Author
Happy to be speaking at the meeting of Spokane Authors and Self Publishers tomorrow, July 7 at 2:30 at The Golden Corral, 7117 N Division St.
I wrote about the group several years ago in a feature for the Spokesman Review. Who knew someday I’d be returning as an author?
Copies of War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation will be available for purchase.
Guests are welcome, so I home to see many local writers tomorrow afternoon!
I had the privilege of speaking to Spokane Rotary Club 21 on Thursday. Several folks from the Greatest Generation are members of this Rotary club and were among the more than 100 members present.
Rotary has long appreciated and honored the U.S. Armed Forces, so this was a perfect venue to share the stories of love, devotion and courage featured in War Bonds: Love Stories From the Greatest Generation.
Auntie’s Bookstore was on hand to sell copies of War Bonds after the luncheon and sold all 30 copies they had in stock!
While signing books, I was tickled to find that many of the purchasers were husbands buying copies for their wives. The husbands of Rotary excel at romance 😉
Such an honor to present to a group that gives back to our community and to the world in myriad ways.
Today War Bonds couple Dean and Betty Ratzman appeared with me on Spokane Talks Online.
You can watch the program here.
The Ratzmans are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary on June 23!
My favorite moment of today’s program occurred when host, Kent Adams, said to Betty, “You put up with him for 70 years! Did it take that long to train him?
Betty, 91, quickly replied, “I’m not quite finished.”
The wit of the Greatest Generation remains undiminished by age.
How I love these people!
Happy to speak about writing, publishing and marketing books at the Inland Northwest Writers’ Guild at 7 PM on Wednesday, 6/15 at Auntie’s Bookstore.
All writers are welcome to attend– especially lightly published and beginning authors!
There’s a punctuation and grammar skills class at 6, for those that want to brush up on their skills and then I’ll be speaking at 7 with plenty of time for Q &A.
Hope to see many fellow scribes!
Running my hands along the spines, I can scarcely believe it– 14 books featuring my stories.
From the first time a writer picks up a pen or pounds out a story on a keyboard we wonder if it will ever be read by more than just a family member, close friend or teacher. Rarely in love with our own words, we weigh, sift, edit and groan over balky transitions and awkward phrases. We look back at our first stories and they sometimes seem like primitive scratches in the sand.
And if we’re really lucky, we find our tribe– a group of supportive readers and writers, who push us to do better and who ask for more
And we celebrate their publications, adding their books to our shelves, always leaving room for the next volume.
How wonderful to take a moment and realize no matter how arduous the journey from idea to print, it is possible to achieve out what every writer longs for– a shelf of our own.
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Even a year after publication, it’s still a thrill to be asked to sign a stack of books! So grateful readers and booksellers are valuing War Bonds and the stories shared within.
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A recent reading at a local Barnes & Noble prompted a slew of interest and phone calls, so I was delighted to stop in and sign more copies.
As we head into Memorial Day weekend I’m even more conscious of the privilege I’ve had in being allowed to share these stories before they were lost.
I feel like “thankful” should be part of my signature.
I don’t know any writers who haven’t at one time or another thought, Why am I writing this? Is anyone even going to want to read it?
Whether you write memoir, fiction, essays or poetry, the words are or should be, uniquely yours– your voice, your character’s voice, your story, their story that you’re trying to tell. And there’s the rub, the risk of the writing life– you feel compelled to tell a story birthed in the isolation of your own mind and heart and send it out into the universe
While wrestling with the organization of my second book, a collection of essays and columns about life, love and raising sons, I’m getting tripped up, and bogged down with second guessing just about everything from the title to the contents of each chapter.It’s hard to have perspective when you’re writing your own life.
Then I remembered something award-winning author Shawn Vestal said at a recent reading of his debut novel Daredevils. Someone asked if it was difficult for him to write from the perspective of Loretta, a 15-year-old girl. Vestal replied that it was actually quite freeing and then added, “Really, the only reservoir you have is your own life.”
Yes! Everything from our wildest flights of imagination to our earliest childhood memories, comes from the same reservoir.
Don’t be afraid to drop your bucket down into its depths and pour out what you find.
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Spent a delightful evening at Barnes & Noble last night. I was joined by fabulous poet Zan Agzigian and amazing blues/jazz songstress Heather Villa for an evening of poetry, prose and song.
The reading was held in the children’s area of the store because that’s where they have the stage, so it was fun to read from Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood!
In addition to reading from War Bonds, I shared a portion of my work-in-progress, and the reception was warm and enthusiastic. A much-needed boost in the slow-going labor of writing my next book.
Even more fun was having my youngest son, 16-year-old Sam, in the audience.
“I love to hear you read,” he said. And he snapped the above photo.
At the signing afterward, a woman approached and asked me to sign a copy of War Bonds .
“It’s not my copy,” she explained. “It’s my 17-year-old daughter’s. She’s already read it several times and she often reads the stories aloud to me. She wants she and her fiance to be like the couples in your book, growing old together.”
How cool is that? A teenager who values the stories of the Greatest Generation! Nothing, makes me happier or more hopeful then know these stories are appreciated by the next generation.
Please join me Wednesday for an evening of poetry, prose and Music.
This free event will be at 6:30 at Barnes & Noble, Northtown Mall, 4750 N Division St. in Spokane.
The question took me off guard.
I was chatting with a fellow author whose second book had recently come out and mentioned that I was still doing a lot of readings.
I’ve just begun work on my second book and was wondering how long I should plan on continuing War Bonds events and promotions.
“How long do you want to see your book on the shelves?” she asked.
What a great point! When War Bonds came out last year I was swamped with invitations to do readings and signings. I often did two or three events a week. It’s fantastic to have that much interest in your debut book.
Now, that the invitations have slowed to a more manageable once or twice a month, it feels like a treat to get to talk about my book and to sign copies.
I’m going to keep her question in mind as I continue the lonesome labor on book number two. As long as I receive invitations to speak, I’m going to keep saying yes.
I never want to see a blank spot on bookshelves were War Bonds used to be!
Cindy Hval 