Working together to publish a book. Sisters In Crime

Saturday our Sisters in Crime held our second book launching. We meet once a month to critique our short stories, revise them.  Hear a speaker explain new writing ideas, have a book review and talk about writing and getting published. It bonds us together as women writers even through there are Mister Sisters who attend and speak at our meetings, so we learn to bond with all writers. Sort of we learn to work well and play together and write well and publish together.
      This our second anthology.  It made it so clear to me how we have grown as writers and as a group that can work together to complete all the details of publishing. We have terrific editors, fact checkers, researchers, and compilers. They sought out a terrific publisher, Blue River Press in Carmel. We had an excellent public relations person who has help get our names out there, articles in print about the book. We have contacts now all over the state to speak about our book and hopefully sell them.
      All of this of course took time, energy, trust, learning and understanding of each others needs. It was not easy. It was not work we were all suited to. Writers like to write. Period. All that other stuff, booking people to speak to us, booking us to speak. Articles, promotions that's for someone else, not so artistic to do. But dear hearts, writers and gentle reader we learned all those skills. And how to sell books. Did we learn how to sell books. To listen to each other when we were sure our own ideas were  the very best . We learned to push ourselves to the limit and beyond of what we thought we knew. We stuck together and worked it out. We learned to take and understand critiques of our short stories and novels. We listened and learned from publishers, agents, researchers, book sellers and most of all the most important THE READER.
      So June 12 was success for us in skills coming together, having a great and large audience and knowing how to work to succeed.  Thanks to everyone in Sisters in Crime who worked hard for that.
      Now we are ready for the next challenge. To write with more discipline. To listen better to the critiques. To search for more writing markets and share them with the group. To start thinking about the next book.
       We thank our PR person for all the work he did to get the news about the anthology in the media. To our two editors who check and rechecked every single word in our work. Our publisher who was not satisfied until the cover was perfect and our stories were perfect. To the compilers of racing statistics and the fact checkers of those statistics. To each one of us who wrote, tore up pages, and went for long walks screaming into the wind everything from "I can't write this, I won't write this" to "I damn well am a writer and I will write this" I am proud of Sisters in Crime, Speedcity Chapter and invite all interested writers, fans, publishers, agents, booksellers to come and join us at meetings the fourth Saturday of every month at Barnes and Noble at Greyhound pass Mall in Carmel. Speaking of them. They were so great to us. Buy a book from them, especially "Bedlam at the Brickyard," or "Racing Can Be Murder."
        Next blog, how we started. Then maybe back to oil and energy or not. I shall hold you all in the light. Sherita

GATHERING at the Sisters in Crime anthology

A Gathering in Quaker terms is a Meeting of like

Book Lauching:"Bedlam at The Brickyard", SISTERS anthology #2

June 12 was the date of Sisters In Crime, Speed City Chapter, the only Indiana chapter of Sisters, book launching.  It was an amazing event. A true book launching, with a party atmosphere. We kept busy for three hours talking about writing and our book.  Big ego trip. Barnes and Noble at Greyhound Pass in Carmel was full of folks who loved books and writing. All of the people who came to the signing were just as excited as we, the writers, were. We had great refreshments furnished by our hosts and sat and talked for almost an hour after the signing was officially over and went out to supper and talked more about writing and books. This of course caused us to get caught in a little bit of the storm. We all got home safe. Thanks to every single person who attended the signing and bought books or who just came.
      To keep bookstores open, authors writing; we all need to support local book stores and artists, writers and publishers. I've watched two of the bookstores I loved and supported close down. Both were independent book stores. One in Muncie one in Carmel. They were important to me because they were owned by one proprietor and not corporations. Barnes and Noble is a chain, and I suppose a chain,  but it is still trying to sell books that are as important to the community readers and writers market as well as speak to the conditions of the places they are located. They offer books by local authors, music, games, magazines, children's books, food, computer space, conversation, and live authors to speak and sign books. SUPPORT THEM. Border's does this also. I now shop at both, have their cards. I never did that while my local independent book stores were open. Not often anyway. Now I shop there.
      I would like you to pay attention to the fact that this anthology is Indiana written, supervised, edited and published. Indiana authors, some lived here and moved. The rest live here. The editors live here. The publisher is in Carmel, Ind. Jim Thom who wrote the foreword lives in Southern Indiana. We are all Hoosiers.
      The big NO NO is the chain department stores and discount stores which I wisely shall not name. Why? They do not push local authors, local publishers. Yes, they sell the books at a discount, but authors, printing houses, publishers get left hanging out to dry a bit with this process. So visit local bookstores. If they don't have the books you want they will order. If they can't get them, try another book store. Writers aren't just given money for the heck of it. It is a business. If the publisher makes a buck, then so do we. We get better contracts because they sell lots of books. It isn't so with the discount stores. The buy for less, cut prices more and it doesn't always filter down. And never, ever buy a book with the front cover cut off.  If you can't afford to buy a book at a local bookstore, go to your local library and check it out. If they don't have it you can fill out a form for them to order it from inter-library loan or order a request for them to buy it. This is not a fast process always but an excellent alternative.
       Watch your local book store for sales and discounts. Join your local bookstores discount club.
       Anyway the authors and the fans and family members had a great time at Barnes and Noble June 12. I thank every one who came or who ordered books from the book store or a Sisters in Crime member. I love you.
      I would like to thank our anthology editors, Brenda Robertson Stewart, Wanda Lou Willis , our publisher, Blue River Press, located in Indianapolis/Carmel. Jim Thom of "Follow the River" fame for writing our forward. He is not only a great author and historian, but one of my favorite authors.
    Our publicity person was M.B. Dabney, who also edited the fact insert sheets, which were compiled by Mark Zacharias. A special thanks to our officers of Speed City Chapter, who worked so hard on the publication and publicity, and all the authors in the book who wrote and rewrote and rewrote and at some time swore as Miss Scarlet would have said, "I swear I'll never be a writer again." I thank the publicity people on the local papers that carried our announcement and stories of our authors. You were wonderful. More about what it takes to create an anthology and why Sisters is an important organization both for fans and writers. Yes, we have Mister Sisters, we are not sexist.  More tomorrow, about that also.  Love to all and I hold you in the Light. Sherita

Sisters IN Crime Book Launch!

