Mary and I went to a quilt signing at Columbus S Quild on Tuesday evening. Again it was fun. There was a lot of interest in the way we managed to write the book. Most everybody agred with me that Sleimer was not a good last name for a love interest for one of Caroline's girls. I felt vindicated for saying, "We can't use that name. It's dreadful.
We sold some books and met more great quilters. This guild has a man. Is he the cat who ate the canary in a bunch of women? We went to dinner before the meeting and Rita bought my supper though she barely knows me. I love it. There was an H1N1 innoculation sight next door to the quilt meeting and the parking was brutal. Mary is a member of this guild and that makes things extra nice. Jan wasn't able to go with us becasue she was visiting family in Chicago. We missed her and I have to say sort of screwed up her part of the program. Sorry Jan.
We asked the guild members to vote on our potential titles. Well three of them. I couldn't remember one of them so we couldn't ask about it. Results were 9 votes for Star-crossed quilt, 3 votes for the Timeless Star and 1 vote for the Timeless Star. Some of the other suggestions were Star Everlasting, Magically Pieced Star, Threads of History, and Stars and pieces. One quilter saud she didn't like any of the suggestions and thought we should keep working on it. The input really does help us decide.
Glory should be arriving from the printer in the next couple of weeks. I have a few pre-sales on my list and will be having a signing at the Always in Stitches Christmas Open House on Sunday December 6. I am excited about this.
We are having some problems with getting our second book on the page. We are to Chapter 19 and not sure what direction to go. We will try to resolve it soon and get moving again. Jan and I may start working on a quilting story that takes place during the Civil War soon. It is going to be really fun to write. I'll let you know when we get it started.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Book signing in Marysville
We had a great book signing at LoneStar Quilting in downtown Marysville on November 5. It's a great new shop that opened in September. It is a great little shop in a used-to-be bank. Can yo believe I bought some fabric? Don't know yet what I will do with it but I'll think of something. Mary had to get back to Columbus for the Kids N Kamp auction at Ohio State so Jan, my husband and I had supper at Old Bag of Nails. I love Old Bag of Nails so that was a treat. Then we went to the Union County Quilt Guild to do their program and to sign books for their members. We met another great bunch of quilters and had a wonderful evening. Thanks to all who shared the fun with us.
The more quilters I get to know, the more I like quilters. The Union County ladies have a finish it challenge going on. Did you ever hear of such a thing. They actually get points for finishing projects that have fallen by the way side. I was impressed and we got to see some great finished work at the meeting.
We also got to share the cover for Glory which is at the printers right now. This was the first viewing of the cover and I am very happy with it. I hope you all will like it too. The book should be ready for release by January 1. We are excited about that. It will be available through McDiggs web site and from Amazon.
We are still working like crazy on the sequel to The Guild in the Granary. We are ready to really name the book. One of the ladies at the Union County Guild suggested we let readers have a chance to help name the book, so we are going to try that. So how about voting on the title you like or thinking up something we haven't thought of yet.
Our suggestions are: A Timeless Star
A Star in Time
The Antique Star
The Star-crossed Quilt
Send us your votes and suggestions and we will consider all of them. I promise.
I will have a few advance copies of Glory at Always in Stitches Christmas Open House on Sunday, December 6 from 2 to 4 pm. I will be signing books while they last. They are going to make great Christmas gifts for your reading friends. Price is $14.95 plus tax. Hope to see you there.
The more quilters I get to know, the more I like quilters. The Union County ladies have a finish it challenge going on. Did you ever hear of such a thing. They actually get points for finishing projects that have fallen by the way side. I was impressed and we got to see some great finished work at the meeting.
We also got to share the cover for Glory which is at the printers right now. This was the first viewing of the cover and I am very happy with it. I hope you all will like it too. The book should be ready for release by January 1. We are excited about that. It will be available through McDiggs web site and from Amazon.
We are still working like crazy on the sequel to The Guild in the Granary. We are ready to really name the book. One of the ladies at the Union County Guild suggested we let readers have a chance to help name the book, so we are going to try that. So how about voting on the title you like or thinking up something we haven't thought of yet.
Our suggestions are: A Timeless Star
A Star in Time
The Antique Star
The Star-crossed Quilt
Send us your votes and suggestions and we will consider all of them. I promise.
I will have a few advance copies of Glory at Always in Stitches Christmas Open House on Sunday, December 6 from 2 to 4 pm. I will be signing books while they last. They are going to make great Christmas gifts for your reading friends. Price is $14.95 plus tax. Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
I have been writing a while
I decided to look online and see what work of mine might still be there. I found only two stories remaining and they are from the last century. Sounds like a really long time ago doesn't it. In the Rose and Thorn Ezine I have a story called Jessie's Angels. The story was inspired by my mother-in-laws angel collection. I had fun writing and I think wrote two versions of it. The other story I found on-line was Private Services in La Petite Zine. This story was inspired by my mother-in-laws ashes being delived by mail to my husband and me in a box much smaller than I expected. Her wish was to be spread among bushes at a neighborhood live theater in the area where she lived.
