Category Archives: Of Living

Book Selling Opportunities

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“You don’t get harmony when everybody
sings the same note.” ~Doug Floyd

There is a misconception that once an author finishes his book, the work is done. In truth, the work has just begun. Promotion and
marketing is even more important than the writing of the narrative, if an author is to successfully sell. Even in the traditional publishing world, authors are more often being called into action to fulfill the duties of promoting and marketing their own book.

It is important that independent publishers think beyond book signing appearances at libraries and bookstores. Although those are appropriate venues for bookselling, there are many more opportunities that exist.

 Last weekend, I attended a fall food and wine festival at the Bethesda Co-op – A Natural Foods Market in Bethesda, Maryland. http://bit.ly/nDoCoB. My niece works there and she wanted me to see where she works. As I strolled through the outside tents of food and wine sampling the goods, I came across an author, Judith Welles, selling her book. It is a regional publication called “Cabin John: Legends and Life in an Uncommon   Place. www.judithwelles.com. The book is full of mystery and history of the area known as Cabin John, along the Potomac River. The Cabin John Citizens Association Foundation (a non-profit organization) published the book. www.cabinjohn.org.

I spent time with the author discussing the book and the marketing of it. The book is finding great success in selling in several local hardware stores. As we all know, men are attracted to hardware stores like magnets. Many men are also history buffs, thus the book is finding it’s way into the hands of men through a retail environment far different than a bookstore.

This brings me to the point of how necessary it is to think beyond the bookstore when researching bookselling opportunities. In fact, artists working all kinds of mediums, can promote their work by appearing in unlikely places.

I was also introduced to a lively band of six talented women called Wicked Jezabel. They were not in a nightclub, in a bar or on a traditional stage. They were on the roof of a structure, jamming away at the Natural Foods Market Fair. They are promoting their art in non-traditional ways. www.wickedjezabel.com.

Next time you think book selling opportunities are limited, take a good look around. Sometimes doing things in non-traditional ways draws attention – that is why the independent publishing industry of books, films and music is finding great success! The industry and the artists in it are fulfilling a need for independence away from the routine.

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An Art Filled Trip

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“Inspiration comes of working every day.” ~ Charles Baudelaire

I had a most delightful plane trip yesterday returning to Steamboat Springs, Colorado from the East Coast. For two hours of it, my head was stuck between the catalog pages of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store. Reading the captions of the products in this catalog is like an abbreviated course in art history. For instance, I learned:

  • Vera Neumann’s designs (American Artist1907-1933) became symbolic of American enterprise and optimism in the Truman era.
  • Arthur George “Art” Smith (1917-1982) created his craft at the center of Greenwich Village where he led a bohemian life and
    became known as one of the most creative jewelry designers of the time.
  • It was  common practice for the Greeks in the Hellenistic times, to bury the wealthy with their most valuable jewelry of gold, precious medals and stones.
  • Jefferson R Burdick (American 1900-1963) began at the age of 10 procuring one of  country’s most valuable collections of American paper ephemera, which  included paper dolls, souvenir cards, greeting and playing cards.

The Metropolitan Museum Art Store works closely with art historians to bring products to consumers that are artfully crafted in the
design of the finest master artists from around the world. Gifts include jewelry, cards, art books, Christmas ornaments, calendars sculpture, scarves and art activity sets to engage children in creating art.

Now is the time to begin thinking about Christmas buying for your circle of art friends or family. The catalog can be ordered by calling 1-800-662-3397. Mail order and on-line ordering is available. For more information, visit http://store.metmuseum.org/.

My trip to the East Coast included visiting arts scenes and artists working in many mediums. In the coming weeks, I will be sharing more information on writers, potters, and towns that I encountered along the way. It was a very fulfilling trip. Good to be away and good to be back!

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Finding Fulfillment East to West

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“We all soon had a change of mind, back to the Mountains we rode, with our maps.” ~ Alice Bradshaw Butler

I recently stopped by the Dorchester County Library in Cambridge, Maryland. I entered into the M. Virginia Webb Memorial Maryland Room to revisit the work of author Alice Bradshaw Butler. On my last trip to the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, I discovered this poet’s book called “Reflections.” I wanted to explore it some more.

This writers’ life seems to mirror mine in many ways. She, too, was an East Coast gal whose life changes eventually brought her west. Alice Bradshaw Butler was born and bred on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She was educated at Towson State Teachers College (now referred to as Towson University); in the town of my native roots. In 1909 she left her life in Maryland, traveled and settled in the Western plains of Montana.

