Interview with Sue William Silverman Sat Jun 02 2018
I was introduced to Sue William Silverman's work in grad school. Her work was intrinsic to my development as a writer, both on a craft level, and also in terms of subject matter—she wrote about the forbidden, something I knew I wanted to do. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#SueWilliamSilverman
Interview with Book Publicist Andrea Kiliany Thatcher Tue Jun 26 2018
For Industry Insiders week, I wanted to introduce you to Andrea Kiliany Thatcher of Smith Publicity, whom I worked with in the months leading up to the release of my memoir, Girlish: Growing Up in a Lesbian Home. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#interview#Publicist
My Slightly Awkward Introduction on The Debutante Ball Tue Sep 05 2017
I am participating on a weekly group blog of debut authors this year. This is my first post. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#introduction
The Bio I Wish I Had...Or Do I? Tue Nov 07 2017
We assume that the road not taken would have been filled with daisies and sweet, ripe, raspberries. Backward glances and nostalgic regrets don’t factor in all the trouble that could have happened view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Bios
My Love of Writing Contests Thu Nov 16 2017
I kept submitting my essay, but I no longer cared when people rejected it. It wasn’t a reflection on my worth as a writer or as a person. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Contests
My Love-Hate Relationship With First Drafts Tue Nov 28 2017
As a writer, we don’t get a lot of positive reinforcement along the way, and that little gray-on-gray page- and word-counter in the lower left corner of my screen gives me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#FirstDrafts#Writing
Timeline of a Memoir Tue Dec 05 2017
I have a cold so I’m eschewing complete sentences this week. Instead, I spent an inordinate amount of time on mediocre graphics. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Timeline#Writing
5 Resolutions for my Debut Year Tue Jan 02 2018
Exactly what you'd expect from that catchy and suspenseful title. Maybe next week I'll be a little more surprising. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#resolutions
Critique Partners and Beta Readers—Some Stranger Than Others Wed Jan 17 2018
I have had several kinds of critique partners on Girlish. I didn’t have a writing group that met once a week and read each other’s works in progress, but I did have several key people, all located in different parts of the country, who read my work and helped me whip it into shape. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#BetaWriters
My Electronic Co-Worker Has My Back...Usually Tue Mar 06 2018
My calendar reassures me that I have everything under control. It sends me electronic nudges that make me a better mother, better friend, and better writer. Most of the time. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Disorganization#Calendars#Funny
The Offer Call/Email for Girlish Tue Mar 13 2018
I was sitting on the cabin porch when I got The Call, which in my case, was not actually a call but an email—Thank God, because I hate talking on the phone and the cabin has really bad cell service. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#writingLife#TheCall#Funny
Sometimes Time Spent Not Writing is Necessary Tue Mar 20 2018
For about two years, I couldn’t bring myself to write much of anything besides text messages and Facebook posts. You could say I was journaling, except the receptacle wasn’t a Word file but a cell phone, and most of the words I wrote were lost as I broke cell phone after cell phone—a total of six in my first year as a single mama. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#NotWriting
How to Write Useful Book Reviews Wed May 16 2018
It turns out, ignoring a book is one of the worst things you can do for it—so what do you do if you don’t love a book but don’t want to punish the writer with your silence? view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#BookReviews
It's My Release Day! Tue Apr 03 2018
That’s why I wrote the book. Not for my parents, not for good reviews or sales, but for another daughter with a lesbian mother who’s never seen anything close to her family on the page before. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#ReleaseDay
Writing Programs, MFAs, and What to do if You Can’t Afford Any of Them Tue Apr 24 2018
When I started writing in a serious, dedicated way, I had 95 undergrad credits and three active student loans. I didn’t have a bachelor’s degree or an MFA and had never been to a writers’ workshop, but I believed in my stories. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#MFAsAndWritingPrograms
Self Promotion—Awkward Yet Necessary Tue May 01 2018
I desperately want that one reader who has never seen anything resembling his or her family in a book to find Girlish and feel a little less alone in the world. And they will never find it without promotion. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#SelfPromotion#WritersLife
My Various Entry Points into THE ONES WE CHOOSE Tue May 08 2018
A good story allows the reader to enter it from multiple vantage points. THE ONES WE CHOOSE is not just a good story, but an amazing story that will linger long after you put it down. It is truly one of my favorite books of the year, maybe because I engaged with the book on multiple levels. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#ReleaseDay#TheOnesWeChoose#BookReviews
What Lara Lillibridge Got Out Of Being on the Debutante Ball Tue Jun 05 2018
I feel like women writers have this super power—the support of other women writers. Applications for Deb Class of 2019 are now open! view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#Recruitment
Easter Eggs and Hidden Mickeys—Small Clues for our Loved Ones Tue Jul 10 2018
Easter Eggs or Hidden Mickeys are little details or layers that are intended only for a specific audience in the know to find. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#EasterEggs
If You Can Visualize It, It Can Be Yours—Or Maybe Not Tue Jul 17 2018
As I wrote Girlish, I pictured a young woman on the opposite side of the country opening my book and seeing something that resembled her life for the first time ever and feeling less alone. (The other side of the country is less scary than the neighbor living next door.) view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#WritingLife#Expectations
Interview with Terese Mailhot, author of Heart Berries Sat Jul 21 2018
I am so excited to welcome Terese Marie Mailhot to the blog today, and introduce her and her searingly beautiful memoir to the Deb community! view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Interview#TereseMailhot
My Most Favored Things Tue Mar 27 2018
For today’s post, I will take some pictures of my some of my favorite things with another one of my current favorite things, my brand new iPhone 7+. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#FavoriteThings#Iphone
Research in Memoir Tue Jul 24 2018
It’s easy to discount the need for research in memoir. I mean, who knows your life better than you do? There was actually a good bit of research that went into crafting Girlish. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Research
Mama, Mama, Only Mama! Lara Lillibridge Discusses Book 2 Tue Jul 31 2018
Being a single mother means finding out you are stronger than you ever knew was possible. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Book2#OnlyMama
Lara Lillibridge’s Thoughts on Perfect Summer Days Thu Jun 21 2018
Summer—the most wonderful time of the year, in spite of Christmas carols stating otherwise. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Summer
It Is Now Safe to Exit the Ride Tue Aug 28 2018
A roller coaster may be a tired metaphor for a book release, but I’m standing by it. It’s my last post on the Ball, and tired is an adequate description of my present state as well. view at thedebutanteball #DebutanteBall#Girlish#FinalThoughts#RollerCoaster
Balance? What is This Balance Thing You Speak Of? Tue Sep 19 2017
Balance. Such a buzzy word these days. I think we are all looking for a magic recipe to make everything snap into place and grant us inner peace. I have no such recipe. view at thedebutanteball #Balance#DebutanteBall
Writing Books and Chasing Dreams—But First, Survive the Diaper Years Tue Oct 24 2017
The world doesn’t give you this much material and expect you to wait to write it down. I had already waited long enough. view at thedebutanteball #Writing#DebutanteBall#Aging
Writing Through Distractions of the Small Child Variety Tue Jan 09 2018
Writing for me has always involved coping with distractions of the small child variety. Yet, I earned two college degrees and wrote over one thousand pages while mothering two small creatures over nearly a decade, and I like to think I didn’t do a half-bad job at either endeavor—at least so far. view at thedebutanteball #Parenting#DebutanteBall#Writing#WritingWhileMothering