Office Tour

"I'll see you in my office now."

This is where I spend my time.

Writing on the Wall

On one side of my office is my library. Reading, writing and research books, stories for the grands, old letters, maps and travel books (stashed in the suitcases) and file boxes along the bottom with tons of family history info.

Office Suite-y

You've already seen my computer.

My Bibles

If I turn my chair the other way I'm facing my work table. Between the bookends are resources I need at my fingertips. The loose leaf holds research I've done for my work in progress, aka The Widow's Waltz. It's a great example of my new catchphrase, "Planning is the enemy of finishing."

Since last November I've compiled almost three hundred pages outlining setting (Vienna, just before World War II) plot (American businessman is murdered) and character back-story (based on real letters) but not a sentence of the actual book. It's time to stop planning, so I can start finishing.

Editor's Desk

But I have finished a couple of big editing projects recently. Right now I'm working on a manuscript by a surgeon who served several tours of duty in Afghanistan. It's serious and funny—a little like Hawkeye's life on MASH.

Office Accessories

Little details: I use my pewter collection to hold office supplies. The IKEA Lazy Susan gives me instant access to red pens, blue pencils, scissors, chapstick and my back-scratcher. It suddenly seemed nutty that these pretty pieces were hidden away in a cupboard. What was I saving them for??

Check books

Here's my bill paying station. I chucked my ugly brown accordion folder and now I stash the bills that need attention in one fake book, and the others hold receipts, stamps and envelopes.

File It

These space-saving filing cabinets came from TJ Maxx. Since the folders are on display, I bought a package of cute blue ones to match my decor, and put them in front. They hold everything—address labels, greeting cards, newspaper clippings and blog ideas.

Inspiration Board

When I was packing up my stuff to move, I found some handmade paper we bought in Italy ten years ago. Apparently I was saving it. For what? So I cut it up into squares and used it to line a bulletin board. Postcards and old calendar pictures of women reading and writing inspire me.

Scraps

A rusted, yellow mailbox begged for old letters, but the slots were too deep for my stationery. I cut some scrapbook paper up and taped a few pieces together so they'd be exactly the right size, and then stuck on some vintage-looking stamp stickers to make them look authentic. Old postcards added color.

Anything for me?

Voila! A cool in-and-out box for my desk. (I stash the real letters-to-be-mailed behind the fake ones—a check being sent to the phone company doesn't seem as cute.)

Speaking of letters . . . Nancy emailed these questions:

"How do you preserve what you've written, photos and all?
Do you have a backup system for memoirs?"

Actually, my blog is my backup system. A few years ago I accidentally deleted my archive of photos. The pictures I had used on my blog were the only ones I could find again, because they were floating around the Internet. That's why I've written a lot of my memoirs on my blog—I can access those memories from anywhere, anytime. (And so can all my descendants who can't wait to read every word Great-grandma Oma ever wrote.)

So, how do you preserve what you've written?

I loved your comments about why you blog. Now you need to write about where you blog. Leave a comment and we'll come over and tour your office.

Congratulations to Grandma Cebe!
(She won a copy of my book!)

Buy it here!

Ten Reasons to Blog

Here's where I blog.

I've been asking myself—why do I blog? TravelinOma is five years old next week, and this is my 5,000th post! Each post takes me at least two hours to write, so that's over 10,000 hours I've spent working on this little hobby—not counting all the prepping, designing and linking. Since I don't have ads, there's no money-making involved. So is blogging worth it?

Ten Ways Blogging Has Paid Off For Me

1. Blogging introduced me to one of the great loves of my life—Mac. You can read about him in a post I called An Affair to Remember.
   
2. Blogging is it's own reward—I'm becoming a better writer. I've got three shelves of books on writing that I'm always studying, and I use my blog to practice the techniques I'm reading about. Looking back at my early posts, I see improvement, and that's satisfying to me.
3. Because of my blog I take more pictures, download them that day (in case I want to use them on a post) and label them immediately so they're easy to find.
   
4. All my old photos are now organized in iPhoto. At first I was searching through boxes and scrapbooks for pictures to use on posts, so I started scanning them in and making digital albums, labeling them with names and dates. (Another bonus from blogging.)
   
5. I learned how to scan—and create files to store scans in. And color code my files. Initially it was just for my blog, but my eyes were opened to a world of possibilities. (You have to remember I was raised during the Dewey Decimal decades, and this is all new to me.)
   