I’ve gotten got a strong sense that we would be kindred spirits, were she alive today. She seemed to find fulfilling things in both the East and the West. I find myself having conflicted feelings about  which part of the country I like best.  Our own shared personal values, life travels and travails can be summed up in many of her poem’s titles. Here are just a few, all written by Alice Bradshaw Butler:

  • Life Full of Wondrous Things
  • Walking beside Sandy Shore
  • Crossroads (Presence of  God during Difficult Days)
  • My Island Home
  • Gold in them thar Hills
  • Let’s Walk this Land
  • I am So Glad I am a Christian
  • Westward Bound
  • A Different Road
  • A Paradise for a Hunter
  • The Woodland Glen

I returned to this author’s book because I found community with the author, our shared interests and her likeable writing style. As an independent publisher, have you properly identified your market and are you reaching it from east to west through innovative methods of marketing and promotion in a digital world? If not, consult with a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. They will help you and your book become more visible on the world-wide-web.

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Designing A Life of One’s Own

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“Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most
important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”  ~ From Steve Jobs’
Stanford Commencement Address

What do you get when two architects wed and it is catered by the bride’s father who is a chef? A great wedding with every last detail
artistically and creatively designed.

This past weekend, I returned to the East Coast for a fulfilling weekend of family and fun. Among those witnessing the union of my
niece and her new husband were young professionals in the architectural field who were fellow classmates to the bride and groom. They were graduates of Roger Williams University http://www.rwu.edu/  and Wentworth Institute of Technology. http://www.wit.edu/.

In addition to capable and well-educated architects, other twenty-something professionals who are following their passions and crafting careers for themselves in neo-natal nursing, the building trades, fashion and design were in attendance. There were also young adults who care for others by keeping people  safe  environmentally, nutritionally, mentally/emotionally and at our country’s borders. The filmmaking industry was represented, as well as a young graduate who is interested in historic preservation, too.

The dance floor was filled with wedding guests gyrating and jiving all night long. Almost all of us, including yours truly, expressed our individuality through creative dance. The young musicians and artists who designed and provided the musical entertainment brought together three generations of people who played together through movement to music embracing body, soul and spirit.

I am very optimistic about our country’s future. After having visited with many of the young adults at the event, who are just a sampling of the next generation of skilled professionals working in the United States and abroad, we have much to be hopeful about. As this new generation ages, perhaps more stories will be told about successfully and independently finding fulfillment in the workplace.

A newly married couple of architects, in love, are off to a good start. They are designing a life of fulfilling things by doing what they
love and loving what they do! Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Babcock!

Letting Go and Having Fun!

Yours Truly gets a spin around the dance floor with son Marc – the filmmaker!

Together through  heart and soul.

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Routes and Roots of American History

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“Art among a religious race produces relics; among a military one, trophies; among a commercial one, articles of trade.” ~ Henry Fuseli

Culture and religion has been at the root of American civilization. In Frederick, Maryland there are a wealth of attractions including roads and byways that hold great interest for visitors to this area who wish to understand the founding principles and history of our country. The National Scenic Byway, a 38 mile stretch of land from Frederick County to the Catoctin Mountains is dubbed the Hallowed Ground. Many soldiers fighting for our country’s independence lost their lives along this route.

Attractions that collectively represent the beginnings of trade, politics, culture and spirituality throughout our country’s history can be found throughout this region. To name a few:

  • The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton – dedicated to the first canonized Saint.
  • The C & O Canal (Chesapeake and Ohio) explores the history of shipping.
  • The Shifferstadt Architectural Museum highlights the finest examples of German colonial architecture.
  • The Barbara Fritchie House commemorates the author of the poem that described waving the American flag in the face of the Confederate Army.
  • Weinberg Centerof the Arts houses the original Wurlitzer pipe organ.
  • Visit the All Saint Street Neighborhood – the center of commerce and entertainment during the latter part of the 19th century for African Americans.
  • America’s replica of the famous Grotto of Lourdes in France is represented at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of the Lourdes at Mount St. Mary’s University.
  • The John Hanson House, the Ramsey House and the Roger Brooke Taney House all hold significance in some aspect of early American history by those that occupied them or visited them.
  • Battlefields of Gettysburg and Antietam are located close by. 

We have only touched lightly on a place that the National Trust for Historic Preservation has named as a Great American Main Street community. There are so many things to see and do. The designation as a 2010 Top Arts Destination by American Style Magazine only strengthens this small city’s position as one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations.

