Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival (TWFest24)

I turn 50 years old at the end of this month. There was a time that I never thought I'd make it to 50 - either because of my own reckless lifestyle or my serious bouts of depression and anxiety. But here I am, ready to tackle the next 50 years ;)

To celebrate, my husband asked me what I wanted to do. And since he knows me so well, he asked me where I wanted to go. After a short time as foster parents, we didn't have the luxury of just picking up and getting away whenever we wanted. We were due for a getaway.

I did some research and wanted to incorporate writing into it, too. I have gotten back into my writing, journaling, and now with the memoir coming out this December - just back into the writing world in general. After having read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, I have always wanted to go to New Orleans. They have an annual Tennessee Williams festival that happens around my birthday so it was decided - we are going to a literary festival in New Orleans!

(this is an older image, but I loved the colors and wanted to use it!)

I honestly don't know much about Tennessee Williams, other than a street car named Desire.  Honestly, it's going to be quite a treat because they have not only writer's craft sessions, but also writing marathons!

A writing marathon is when "writers venture out in small groups to eat, drink, and write their way across the city, stopping to share their writing before moving to their next adventure." I can't wait to journal and experience everything that New Orleans has to offer. It seems like it's vibrant and full of witchy wonderfulness that I can't wait to experience! 

Mark, my husband, is okay with the walking with me - but he said he's not going to write. Journaling isn't necessarily his thing. haha. 

Anyway, we signed up for everything from the walking tours to the literary discussion "Legends of burlesque" and then of course the music and the eating, too!

I occasionally still battle with those feelings of self-doubt, but I'm here and ready to tackle the next part of my life and this week - New Orleans!

I'll report back, but until then have you ever been to New Orleans? What was it like?

Until next time,

h

Book news & other things

So much for my aspirations of writing weekly in a blog. How do people manage this? It's challenging to discern what readers actually want to hear from me (I'm not even certain if anyone is reading this). So, I suppose I'll approach it more as a diary than anything else.

A couple of weeks ago, a publisher contacted me expressing interest in my book. It wasn't entirely unexpected. I had reached a point in my life where I pondered, "What am I going to do with myself?" and found myself directionless. Prior to and somewhat during COVID-19, I had been querying agents about the book, with a few requesting the full manuscript, but nothing materialized. Life intervened, as it does, and I took a step back.

As some of you may be aware, I was a foster parent for about a year and a half, and my life wasn't my own during that time. I had dedicated myself entirely to caring for two young children. They have since returned to their parents, leaving me once again uncertain about my path in life.

So, as a last resort, I decided to submit my manuscript directly to a publisher instead of through an agent. The publisher had been recommended to me by an editor who had reviewed my manuscript before submission.

I thought to myself, "If this doesn't work—if they don't want it—then it's back to the drawing board, and I'll have to figure out my future in another way." So, I sent it off and received a response. Here's a snippet from John, the publisher, after he read my manuscript:

"Let me extend a warm welcome back. Welcome back from the edge, from the dungeons. I'm proud of you for getting clean and for writing this book. The most exciting aspect, I believe, is how you can use the book to reach and help young women going through similar experiences."

After several discussions, a Zoom call, and negotiations, my story has found a home with Koehler Books/Koehler Studios, and I couldn't be happier.

Naturally, I had to celebrate. Last weekend, my sister and I headed to Ann Arbor to take senior photos of my nephew. We took them at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens on N Dixboro Road in Ann Arbor. It is a very calming place - and super warm in there despite the cold weather. I may want to go back when it's nice outside to see the outdoor part. 

We ended up spending the night with my youngest daughter at her place while she's in grad school at U of M. 

We went out to dinner at Mani Osteria (pretty decent food - I guess they have great pizza) and the bar (a place in a downstairs part of a building called LoFi) and let me tell you—I can't hang like I used to. I also lost my "Michigan Mom" sweatshirt there. :(

Anyway, I'm working on a new website, so stay tuned for that. And there's more news to come from the book front as we progress toward the publication date of December 10, 2024. 

Until next time!

-H

Birthday adventures

We celebrated my grandson‘s second birthday yesterday at Chuck E. Cheese. He turned 2 earlier this month, but this is the time we found that worked best for everyone to celebrate.

It’s ironic that we are celebrating at Chuck E. Cheese because this is where I used to take his mother for her birthday parties, and she’s almost 30 now.

It’s hard to believe this place is still around, but it looks much different. There’s a TV screen on the floor that’s interactive, and there are no longer any of the tubes that you can crawl around in (where your kids used to go and hide when it was time to leave🙃) I’m sort of glad those tubes are gone because they used to just smell like pee and distress. 

Now they have a Chuck E Cheese wind tunnel and since my grandson was afraid to go in by himself, guess who was nominated? 😵‍💫 Someone had the brilliant idea to catch the tickets in my shirt and I was still finding them 15 minutes later. 

We had a fun time celebrating. It’s so amazing to watch him grow and yes, the years do go by far too quickly. 

Until next time, Mr. Cheese. 

-H