I really like the short story form. When done properly it is like a diamond. Compact and brilliant moving toward one conclusion and only one conclusion. It lingers in the mind after it is read causing the reader to think about what happened and why. I've won several writing competitions with short stories and am proud of that. They are little slices of life that touch another person.
McDiggs is finished with Glory which I told you went to the printer. I will have several weeks before the finished product comes back and sales can begin. While I have a little down time, I'm going to begin working on a book my son and I are co-writing - or maybe you'd say we have already co-written it. My son was in Kuwait and Iraq last year. We each kept a diary and I kept the letters and emails we wrote back and forth. I hope a compilation of these things will help other families deal with the many circumstances of millitary deployment. In fact, I'm going to work on that right now.
I really like the short story form. When done properly it is like a diamond. Compact and brilliant moving toward one conclusion and only one conclusion. It lingers in the mind after it is read causing the reader to think about what happened and why. I've won several writing competitions with short stories and am proud of that. They are little slices of life that touch another person.
McDiggs is finished with Glory which I told you went to the printer. I will have several weeks before the finished product comes back and sales can begin. While I have a little down time, I'm going to begin working on a book my son and I are co-writing - or maybe you'd say we have already co-written it. My son was in Kuwait and Iraq last year. We each kept a diary and I kept the letters and emails we wrote back and forth. I hope a compilation of these things will help other families deal with the many circumstances of millitary deployment. In fact, I'm going to work on that right now.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Hey Everyone!
Today the Always In Stitches Monday morning bookclub met and we had a discussion regarding the title of book # 2. We are thinking something with the word Thread.... We want to have a title that makes you want to grab the book, and also describes what the book is about. Expect to hear some of the ideas very soon! Have a great week! - Mary
Today the Always In Stitches Monday morning bookclub met and we had a discussion regarding the title of book # 2. We are thinking something with the word Thread.... We want to have a title that makes you want to grab the book, and also describes what the book is about. Expect to hear some of the ideas very soon! Have a great week! - Mary
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Glory going to printer!!! Wahoo!
Glory, my mystery story, is going to press sometime in the next week. I am excited. It is a mystery story about what bloodlines mean to some people. It's set in a small Ohio town and is full of really great, funny characters. I am excited to get a completed copy into my hands. It is scheduled for a January release. My website is under construction. I will let you know when I have an address you can visit.I wrote this book all by myself, while Mary, Jan and I collaborated on Guild in the Granary. Jan has done all the preparation of the manuscript and Mary tells me she is reading it. I will post the cover when I get a copy. My good friend Nancy did the cover. She is a professional and I will post her business name after I ask her if she minds.
It is a beautiful day today in Ohio. I have my first go at running the leaf blower. It's not that hard. I also pent the morning at the Fall Festival at my three-year-old grand daughters day camp. Oh my, these little ones can run the legs off their grandmothers. I am pooped.
I wonder if there is anyone out there. Somebody write me back, please, so I know I'm not alone. I'm a learner at this and need reassurance.
It is a beautiful day today in Ohio. I have my first go at running the leaf blower. It's not that hard. I also pent the morning at the Fall Festival at my three-year-old grand daughters day camp. Oh my, these little ones can run the legs off their grandmothers. I am pooped.
I wonder if there is anyone out there. Somebody write me back, please, so I know I'm not alone. I'm a learner at this and need reassurance.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
We had a Book Signing in Portsmouth, Ohio
Monday we traveled to Portsmouth, Ohio for a booksigning. It was a beautiful day. Mary drove her new car. I am a very nervous rider and Mary has a tendency to be very casual about her speed and looking where she is going. It worked out okay. She was very considerate of me. We made it there and home safely. This is always a great concern to me when we go out into the world.
First we went to Lil's Quilt Shop where we sold twelve books. I met a wonderful children's writer who came into get an autographed copy of our book. Her name is Pollyanna and she writes children's books. Don;t you love it? I did and her, too. We were at Lil's for two hours. I bought fabric and a set of 600 thread count sheets for $24.99. What a deal and I just started thinking I needed some new sheets. The staff was wonderful and helpful. We made some samples they are going to display and offer their customers. It's a darling shop.
We had supper at a micro brewery in town. I bought beer to bring home but we didn't drink because we still had a program to do at The Down by the River Guild. Food was good and I know the beer would have been, too, if we hadn't been on a sober journey.
We decided quilters are the nicest people. Every where we go they welcome us and are so pleasant to us. We did our little talk about the Guild in the Granary and how we came to write it. Jan brought her rat. You have to read the book to understand that. It is available on McDiggs Publishing website. We got to see a wonderful Boy Scout quilt made for scouts to raise money and we sold a bunch more books. I think total for the day was twenty-seven books. We are happy with that and know we are not Jonathon Kellerman.
We also learned that the lady ( I can't remember her name) who started quilt barns in Adams County, Ohio, to honor her mother, is ill. I was so sorry to hear that as I enjoy the barns all over the State of Ohio. There are people doing good things every where but it is the others who make the evening news. Doesn't seem quite right does it.
We met at Always in Stitches on Wednesday to hash out some concerns with our second book. We had to go back to the drawing board and beef up our suspect list. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, but I think you are going to like it when we get finished. I am trying to figure out this blogging business. Bear with me. Diana!
