First Word

  Today’s topic is about narrative and novels. I’ve been listening to what is a 36-hour audio book titled The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante . I’m a huge fan of autobiographies and biographies, and I love reading about other female authors. The narrator Elena Grecco tells one of the most shocking and compelling stories about her life in Naples.   In discussing this book’s narrative with my friend, he asked me, “Why is it so shocking when she reveals important plot points. You just don’t see it coming.” Ferrante is gifted at telling a story through what I called “immediacy,” which means she tells the story exactly as it unfolded to her. In real life, we don’t have foreshadowing and little breadcrumbs that get dropped when something major is about to happen. We might see hints in a character’s behavior, but that’s all the hints we get in this kind of narrative.   As a result, Ferrante’s life experiences – and many are indeed dramatic and shock...

14             Sandra walked off the elevator in a confident stride. Just then Darian came around the other corner away from Merry’s office. She was chewing her fingernails and looked very edgy. She saw Sandra and stopped and waited for her in front of her office.             “Hey, you know, I need some gum. Can I have some gum? Do you have any?” she frenetically shot off these questions.             Sandra stared at her. Her hair had thinned and fallen out so it was scraggily looking. The sores on her face had at least healed and scabbed over since her arrival. But judging by her hyper mood and her shifting eyes, Sandra wondered if she was high. She unlocked her office door and allowed Darian to walk in first. She went to her desk and pulled out a plastic-cup-shaped Orbit mint-gum container. She ...

Are you a procrastinator? I can be at different times. Do you realize procrastinating is harder to do than actually doing what you need to do? So many do's in that sentence ... DO is the operative word, friend. Expending time and energy "avoiding" something is harder than just doing it. Now for some creative people that so-called procrastination time often isn't at all. I know when I have a project brewing in my head it's because I'm thinking about plot lines and subplots. The time spent meditatively thinking is actual work. Some meditative thought time is work. Sometimes people don't realize that being up in one's head is a part of the process, too. BUT that is the exception. If you are a procrastinator who lets everything get in the way of the task at-hand my best advice: quit avoiding it and just do it ! If it's something you didn't want to do, think of this way: the sooner you do it the sooner you get to do something else you want to do. An...

(L) Anita Smithson, author of chapter 1 of the 10 Powerful Women, and Michelle Gamble, CEO, 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com) Last night we held yet another fabulous launch party of the latest 3L Publishing tome 10 Powerful Women, 10 Strategic Insights into Successful Business . The book launch was held at the elegant Terraces in Roseville, which donated food and wine. They also had an interesting concept with a meal in a glass aka as mashed potatoes with the fixings in a martini glass. I liked it because it was like eating an ice cream sundae while talking. You could easily hold your food and mingle (novel concept for sure). I always hate juggling cheese squares and crackers LOL. The turnout for the six author was amazing. I recognized many, many women entrepreneurs from the region who turned out to support these very savvy business women. We want to thank the Terraces for hosting this incredible event, and we want to thank Tamara Williams , author of chapter 5, who used her ...

Now I can't say which girlfriend sent me this message this morning, but it was pretty darned funny. She said she dreamt that she got caught in bed with Alexander Skarsgard by her husband. And she blamed me because it was all part of my diabolical plan to write about it in one of my books. Of course, I woke up for work this morning with this message in my in-box and started cracking up. Wow! I now apparently have set up my girlfriends to get caught cheating with the Swedish actor ... AND it's all part of my evil intentions to come up with good book material. Hmm ... now that's an interesting premise: I'll set up all of my girlfriends with miscellaneous hot guys to get caught cheating or maybe just to experiment to see what happens. Will they get caught? Maybe they'll fall in love ... ! Yes, that's it! I now have a grand master plan for endless amounts of book material all at the expense of my girlfriends' marriages. What divine genius! I must now thank my gir...

We traveled to Pittsburgh, PA this week to participate in the official launch of Beyond the Iron and join a great and festive party. Authors should never opt out of their launch parties. It gives you a chance to spread the word about your book and invite friends and family to celebrate your great achievement. Most launch parties also generate a fair amount of initial sales. I've seen authors rake in anywhere between $500 and $2,500 for one night of fun. You can't beat enjoying a great party and selling books too. Don't make the mistake of missing out on a celebration of your achievement -- and writing an entire book is no small feat. So you should be proud. Plus, you can beat the additional leverage of promoting the party too with the media! Just make sure you have a great news hook in the promotion. If you don't know what is a great news hook, call me anytime! I'll share. You can also email me at michelle@3LPublishing.com.