Let Me 'Splain

Dear Reader,

I kinda sorta regret calling myself an author. I wish I had just proclaimed, "Hey! I wrote a book! You can get a copy from me or on Amazon or at various local bookstores. Yay, Me!"

Instead, I created a Facebook author page. I started "Like"ing and "Follow"ing various authors and way too many writing pages. If an author "Like"d my page, I felt obligated to "Like" his/her page in return. Now I have more than a hundred "author friends" whom I don't even vaguely know and whose books I'll probably never read. What's the point?

Almost every day I search for some article or tidbit to post on my author page, because that's just how I am. When I do something, I want to do it well. (There is probably a series of letters that explains this phenomenon [like AC/DC?], but ... whatever.) After each post, it's usually only my "real" friends and family who comment. That doesn't make me feel bad, but it makes me wonder where all the 500 friends are who "Like" my author page.

Yes, I'm still writing. It's part of who I am. But I don't know if my "scribblings" will result in another book. I'm not worried about it. What I'm "worried" about is wasting too much time on Facebook — especially with people I don't even know.

SO, I'll keep my author page, but I won't try to get more "followers." I don't even know what that means or what the benefit might be. You can "Like" my page, but I won't feel obligated to "Like" you back. I plan to go through my friend list and "get rid of" the people I don't know or haven't personally interacted with on a regular basis.

I'm guessing that, when I share this on Facebook, only my family and friends will read it, and it won't affect them (you!) anyway. But it just felt right to 'splain myself.

Sincerely,
Author Cindy Keiger 😌

New Year's Resolution

Since I retired from my farm chores, it's been hard to keep this blog going. The title, Farm Muse, keeps whispering, "Pssst. You should be writing about the farm, you know." Today I have new insight and, I hope, new freedom to write whatever I darn well please. First: the farm is my home, my address. That doesn't change, regardless of where I wander or what I'm doing. Second, muse is not only a verb; it's also a noun. According to vocabulary.com, "... it means a person — especially a woman — who is a source of artistic inspiration." Tah dah! I'm an artistic, inspiring woman who happens to live on a farm. Farm Muse is just another one of my many names or titles. I'm free to be me and to write about anything or nothing.

Last week, Pat took me to Reynolda House Museum of American Art (in Winston-Salem) to see the Grant Wood exhibit. Photos weren't allowed, but I'm sure you'll recognize his well-known painting below. You can learn more about the exhibit and see more of his work by clicking on this link.

Grant Wood, American Gothic (1930), Art Institute of Chicago

As you know, I've done my share of whining about farm life. Certainly the paintings on display at Reynolda House depicted more of the idyllic than the crappy, but I was strangely moved by it all. Right then and there I determined to be more aware of the daily blessings all around me, even if it means looking under the piles of junk or getting out the magnifying glass. It has become somewhat like a New Year's resolution: I will look with new eyes to see the good, and if I don't see the blessing, I'll be the blessing!

I'm determined to be the best farm muse ever. Wherever I am, whatever is going on around me, I'm going to look for the artistic, inspirational angle—and write about it! Or take a picture of it! Or sing about it! Or make some cookies to celebrate.

Are you with me?

It Takes a Village

When I first started toying with the idea of writing a book (almost 4 years ago), I never imagined where it would lead. All I knew was that I wanted to write. So, I wrote. And wrote. And wrote some more. Then I learned about editing. So I edited. And rewrote. And edited some more. I did all of this by myself, sitting at my desk, pounding away at the keyboard when no one else was in the same room with me.

This is good work for an introvert. But, as the "book" looked more and more like it could really be a book(!), I had to start reaching out to people. Gasp. "Will you please read my book and give me honest feedback, including corrections, additions, and questions about farm stuff that doesn't make any sense to a non-farm-type person?"

It's one thing to have a book on your computer, but quite another thing to turn it into something you can hold in your hands. I had no hopes of getting a publishing house to take my book and, after lots of studying on the matter, I was pretty sure I didn't want to go that route anyway. Instead, I read many books about self-publishing. I had pages and pages of notes about what needed to be done, but if I had to learn how to do all these things, the book might still be locked up in my computer.

