Family fun, work and play

 

The Frisco Alters at Santa Monice Pier.

A mixed bag today. The Frisco Alters are in LA, settling Eden into her first year at UCLA. All pictures indicate they are having a wonderful time visiting Santa Monica Pier, Catalina Island, Hollywood studios, etc. This will be the first empty-nest year for Jamie and Mel, with Eden in LA and Maddie in Colorado pursuing her plan to add a nursing degree to her brand new, shiny bachelor’s, so I’m doubly glad they can have this time together.

Jacob is in the very middle.

Meanwhile, Jacob was playing in the second day of the Bart Granger Memorial Golf Tournament. Thirty-six holes yesterday and eighteen today. He shot 78 and 79 yesterday, though I didn’t hear today’s score. And, no surprise, he came home exhausted. His mom was pretty tired too, having gotten him to the course at 6:15 yesterday and 7:15 today. 

While they were all playing, it turned out to be a workday for me. A marketing webinar sponsored by the Buckeye Crime Writers kind of attracted me, but webinars don’t always hold my attention (may be my problem and not the presenter’s). Anyway, I tuned in sort of idly, and—wow! I learned so much that I was definitely in information overload. I usually find later that the hour and a half of information boils down to two or three useful things that I take away for keeps. And so it was today. The presenter was a real go-getter, a former publicist who makes her living teaching authors how to market their books. Her website is filled with helpful information and forms—the latter for sale, of course. But she was engaging and interesting.

The session was obviously geared to authors who are traditionally published and are building their careers. Neither of those things apply to me. While I’m still, I hope, writing strongly, I realize I’m at the tag end of my career. Some days I wonder how many more books I have in me. But it made me a little sad—one of the first times I came even close to regretting my age, because I wished I had known all this twenty or thirty years ago. Then, slap! I had to tell myself twenty or thirty years ago social media was unheard of, independent publishing was frowned upon, and the publishing landscape was totally different. So, I guess what I do is take advantage of what I can and not worry about the rest. So now I belong to a new Facebook group (more time spent) and get a weekly bulletin (do I really need that?), and I know that some things, like an Amazon imprint, are beyond me as an unagented author. But I have some useful tips—like boldly ask readers for reviews and make it easy for them by giving them a link and a template. And what I’ve always suspected is confirmed—Amazon is where the action is. Comforting that I am already doing some of what she suggests. My scorecard isn’t too bad.

Tonight, was the annual dinner for my Berkeley Place Association. Over a hundred neighbors wandered and visited and then dined at tables in Joe and Mary Dulle’s spacious backyard. There was an occasional breeze, and toward the end of the evening, a bright moon. Tables were tastefully decorated—who needs much in that setting?—and dinner was good Mexican food from local restaurant Enchiladas Olé. Because I can’t move around freely and schmooze, I didn’t meet that many new people but some. Several good friends came and visited with me at the table where the Burtons parked me. And because I edit the neighborhood newsletter, people I know by email but don’t recognize in person came by to say hello. I was glad to put faces to names. Music was skewed toward folk songs—“Blowin’ the wind”—and I liked the selections, but it was so loud I couldn’t hear conversations—always a problem. All in all, a lovely evening.

Me with host Mary Dulle

And an amazing day. I’m sleepy. Sweet dreams, everyone.