Magical Memoir Moments
Seeing with Great Care: Richard Gilbert's Review of Blush
Meet Richard Gilbert, professor, writer, soon-to-be memoir author. Here he is on the “about” page of his blog called Draft No. 4. Richard has become a friend of my life journey by commenting frequently on this blog and by offering tasty memoir morsels on his own blog. He has also been my teacher. His MFA…
Serendipity: Introducing Mary Lou Weaver Houser, Another Lancaster County Mennonite Woman With Her Own Story
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. I’ve often felt like a bride, or perhaps a wedding planner, but with about a dozen weddings to organize instead of just one! I’ve been to five states and talked to more than 700 people, signing more than 330 books along the way. Thrilling! The best part…
To Know as We Are Known: David Crumm's Five Tips for Interviewing
Being interviewed can be a daunting experience. Sometimes the interviewer isn’t prepared, hasn’t read your book, or is just looking for a way to stir up controversy to increase ratings. But sometimes an interviewer has not only prepared but has lived inside your book in such a way that he or she has actually climbed…
How a Romantic Getaway Led Me to An Ideal Reader: And Another Book Giveaway
Kathy Pooler is one of my most prolific and generous memoir writer friends. If you’ve been following this blog, you have met her talking about how to use Twitter to build meaningful relationships. Today she is featuring a guest blog from me about how I stumbled onto an “ideal reader” while on a romantic getaway…
A Fancy Review from a Former Plain Girl: And a Book Giveaway
The heading for Marian Beaman’s blog. She wore a larger covering than I did. Every writer hopes for a finely-tuned reader who will inspire her to place the best words on the page and who will challenge her to keep listening for even fairer music. As we write, we call upon our Muses as the…
The Day Before Launch: Going Home to Lititz During Harvest.
Who says you can’t go home again? Reporter Sarah Chain certainly disagrees. The official launch will be held tomorrow night at Lititz Mennonite Church, 165 Front Street, Lititz, Pennsylvania. 7 p.m. If you live close by, please join us! We’ll have a party, and we’ll relive a little Lancaster Conference Mennonite Church history in the…
The Longhouse Project at the Hans Herr House: A Good Beginning
Like many Mennonites whose roots go back to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I am a descendent of Hans Herr. The 1719 Hans Herr House, built in that year by Christian and Anna Herr, is the oldest surviving house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the oldest original Mennonite meeting house still standing in the Western Hemisphere. I…
Embrace the Blush! A New Book Trailer and A Look at the Other Side of the New Beginnings Screen
Those wonderful folks at MennoMedia called me up this week to announce that the book trailer for Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World is finished! Writing the copy for this trailer forced me to think hard about two things: what I discovered what readers might discover I chose the phrase “embrace your blush”…
An Ode to Lancaster County Corn Harvest: And an Excerpt from Blush
Nothing symbolizes the abundance of summer like a load of fresh sweet corn. My childhood summer memories revolve around corn, which was not only the sweetest vegetable we grew but also the most communal. Here’s an excerpt from Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World about what it was like to eat roastin’ ears…
Playing and Working: Launching a Book while Helping to Launch Children
If what you love to do most is learn, then your work can always be play. And if the book you make is about childhood, what better way to learn and work than to play with children? That’s what Stuart and I have been doing this week. Here are our two teachers and playmates. Meet…