.com/

Keep up with blog stops and giveaways in real time by following us on Twitter @WOWBlogTour.

Get Involved! If you have a website or blog and would like to host one of our touring authors or schedule a tour of your own, please email us at blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com.

*****BOOK GIVEAWAY*****

Enter to win a copy of There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets by David W Berner! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter widget THIS Friday, July 17th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More »

3 comments animal stories, author interview, book giveaway, David W. Berner, dogs, memoir, personal essays, pets, There's a Hamster in the Dashboard