(Re)introducing Me: Wild Child, Wise Woman, Storyteller

A lot has happened since I moved into my crone cabin in the woods. I experienced the one highest-ever 117-degree day of summer heat in Sacramento (along with many other slightly—but only slightly—cooler days; so thank goodness for my trees). I watched the ducks, ducklings, koi, turtles and even a heron swimming, diving and flapping about the property – check out the videos below (these were also in my recent test post).

Duckling video

Blue heron video

With a little help from friends, I spent three days glamping:

And, as COVID relaxed its stranglehold a bit, I even went out to live music a bunch of times, including this gig where I was serenaded by a handsome troubadour from the band Hipper Than Hip – woo hoo!

 

 

 

 

 

All the while, I was getting ready for a big day: the publication of my debut memoir, Our Song: a Memoir of Love and Race, by She Writes Press in October. If you want to buy the book now, go to the About the Books page. There’s also a link to buy the book Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis, an anthology in which I have an essay. That book, also by She Writes Press,  documents the incredible times we’ve been living in, and proceeds benefit the World Central Kitchen, now working diligently in the Ukraine.

Along with my book pub have come some fun opportunities—guest on a podcast (not released yet), two more podcasts to come, and guest blogger on a few online sites. I wasn’t sure I’d like doing podcasts; turns out that talking about the themes in my story is something that I do enjoy. I wasn’t surprised to find out that I can have fun writing essay pieces on those issues, too. Here are some links if you’re interested:

Book Q&A with Deborah Kalb – questions about my book and writing process

How Can We Write Memoir from the Heart Yet Still Respect Others’ Privacy? – essay on Book Room Reviews.com

Same essay as above only in Romance Daily News – ooh la la!

Meanwhile, I needed to plan a book launch event in my city. I looked at some cafes, but they seemed a bit impersonal (not to mention pricey). Then lucky me—a member in my writing group offered to host it in her lovely home. A few friends (two local, and two coming from out of state) helped to organize and make enticing appetizers. The guests came, and the wine flowed. I read from my book, and forgive me if I do have to say the audience seemed riveted! They asked great questions, and then all of them got in line to buy signed copies. What a wonderful night!

And suddenly, winter is here. Well, California’s version of winter. We’ve had some rain (more, please!) and things have turned quite chilly. It’s definitely time for sweaters and socks as we face the time change and then hurtle through—gasp!—The Holidays. Definitely not my favorite time of year. I’m the sunbathing, salsa-in-the-plaza kind of girl, not the let’s-fight-the-crowds-at-the-mall-and-then-hang-fake-icicles-on-the-Christmas-tree kind.

By the way, if you’ve visited my website before, you might notice that it’s had a re-vamp, courtesy of my web guru Sarah Emery Bunn of blissmission.com. Take a look around, and feel free to leave feedback. My biggest summer excitement, having a Tiny Love Story published in the New York Times, is featured on the Awards and Publications page. I needed to come up with a tag line that describes me and what I write about. I came up with “Wild Child, Wise Woman, Storyteller.” If you’re familiar with my work, you might agree that it pretty well sums me up. If you’re new here, you’ll find out!

Please take care of yourself during these next few very busy weeks. Like, find some quiet time for reading!