Enter daughter Katie, with years of computer savvy under her belt and the patience of a saint. I told her what I wanted/needed and she did it ... or gave me an idea for something even better. We spent hours working together; she in New York, I in North Carolina. The innards started to look like the real deal, complete with chapter titles, headers and footers, table of contents, source page, and even drop caps. Then she continued her magic, turning my ideas into a gorgeous, funny, eye-catching cover.

On October 31, 2015, Crap Happens...Wallowing Is Optional went "live" on Amazon.com. A real book was born. Then, after reaching out to the expertise of a few more people, the e-book was born on Thanksgiving Day, 2015.

I would have sat back and said, "Whew! That was fun. A lot of work, but fun!" End of story. But, no! The story was only beginning, because I have a whole village around me, encouraging me to sell, write, and get out there! A whole village of naggers ... and I'm very thankful!

My book is in five local stores, four bookstores, and one gift shop - and actually selling in all those locations. Family members carry books with them to sell to others, and friends buy the book and share it with their friends. Crap Happens...Wallowing Is Optional was reviewed in Yadkin Valley Living Magazine (March/April) and Foothills Times Magazine (Mar/Apr), and I was interviewed for an article that will appear in Forsyth Woman Magazine in June. I can assure you I didn't approach any of these establishments on my own. It's this village of family and friends who are pushing me to walk through the doors they've opened for me.

Local magazines are spreading my name around town.

Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, NC

Writing a children's devotional each month for Forsyth Family Magazine has been a "side note" blessing, again because of a friend who put my name out there. It keeps me writing without having to deal with too much crap :)

Devotion in May issue of Forsyth Family Magazine

I can take full credit for reaching out to one venue only: On June 4, I will be selling my book at NOMAD Farms Festival of the Arts in Tobaccoville, NC. Even so, I will depend on my "village" to help me find a tent to use, give me some pointers on making my little area interesting and inviting, perhaps sit with me for an hour or two during the afternoon, and then help take it all down and get me home again.

Whew! If this had depended on my marketing skills, I would have sold a handful of books. If I had relied upon Amazon's selling platform, I would have sold less than 100 books. But because of my awesome village, I have sold and/or given away almost 400 books. Writing and selling a book involves a whole lot more than I ever imagined. I'm loving it, but I couldn't have done it without a village! Thanks, peeps and neighbors, friends and relatives. You're the BEST!

Loose Ends

Yes, I've been emotionally traumatized. By a book. My book. And the world goes on as though nothing has changed.

Write, rewrite, edit, and edit some more. Figure out how to make a pile of well-organized, well-edited words look like a real book. (Thank you, Katie.) Figure out how to make the physical book into an ebook. (Thank you, d4d@detailfordesign.com) Done! Ahh, the relief of completing a project three years in the making.

I published the paperback Crap Happens...Wallowing Is Optional on Halloween of 2015 and then the ebook version on Thanksgiving Day.

You can read a few chapters here:

I was on a high. Friends and family were buying my book at the house and online. Local shops allowed me to display and sell my book, most of them without taking a percentage. I even did a booksigning at Pages Books in Mt. Airy, NC.

Things have settled down now, and I'm trying to return to Normal, but I can't seem to find Normal on the map anymore. I don't write, except for my morning devotional/journal entries. Housework holds no appeal. I thought about making a quilt. Key word: thought.

If I'm really an author, or really want to present myself as an author, I have lots of work to do. I need to learn how to use Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, and Pinterest, Google+, and LinkedIn all to good advantage so the whole world will know who I am and will want to read my book.

Book. Not books. Can I write another book? Not unless I start writing, of course. Oh, Whoa Is Me. (You'll have to read Chapter 19 in Crap Happens to get the inside scoop [the poop] on that phrase.)

I have taken up coloring, but I can only color for so long. I've been working on this beauty for three days now. I'm pretty sure it's not my life's calling—simply a delightful diversion from wondering what I should be doing.

Loose ends: restless, unsettled, without a clear purpose.
Cindy: restless, unsettled, without a clear purpose.

Writing is hard. Even taking the time to write this blog post was hard. But I think I have to give it a try. See if the daily exercise of writing ties up those loose ends, knitting them into something meaningful and enjoyable.

But I still don't want to learn the fine details of promoting myself on all those social media sites. I'll just write for the enjoyment of writing. If family and friends want to tag along and see what I'm up to, that's good enough for me.