From The Riverside Writer's blog:

Sisters IN Crime Book Launch!

Hey everybody, come on out to the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Carmel, IN on Saturday for the Indiana Chapter of Sisters in Crime book launch. The group's second anthology is coming out on Saturday, June 12 and the authors will all be there for signing!

Can't wait for this exciting event and I hope to see you there!!!

Here's the info:
Saturday, June 12, 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Barnes & Noble 14709 US 31 N Carmel IN 46032

To oil or not oil, that is the question.

This is still on transformation and saving the planet. I wonder if you have suggestions to help us go Green. Can our growing our own gardens, creating new fuel, maybe, building our own cars really help us? Can we create a public transportation system that is local and national that does not use fossil fuel? Or are we doomed? And if we are doomed is that what 2012 is all about? Were the Mayans more knowledgeable about using up the resources of the world?
The Mayans, according to articles I read, went in cycles and when Spirit spoke or they had this feeling they should stop doing whatever they were doing and just let go. Was that what was meant by the 2012 date?
Give me ideas of recreating the best use of resources for us and the rest of the world. How can we help ourselves?
I don't want off shore drilling. I want off oil and gas. How? Like I said. I've cut way back on their use. I felt led by my Spirit Guides. The Tarot is leading me to find a solution, at least, for me. It is not easy the ideas, the visions I receive. I have much work to do to include myself in an energy force that does not pollute the earth. What are you doing? Or not doing that helps Mother Earth?
Like I said before. We are raising cane about the oil spill. There are not many ways to collect spilled oil. The people who work in oil rigs want the jobs. Need the work. Those of us who heat with fuel oil, gas or coal want to keep warm. And we want to drive our cars. Are we all working to get off fossil fuels or is it a myth that we can. I think we need to shut up about the oil spill unless we have a solution. Because we are still part of the problem. Sherita

Transformation, change for the better. How?

The tarot card today is Transformation. In the tarot, the death card is Transformation. All tarot readings are about transformation. The purpose of the reading is to grow forward. That means you go from one place, good or bad, to another. In that movement or transformation you move to a better place. You grow in knowledge, leaving behind all your mistakes but keeping the knowledge you gained from making those mistakes. Each card shows where your were, what you learned, how you are growing in knowledge, in spirituality and life's lesions. No card is really evil or bad. All cards are part of the life transformation.
The Death card is important in showing that you are at the threshold of a great change. A total Transformation. Sometimes you are ready for this Transformation. Other times you are scared to death of the change. Change, good or bad, is always frightening. You can almost feel the change inside your body. It surrounds you and can be seen in your Aura. It is a magnificent time when you get this Transformation Card. I've written on this before but I would like to draw your attention to this card again. Mother Earth, Gaia, is going through a change. Remember the bumper sticker that said "Mother Nature is coming and is she pissed?" Well I feel that right now we have done all the damage to Mother Earth and to the inhabitants that dwell here as She can tolerate. We must start rebuilding our planet or risk the wrath of mommy love gone bad. So let us all on this planet, not just USA folks, but every single human being start Greening up with sustainable fuel to heat our homes, drive our cars, run our
homes with.
Remember there are a great many folks living on this planet that don't have these things and are not even able to grow food, or worry about fuel for cars that they might not ever have. Their children are dying at birth or starving before they grow up. Their homes are made of whatever they find, usually from our trash that floats on the ocean to them.
Let us plant our own food where it's possible. Buy local from farmers, organic farm stands, barter and trade and buy at thrift shops. So many of us are doing it now because money has become a big important issue and we have too. But it has created jobs doing this. Have you noticed the new thrift stores, the new farmers markets and farm stands? The sustainable fuel for homes and cars is a growing product also. It would be nice if this could become a habit for all times, not just hard times.
The oil spill is terrible. Can we learn from this to work harder at sustainably, ecology correct fuel? Can we not work together on this? Can we not let go of Wall Street as our hero and let ourselves work out a better way to live? And in so doing take care not only of our planet but of all brothers and sisters that we share the air, water and resources with. Is there not a way for us all to have enough to heat, fuel to keep warm, schools to attend and books to read?
I have faith that we can do this. The Death-Transformation card keeps coming up in my readings; along with The Sacred Path of Sweat Lodge, Victory and Power bonded with Strength. We are already doing great magnificent things. I truly believe that we are put on this earth to overcome our own evil of almost destroying it to make us all millionaires. The price of that kind of wealth is too high. The price for a Good Earth, a sustainable life style, food, good health, happiness and control of our own life and destiny is a wonderful wealth for us all.
Who can stop us if we can control our own food, heat and shelter? If there are less buyers for gas, oil, coal, gold?
In the novel, "Scaramouch", the author writes, that all of these ideas would eliminate government, which is a good idea and would have worked except for Cain and Able. Maybe my idea of Eden is too idealistic. But its worth a try. So keep planting those gardens, dream up sustainable fuel, and buy at thrift shops and recycle. I think we have to find a way. Love to all and I hold you The Light. Sherita