I want to share writing tips, reading recommendations, author events, and random, interesting info. More important, I'd love to hear what you're reading, thinking, and doing.
Saying It Out Loud Can Make it So
Dear Friends, Readers, and Writers,
Would you call yourself a risk taker or a play-it-safer? I don't mean a thrill seeker parachuting from a plane or launching a dive from rugged cliffs. Or a player in the stock market.
I'm talking about the risks that come with the choices we make, the ones that seem ordinary but are life changing. Getting married, having that first child, pursuing the perfect career. And for me, calling myself an author.
You might think making the decision to write would be the tough part. But that wasn't really a choice. I never consciously committed to becoming a writer. It was more that I couldn't stop writing. But claiming the title of "author"? That's where the risk lies. With that label came expectations, both personal and public. And like the play-it-safer, I don't want to disappoint. So, I don't always volunteer my career choice.
This past week I had a breakthrough. Sitting in pre-op getting an IV stuck in one arm and my blood pressure checked on the other, one of my nurses commented on the book I brought with me. (Seeing Eye Girl by Bev Amento) I told her the author was a friend. She was impressed and confessed she had no clue how writers created their stories. The other nurse agreed, and I surprised them and myself by announcing I was a writer.
They asked for details and when I told them I combined family drama with murder and suspense, they loved it. My genre blend was their favorite.
I was still smiling as they rolled me into surgery and drifted off, pleased at my sudden and unexpected confidence. (My surgery was the removal of a bunion and bone spur. Very glamorous.)
I don't know if it was my snazzy hospital gown slipping off one shoulder or the gossamer hairnet that made me take the risk of being exposed as an imposter. (I was already exposed in a very real way.) But it felt good, and I plan to do it again.
I want to urge all of you--regardless of age or gender or whatever-- to decide who you want to be or what you want to be known for. Then share it with the world. Because saying it can make it real.
Sincerely,
Katherine Nichols
The Sometime Sister
The Unreliables
Wild Women Who Write
Upcoming Appearances and Book Sales Sharpsburg Book Fair Saturday August 27 from 10-5
Acworth Cultural Arts Festival Saturday October 22 from 10-5.
Atlanta Writers Club Conference, Nov. 4-5
Katherine Nichols, writer of suspenseful women's fiction
I want to share writing tips, reading recommendations, author events, and random, interesting info. More important, I'd love to hear what you're reading, thinking, and doing.
Dear Friends, Readers, Writers, and Christmas Shoppers, At a loss for gifts for family and friends? Support your local authors and buy books. This Saturday from 10:00 to 3:00 I'll be at Snellville's Winter Wonderland Craft and Art Festival along with authors Marlene Ratledge Buchanan, Lori Duff, and Lynn Hesse. Snellville Plaza Shopping Center2485 Main StreetSnellville, Ga., 30078 If you can't make the festival, we're all on Amazon. Sincerely,Katherine Nichols Katherine Nichols AuthorThe...
Dear Friends, Readers, and Writers, When I was a kid, I didn't realize money was tight. My mother was a single mom before it was in vogue, and I don't know how she did it on a nurse's salary, but we always took vacations. We'd pile into the car late at night--my grandmother who lived with us, my little brother, Mom, and me--and take off. Usually, we went to Daytona Beach, where lodging was cheap if you didn't mind being a few blocks from the ocean. But one especially hot summer, we headed to...
Dear Friends, Readers, and Writers, Like most people, my life can be divided into chapters. Student, Copywriter, Teacher, Mom, Writer, Grandmother, and Published Author (The Sometime Sister and The Unreliables). And now, I'm a marketer, which is my least favorite. To make it more fun, I've started a newsletter. I want to share writing tips, reading recommendations, special events, and common experiences. Don't worry. I won't drive you crazy. I'll check in once or twice a month. If that's too...