Ann Chiappetta

Making Meaningful Connections

Virtual Book Fair

| Filed under blindness Fiction Guide dogs Poem writing Writing Life

Good Books, Unique Gifts, and New Opportunities at your Fingertips

First Book Fair

Behind Our Eyes, an organization of writers with disabilities, held its first virtual book fair conference call. Bonnie Blose and Marilyn Brandt Smith hosted this two-hour event. A brief introduction to the focus and activities of the organization was followed by a parade of books: poetry, novels, memoirs, writings of the holiday season, essays, and a newly released handbook written to assist navigating the health care system for blind and visually impaired consumers.,

Nine authors presented information about their books, totaling fifteen publications. Behind Our Eyes members listened and also had time to ask each author questions after each presentation.

With over two hundred and seventy-three recordings, 2 published anthologies and an active writing community, Behind Our Eyes, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization, is known throughout the United States as a respected resource for and community of writers with visual impairments.

Visit http://www.behindoureyes.org/wp/bookfair/ to read more and download this conference recording. Share it with your friends and newsletters, magazines, etc. Visit www.behindoureyes.org for contact or membership information or a form to offer feedback, ask questions, or join this amazing organization.

List of Presenters: Alice Massa, Peter Altschul, Joan Myles, Ann Harrison Barns, Carrie Hooper, Deborah Kendrick, Anne Chiappetta, Abbie Johnson Taylor,Lynda McKinney Lambert, and Marilyn Brandt Smith

PD Yellow lab Bailey lying next to water, blue sky above and his image reflected in the water beside him.

Authors Fans & Fun

| Filed under blindness Fiction Guide dogs Poem writing Writing Life

Authors, Fans, and Fun

Save The Date: August 2 & 3
Face Book Exclusive
Sizzling Summer Super Release Book Launch Party!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1084437158419463/

Why not drop by, chat, comment and get to know your favourite authors?
Click the GOING button today!
Author Take Over Line UP
August 2, 2019 Author Jo E. Pinto will kick us off on Friday evening (time to be announced) for the opening ceremony & take over.
August 3, 2019 Author Abbie Johnson Taylor will start the event at 12 Noon Eastern with an author take over.
August 3, 2019 at 1 PM Eastern we have author Lynda McKinney Lambert with an author take over spot.
August 3, 2019 at 2 PM Eastern author and editor Leonore Dvorkin take over: Leonore also will cover the books published by both she and husband, David Dvorkin and give a book and editing and publishing assist business presentation.

August 3, 2019 at 3 PM Eastern we have multi genre author Phyllis Staton Campbell taking over
August 3, 2019 at 4 PM Eastern author Trish Hubschman will join us for her author take over hour.
August 3, 2019 5 PM Eastern author social media promotional assist Patty L. Fletcher will be doing a books and business presentation. King Campbell will make a special appearance during this hour and will be presenting a gift at that time, so don’t miss it!

August 3, 2019 at 9 PM Eastern author Annie Chiappetta will join us to close out the takeover event.

Weekends Are For…

| Filed under blindness Fiction Poem Relationships writing

Writing, planning, and wishing I could find an assistant or part-time publicist. Weekends are not conducive to visiting independent bookstores to promote books. Weekends are good for catching up on things, like laundry and cooking a meal and sharing it with my husband. Weekends are for brushing the dogs, binge watching favorite Netflix originals, and catching up on long-distance phone calls with extended family and close friends. Weekends are for connecting with the personal, foregoing the professional, keeping the boundaries defined and clean. When I board the bus come Monday morning, the channel changes, the persona shifts, and by the time I step down off the bus and slide the key into the office door, the transition is initiated. I greet my office mates and begin the day.

The Weekend Writer

| Filed under blindness Fiction Poem writing Writing Life

I was listening to a podcast today for the first time since I’m not sure when; it got my marketing juices flowing again, whoopee! There are weekend dads, warriors, drinkers, and the category for which I am writing this post: writers. Yup, I am proud to be a weekend writer. If I had a choice, I would write full-time and have time to put aside for marketing. As it stands, I have no choice but to cram it in from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon and occasionally when I schedule staycations.

I started my writing career after publishing my first book, Upwelling: Poems, and since the success of my second book, Follow Your Dog, A Story of Love and Trust,Follow Your Dog the time for writing and marketing are feuding – not the most unique power-struggle in the universe – but it is my struggle and it is often exhausting.

I am currently working on my third manuscript, a collection of poems, essays and short fiction. It is a rewarding and time-consuming task and I absolutely love it. Needless to say, the marketing has been pushed aside by the manuscript. If I can nail down a few interviews and add in an announcement about the new book, all’s right with the world. Let’s see, it’s Sunday evening, what’s next on the list?

Guest blog posted a New Story

| Filed under Fiction Poem Relationships writing Writing Life

Hi Folks, just a quick note to announce a short story I wrote called Strange Residue: The Wedding is being featured today as a guest post on Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo blog. The link is https://wp.me/p1wss8-fZ3
Why not go on over to Sue’s most excellent blog and read it – and, don’t forget to follow Sue’s blog, comment and share your post.

The Three Ps for a Fist Pump

| Filed under blindness Fiction Guide dogs Poem Relationships writing Writing Life

Since I began my journey as an independent author and presenter, I knew it would take time for folks to seek me out to be a guest speaker.

More than a year has gone by and I finally was asked to present at a local women’s club . In fact, the contract came in the mail yesterday. The best part, when I was asked how much I charged, I replied what the fee was and when she said, “that’s reasonable,” I broke into the cheesyest grin and thought “score!”.

I made the 3 Ps a mantra in this part of my life, thanks to a speech I heard by Rock Legend, Jon Bon Jovi. He was asked what helped him push through and achieve success. He replied, Practice, Patience and Perseverance. Thanks, dude, .

Darned Delete Finger

| Filed under Fiction Poem writing Writing Life

I’ve been procrastinating in telling this story. A few weeks ago, I was a total derp and deleted files that somehow could not be recovered. Yup, two novels-in-progress and a number of other manuscripts I’ve been working on for the last three years. The computer tech could not recover them, and I am now resigned to taking the original manuscripts and re-writing them. Hundreds of pages, plot revisions, and scenes gone and nothing I can do about it.

Well, I told myself, no use crying about it, I’ve been through this before and I can get through it again and make the stories better.

I’ve also made some decisions about how I back up my work and decided on using cloud storage for my works-in-progress.

The message here is mistakes will happen and the key to recovering from it is staying grounded and revising the plan to reduce the error from recurring. I may have a twitch in my delete finger, though, and I hope to reign in my trigger finger from now on, BAM!

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by Ann Chiappetta | tags : | 0