Literary Lightbulbs on a Gray Day

Leaden skies loomed over the anchorage this morning as I drove over the hill to the swap meet at Marine Mart. These days mornings look like your standard-issue U.S. January, not much like a Mexico January, although later the sun makes a guest appearance.

Last year at this time, the swap meet was at our house and there were so many swappers meeting in our sun-splashed front yard--selling everything from life preservers and dinghies to a Mustang convertible, a small powerboat and a camper--that the local policia showed up and we got nervous. In contrast, the first swap meet of this year was a bust: only two people showed up with items for sale.

All the same, I glad I went. Some literary lightbulbs lit up for me when I ran into:

• Jinx, mystery novelist whose self-published first book has been parlayed into an successful, award-winning series,
  
• Julie, also a published writer and world traveler who coaches and gives workshops on self-publishing, and
• Sue, who with her husband has two unpublished books-in-progress, one of which I helped copy-edit a couple of years ago.

Hmmmm, where is the Cosmic Finger of Fate trying to point me now? Julie and Sue and I talked for a while and agreed to get together soon at my house to talk books.

In the right brain: If novels in progress can be regarded as unborn children, my two are looking like spontaneous abortions. But unlike human fetuses, books can be resuscitated, or so I'm told. Julie tells me nonfiction is actually easier to publish and market these days, and I reply that my stories are so autobiographical, they might as well be nonfiction. But the thought of writing a memoir (who, me?) is so daunting. I mean, I'm nobody famous, so who'd care?

In the left brain: Maybe Julie can make some suggestions on getting editing work for other writers. "I was born with a red pencil behind my ear," I told her.

Here's Julie's book, describing her sailing and traveling exploits around the world, including 35 days at sea, three months on a desert island and what it's like to be homeless, jobless and penniless in the Far East.

And here's Jinx's latest book, just nominated as a finalist for last year's Eppy Awards and soon to be available, along with the two others in the series, as a book-on-tape.

By coincidence I just finished re-reading Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions. Anne's writing never fails to switch on my lights.

"...if I reclaimed all the minutes, hours and days I've sacrificed to worry and fear, I'd add years to my life."

Jan. 10 reading,
Courage to Change