To obtain a travel packet of information on this region, visit www.fredericktourism.org. I hope some of the readers of this blogsite have the opportunity to visit this area. It was a fulfilling trip and I would like to  return again to take in more of the sites and scenes.

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American Spirit Brings Change

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead


It is eye-opening to have lived on the East Coast of the United States all of my life, and then to relocate to the West. Aside from the vast change in landscape, the difference in people’s attitudes has been most interesting to absorb. In my opinion, business to business dealings among Westerners is less antagonistic. Westerners seem to have a better understanding that working collaboratively and cooperatively will bring about forward movement. In deed, the “pioneering spirit” is still alive and well in the West. 


During my tour of Frederick, Maryland I visited with a storeowner who may have explained much of the success this town has had in bringing fulfilling awards of distinction to their downtown. The storekeeper, having moved from Chattanooga, Tennessee two years ago, expressed his delight at having arrived in this town. A solid vision along with a strong Main Street Association of business owners, shopkeepers, restauranteurs, artists and other members of the community, working together rather competing against one another, along with the Chamber of Commerce and the Maryland Council on the Arts, has apparently been the secret to success. All should be commended for developing a town that has been awarded by American Style Magazine as a 2010 Top Arts Destination. 


Salvaged, just one of the retail stores I visited, is a reflection of the entire downtown area of Frederick, Maryland. www.salvagedmaryland.com. In each of the shops that I browsed, the merchandise was trendy. Geared for doing business in the new millennium and artfully displayed. Even red brick warehouses filled with antiques that I had visited some twenty years prior are no longer jumbled messes. They have been attractively re-arranged. Shoppers who ordinarily are not fans of antiquated home furnishings may now see value in restoring, salvaging and reclaiming period furniture rather than letting it be dumped in landfills. 


Despite challenges that have come to retail establishments in recent years, this community appears to have weathered the battles better than many. Frederick,Maryland seems well positioned to attract tourists and other businesses in the new century. The people’s visionary spirit is driving this town in the same manner as those who led the Western expansion. 


Tomorrow, we will wrap up this blog series. Return again, so your mind can complete the picture I have drawn of a town that is thriving along the Mason-Dixon Line. The return to the values that are at the roots of our country has in part, driven success.


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Artfully Restoring America

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“The only thing that can save the world is the reclaiming of the awareness of the world.” ~ Allen Ginsberg

Several days ago, I returned to a town that I had not visited in almost twenty years. I was blown away by the change that has taken place in what used to be a run-down town filled with uncared for historic Federal Style buildings in the heart of the Civil War heritage Area.Frederick, amid the rolling hills and abundant farmland of Frederick County, Maryland has become a charming and vibrant community that has been designated as one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations and as a Preserve America Community http://bit.ly/pwZygfy. It was named a 2010 Top Arts Destinations by American Style Magazine http://bit.ly/aj5eGd in the Small Cities category. 

At the center of it all, are now vibrant shops, charming restaurants, and Federal style buildings that have been salvaged, restored, and renewed. Great testimony for the argument that rather than building new, America should be reclaiming spaces and places to bring life back into existing towns and cities. 

I took a walking tour of the city, strolling along the beautifully restored area of town along side the Carroll Creek, an estuary of the MonocacyRiver. I came across the  Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center www.delaplaine.org and looked in on three exhibits that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

It is fair time in Frederick!  In the upper hall way of the brick cannery building reclaimed as Art Space, was an exhibit of black and white photos that brought back nostalgic memories of State Fairs. A second exhibit, a National Juried Quilt Exhibit was one the best selections of Art Quilts that I have seen. Few quilts were of the ilk that you see on Grandmother’s beds and it was interesting to see how the names of the quilts were carried out in the artistic creation of the quilts. 

The third exhibit – Painting with Thread by Joanne Bast http://bit.ly/qfKBx6  were canvases that had been so densely stitched with thread that they created fiber paintings of iconic Chesapeake Bay scenes, charming homes or gardens, and in street scenes of other places. One of my favorites appeared to be  perhaps a village in Italy. 

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center was just the start of my afternoon tour of Frederick. Major support for this vibrant, restored Art Space is provided by the Delaplaine Foundation, the Ausherman Family Foundation, www.fredericktourism.org and the Maryland State Arts Council. 

Join me next time for more of my travels through Frederick. In a new millennium, this town is finding success in artistically fulfilling their vision, of a vibrant community through heart and spirit.