First we went to Lil's Quilt Shop where we sold twelve books. I met a wonderful children's writer who came into get an autographed copy of our book. Her name is Pollyanna and she writes children's books. Don;t you love it? I did and her, too. We were at Lil's for two hours. I bought fabric and a set of 600 thread count sheets for $24.99. What a deal and I just started thinking I needed some new sheets. The staff was wonderful and helpful. We made some samples they are going to display and offer their customers. It's a darling shop.
We had supper at a micro brewery in town. I bought beer to bring home but we didn't drink because we still had a program to do at The Down by the River Guild. Food was good and I know the beer would have been, too, if we hadn't been on a sober journey.
We decided quilters are the nicest people. Every where we go they welcome us and are so pleasant to us. We did our little talk about the Guild in the Granary and how we came to write it. Jan brought her rat. You have to read the book to understand that. It is available on McDiggs Publishing website. We got to see a wonderful Boy Scout quilt made for scouts to raise money and we sold a bunch more books. I think total for the day was twenty-seven books. We are happy with that and know we are not Jonathon Kellerman.
We also learned that the lady ( I can't remember her name) who started quilt barns in Adams County, Ohio, to honor her mother, is ill. I was so sorry to hear that as I enjoy the barns all over the State of Ohio. There are people doing good things every where but it is the others who make the evening news. Doesn't seem quite right does it.
We met at Always in Stitches on Wednesday to hash out some concerns with our second book. We had to go back to the drawing board and beef up our suspect list. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, but I think you are going to like it when we get finished. I am trying to figure out this blogging business. Bear with me. Diana!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Who we are!
Karen Harper calls us the triplett writers. She gave us generous comments about our book after we met her at the Ohioana Book Festival this spring. We have met many wonderful and generous people as we have gone through the past year.
We are three women who decided in a reading group to write a book. We are all quilters so we wrote a quilting book called The Guild in the Granary. The book has been available for nearly a year now and we are very happy with our sales, considering we knew nothing when we started. We thought it might be fun to share our experiences and what we have learned with some folks who might be interested. If you're not interested find something else to do.
It has been an adventure. Mary Clark owns a quilt shop called Always in Stitches and that is what we named the quilt shop in our mystery story. Mary's quilt shop has been open for about four years. She has had a sharp learning curve and has put together a warm friendly quilting shop which quilters should plan to visit if they are in the Columbus, Ohio, area. Mary is married and has one (very smart)daughter in college.
Diana Forrester is the weak link. That's me. I am a slapdash quilter who started quilting when I quit smoking because I had to have something to do with my hands. I made about three dozen quilts the first six month but they all had twelve inch blocks. They would make any master quilter weep. I am a reader and a writer and have a half dozen unpublished novels and memoirs in the drawer. I've written hundreds of short stories that have been published in in eight countries. I am married and have four grown children. an attorney, a computer expert, a social worker and a chef. Isn't life interesting?
Anyway, the three of us were part of a reading group at Mary's shop. We decided to write a mystery about a bunch of quilters. It took us over two years to get the first story onto paper.
And another six months to get it out into the world available for purchase. Visit our web site to see all about that book.
We are to chapter twelve on the second book in the series. And we are all still speaking to one another. We've had a few days that were touch and go but so far we have survivied as a group. The three of us will be making notes and comments on this blog as we work our way through the rest of this book and get it birthed and out into the world. We invite you to check in on us and see how we are doing when you get a minute.
We are three women who decided in a reading group to write a book. We are all quilters so we wrote a quilting book called The Guild in the Granary. The book has been available for nearly a year now and we are very happy with our sales, considering we knew nothing when we started. We thought it might be fun to share our experiences and what we have learned with some folks who might be interested. If you're not interested find something else to do.
It has been an adventure. Mary Clark owns a quilt shop called Always in Stitches and that is what we named the quilt shop in our mystery story. Mary's quilt shop has been open for about four years. She has had a sharp learning curve and has put together a warm friendly quilting shop which quilters should plan to visit if they are in the Columbus, Ohio, area. Mary is married and has one (very smart)daughter in college.
Diana Forrester is the weak link. That's me. I am a slapdash quilter who started quilting when I quit smoking because I had to have something to do with my hands. I made about three dozen quilts the first six month but they all had twelve inch blocks. They would make any master quilter weep. I am a reader and a writer and have a half dozen unpublished novels and memoirs in the drawer. I've written hundreds of short stories that have been published in in eight countries. I am married and have four grown children. an attorney, a computer expert, a social worker and a chef. Isn't life interesting?
Anyway, the three of us were part of a reading group at Mary's shop. We decided to write a mystery about a bunch of quilters. It took us over two years to get the first story onto paper.
And another six months to get it out into the world available for purchase. Visit our web site to see all about that book.
We are to chapter twelve on the second book in the series. And we are all still speaking to one another. We've had a few days that were touch and go but so far we have survivied as a group. The three of us will be making notes and comments on this blog as we work our way through the rest of this book and get it birthed and out into the world. We invite you to check in on us and see how we are doing when you get a minute.
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