6. I learned to cut and paste, and then to copy and bookmark and explore icons, which taught me to add images and make italics, and change fonts. That gave me confidence to try other writing programs like Pages and Scrivener. Now I can create my own templates for newsletters—and novels!
7. I haven't even mentioned what I've learned from your blogs. You find humor in the mundane and miserable moments, and you relish the joyful ones. Reading what you write encourages me, and I feel refreshed by dipping into your day. (Even though I hardly ever comment anymore.)
   
8. When something interesting pokes my mind, I think, "Blog." It's a great motivation for research. I wrote about Anne Frank once, and that post alone has had 51,000 hits!
9. Blogging has given me a new outlet. Even the bleakest of days can turn into a memorable post.
   
10. Finally, I love blogging! At the beginning of my blogging career the prevailing attitude (of non-bloggers) was that it was a waste of time. I felt defensive. One of my most popular posts is called Wear Your Paper Bag With Pride, and after I wrote it, I settled into my blogging grove—with pride.

"When I sit down at my writing desk, time seems to vanish.
I think it's a wonderful way to spend one's life."
—Erica Jong

How long have you been blogging?

Leave a comment before Saturday November 5th at midnight,
and you'll be entered to win a copy of my book!

Buy it here!

Son of a Gun!

Ruby Barlow, heroine

"Please release me . . ." Ruby cried. And they did!
Tate Publishing released my book today. I'm a novelist!

(It's available on Amazon!)

"You can quit staring," Ruby told the cowboy. "I've known men like you, and I'm not interested." Her voice was kept low, but she had no shyness about her.

Jack tipped back in his chair and ogled her. "You've known men like me? What are you . . . about fifteen? Too young to be so sour on love." He reached out and grabbed her around the waist. "Some schoolboy pull your ponytail too hard?"

"Laws! I'm eighteen, and I can rope a calf and break a colt better than any schoolboy. I support a household and work a farm, so don't toy with me, mister." She refilled his coffee cup and twisted away from his grasp. "Aren't you that pile of dust and whiskers with the red mare? That horse won't know you, all spiffed and shiny."

Left alone to raise Jack's son, Ruby is rescued from life as a soiled dove by a young widower who sees past her desperate bravado and recognizes courage. Together they face a devastating grasshopper plague, a tornado, fire and persecution while raising two young sons on the Texas plains. When a murder takes place on their ranch, the Barlow family is almost torn apart.

Meticulously researched and historically accurate, Son of a Gun shows how values of the Old West are still important today.

OK.

I'll give you a second to order your copy.

(Click here)

Now you're all invited over to my brand-new website to celebrate:
martyhalverson.com

Bring your friends!

Click here for excerpts from Son of a Gun.

Cover Story: Son of a Gun

Son of a Gun

Ten Ways to Judge a Book by its Cover

1. The spine stands out with an arresting color and compelling lettering.
2. The overall design captures the personality of the book.
3. Images tell part of the story.
   
4. The title pops off the background and is large enough to read from a distance.
5. It must convert well to black and white for one color advertising.
   
6. A tiny image on the Internet must show up.
   
7. The font suggests the time period, setting or genre of the book.
8. Fewer words in the title are better.
9. Colors work to suggest a mood (dramatic, antique, stark, modern, scary.)
10. Consider: would you pick this book up if you saw it on a Barnes and Noble display table?

Three things not to do:

1. Colored title on a black background—it won't show up in black & white.
2. A detailed picture of a character—let the reader's imagination supply that.
3. Meaningless clutter—focus on a strong theme.
   

"Readers will only give a book a few seconds of consideration. It must wrench their attention away from thousands of other volumes . . . In a bookstore, most books are shelved spine out, so this narrow strip is your first sales tool. Next, book browsers look at the book's front. Your cover is your billboard. If it interests them, they'll turn to the back. If they're still intrigued, the first few sentences will receive their consideration."

—The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing

There's so much more to publishing a book than just writing it!


Does the title show up in black and white?



Will the tiny image on Amazon catch anyone's attention?

With several choices, some direction from Kenna (head of the cover design department of Tate Publishing) and input from Mark (my marketing guru) Son of a Gun is getting dressed up for its debut on the shelves. I'm thrilled with its cover story!

How do you decide to buy a book?