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Artist Preserves Cowboy Film History

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“A maverick hero during the wild west was… tough, independent, fearless. Characters of honor and principle.” ~ Unknown 

In 1980, artist Kerry Powell http://bit.ly/rkDr1X  helped to spearhead efforts to preserve the Western cinematic history of Lone Pine,California by organizing the Lone Pine Film Festival. The Alabama Hills and the Inyo Mountains, located only 170 miles from Hollywood, provided the scenic backdrops to some 400 western movies produced between the years 1920 to the 1970s. Some of the notables were: 

    • The Round Up (1920)
    • Gunga Din (1939)
    • High Sierra (1941)
    • Along the Great Divide (1951)
    • Thunder in the Sun (1959)
    • How the West Was Won (1962)
    • Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) 

    For many, “Westerns” congered up romantic notions of life on the American western front and independent living at its best. Artist Kerry Powell’s painted murals around the town of Lone Pine, California reflect the era of Western filmmaking. Her desire to protect this era in cinematography came from her fulfilling memories of the production crews arriving in town, movie sets being built and of the legendary actors, most of whom are now deceased, who stayed at her family’s motel. Big name Hollywood actors such as Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Johnny Weismuller were just a few of the actors that frequented this area to produce movies.

Eleven years later, The Lone Pine Film Festival now draws audiences of 5,000 Western film enthusiasts from around the world. It is scheduled for October 7 – 9. For ticket information, please visit http://bit.ly/pK7I9h. 

The period of the cowboys and Indians is seldom captured in movies anymore, and the film production process will never be the same. Modern-day filmmaking has changed all that. So, saddle up and attend this year’s fest! The 100th birthday of Roy Rogers will be celebrated this year. It is guaranteed to be one of the best Western Film fests yet.

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Positive Thinking Day

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“Love is  a promise; fulfill it.” ~ Mother Theresa

Today is September 13th – Positive Thinking Day! Thirty-one years ago today my husband and I decided we would commit to each other in marriage and from that day forward I don’t think either of us has spent much time thinking it will not work. 

Like many couples we have had plenty of inconsequential differences and life has presented us with lots of challenges over the years, for sure! He, being the athlete with all the principles of dedication that that takes, has stayed the course. I, being the determined cuss that I am, do not give up on matters of heart and soul. 

I don’t completely understand his intense love of sports and hunting. He does not fully “get” my adoration for watching  the sunrise each and everyday. We value our time together and alone. Never the less, we have managed to work out our differences and remain steadfast and committed. 

 Our common values in life are what have kept us together for all these years and has made our married life fulfilling.  He is slightly more undeviating than me in political views, but, we are very much on the  same side of the political spectrum. Our opinions on parenting and raising a family were almost in sync and we both highly value loyalty, responsibility, doing the right thing, honesty and integrity. We are both, I would say, optimists and waste little time letting ourselves be dragged down. 

Happy Anniversary to Mo chuisle mo chroí ! I am positively, positive that my wish is to continue my fulfilling  journey through life with you. And I know you would wholeheartedly agree that the best thing that has come out of our pledge to each other is our son, who means the world to both of us.

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Fulfill Your Need to Tell Your Story!

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“Knowledge is Power.” ~ Sir Francis Bacon 

Tomorrow, SHe Writes Steamboat will be hosting the Colorado Independent Publishers Association at the Bud Werner Library. www.steamboatlibrary.org.  What an opportunity this will be to find out more about writing your own story. Learn about the educational programs, vendor affiliations and services that are available from CIPA to help you through the process of independently publishing your story. 

We are so rich in individual narratives in this corner of Northwestern Colorado and the Elk River Valley. Retirees, career professionals, and interesting individuals who have unique stories to tell of their lives in other places seek out this part of the country so they can begin a new chapter of their lives – one that includes fulfilling dreams, passions and interests. 

If you have ever had the thought “I could write a book about that!” join us, tomorrow at 9:30 am at the Bud Werner Memorial Library in Library Hall. The morning informational session is free and open to the public. Stay for the afternoon, but do pre-register, please, through this link. (look for the September 9 Steamboat seminars) http://bit.ly/p9GbYG. 

Can’t come, but still interested? There is an 18 minute webinar now available on-line that will give you an overview of the independent publishing industry. It explains how a new generation of book publishing including e-commerce and e- marketing has evolved. The publishing universe in this new century now includes anyone willing to tell their story. That includes you!  http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. 

See you tomorrow at 9:30 am sharp!

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