WTF Did I Go? Back From Radio Silence ...

Happy March!

We are deep into 2024 and though I’ve had every intention to hit the untouched ground of the new year running with gusto, I’m sorry to say that I rather limped into this year. Life gets in the way, right? Nevertheless, I wanted to reach out to you, oh dear blog follower, to bring you up to speed some stuff.

As you know, I did publish that darned book, What the Farm? It all feels like a dream now, but it did happen! I am SO thankful to those who came to the book launch at BAYarts on November 19th, even though the Browns were playing the hated Steelers that day! My husband Sean even came to the launch party (under threat of public shaming and shunning). It was an amazing blur of a day, filled with so much love and support. Thank you!! My sister Kathy’s friends, Kearns, Gardner and Rocky even came in from Michigan for it! Amazing. 

Thank you also to those who actually purchased the book, either online or there at BAYarts. Yes, much of the book started out in this very blog, but the book is a reworking of the blog, a reorganization of the essays … and there’s new material in there, too. And recipes! So if you think you know all the material already from my blog, I say nay. Give it a try.

Spring is days away, and with it comes hope for sun, blue skies and book engagements! I am super excited to share that I’ve got book signings/readings set up for the following locations:

• Sunday, April 14th: Fireside Book Shop, 29 North Franklin St., Chagrin Falls, OH, 44022. Noon to 4pm

• Thursday, April 18th: The Print Shop on Wolf, 27209 Wolf Road, Bay Village, OH 44140, 6 to 8 p.m.

• Saturday, May 25th: Visible Voice Books, 2258 Professor Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113, 7 to 9 p.m.

• Saturday, June 1st: The Learned Owl, First & Main, 200 N. Main Street, Hudson, OH 44236, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please stop in and say hi at any/all of these events! I’d love to see you! And bring your friends!

I’m still reaching out to more book stores, so please let me know if you have any contacts! I’m willing to travel (a bit!) Also, I’m reaching out to area libraries to suggest WTF for book clubs. Again, please let me know if you have any contacts or suggestions!

One point of clarification: You may have seen in my social media post that I was a “finalist” in the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. While I am super honored to get that far, I want to be sure folks don’t think I won the darn thing! I did NOT! But, like I said, I’m very honored to be a finalist! 

Oh! And one more bit of fun news! I’ve also got an essay in an upcoming issue of Green Prints Magazine. When they announce which issue, I’ll let you know! I had never heard of it before, but it is a fun, whimsical little mag celebrating the foibles of gardening and such.

With Easter so near, I am sending you and yours love and prayers for peace in your homes, your lives, your hearts. Thank you again for your enthusiastic support!

Mary

Just Keep Swimming

I just completed a wonderful beach vacation where I was fortunate enough to go scuba diving with my husband, my best friend and her husband in gorgeous Caribbean waters. Unlike my mermaid friend who honestly is in, on, under, through or around water pretty much 100% of the time, scuba diving does not come naturally to me. Even though I am a certified diver, every time I go diving, I get into an anxious state: Will the seas be rough? Will I get seasick? Do I remember how to dive? Will there be sharks? Anything else scary? Will there be a strong current?

We get up early on dive days, and I make sure to eat a big breakfast to assuage any seasickness, I lather on all that sunscreen. Oh, and I’m a morning pooper, so got to do that as well. And I’m a nervous pooper, so there are many bathroom visits before rushing out the door. I don’t move fast in the morning either, so it’s all a bit unnerving for me.

But I do dive ... I make myself get to the back of the boat, don all that ridiculous gear, breathe in, breathe out, take the step into the water – SPLASH!  -- and then … it is lovely, serene, colorful, fascinating, beautiful.  

The thing about scuba diving is that it really forces you to be “in the now”, in the moment. All the troubles and worries of the day, of life, necessarily are pushed aside because all your attention is on breathing, watching, being vigilant on your air consumption, your dive buddy, your depth. Oh, and sharks. It was nice to be down there, away from my worrying and fussing about the how-to’s of publishing, my self doubts and all that crap.

Coming up from deep blue, watching my bubbles rise above me, it occurred to me that this book project I’m working on is much like my diving expeditions. It is unnerving, going off into new territory. It is scary, not knowing exactly what lies beneath the surface of this whole endeavor. And it’s a bit nauseating. Will I be ridiculed? Humiliated? Embarrassed? Will the seas of social media be rough? Will there be sharks out there?

Maybe ...

My hope is that instead, I will find all sorts of new experiences through this process: connect with other colorful writers, relate with lovely readers, and get beautifully inspired. So, I’m fighting through the nausea, looking forward to an upcoming meeting with my editor (keep breathing, keep breathing) and another meeting with a graphic artist to talk about cover designs. Eeep! The biggest shark in the water that worries me is the – gulp – “author photo shoot.” God help me, I am a spaz at getting my picture taken. If I can just stop chatting with the photographer and hold a pose for a second, we might get a decent shot.

Sigh ... The only way forward is through. Right?

Breathe in, breathe out, take the plunge ... SPLASH!

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

Thanks for reading my stuff!

Love,

Mary