Virtual Coffee Interviews

Since embarking on this journey of writing a book and then going online to create a profile - blog about the writing process, publish poems, and finally step into the world of publishing and marketing for my book, I have met and e-met many people who have been inspiring, informative, wise or just damn interesting. 

It's been great to get involved in writing communities like Jottify, GoodReads and actual writing groups in the real world, because these groups are so supportive. I've enjoyed following people (not in the real world) to see how they are marketing their books, how they build followers and I've enjoyed the chats and speculation on the future of the book industry. 

So by now there are many people I'd love to sit down with over a coffee to pick their brains. It suddenly dawned on me, why not do it virtually? Send my questions by email and share the answers with you. 

So begins Virtual Coffee Interviews! 

Coming soon!....

Can I Give You My Card?

Many times I have found myself at the end of a conversation, searching my handbag for a pen and paper. "You'd think a writer would have a pen" is the usual quip as stationary is pulled together by both parties. Finally I decided to get cards made, just to have an easy way to give people my website, but a friend suggested I make a card specifically for The I.T. Girl. 

This took a few attempts. I looked at Moo, Vista Print and Zazzle. These offer various templates that you can personalise with varying degrees of flexibility. I had the Goldilocks experience. Vista isn't very flexible with custom design and the fixed templates didn't give me what I wanted. Zazzle is very flexible but to the point that I felt I couldn't be sure the end result would look the same as it did on screen. This was partly due to an ambiguity around font size - it seemed to shrink as you added more text. Moo, however, offered a good combination of flexibility with restraints on layout that made me feel the restrictions were there to ensure the layout looked good. Moo do offer a way to sidestep their templates altogether but they suggest if you do this you should create a vector-based PDF. It gets quite complicated but they also provide comprehensive steps if you really want to roll up your sleeves. I went with Moo's least restrictive template in the end, with text on one side and a picture on the other. 

Here are the design tips I picked up along the way:

• Only include one website so it's clear where you want people to go
• Include a twitter handle so people can find you easily
• Make the title as large as possible
• For a book, add as much blurb as possible
• State what the book is: fiction/non-fiction, it's not always obvious
• On the text side, don't add another image as this distracts from the important information

Next step was the ordering. The smallest batch I could get with Moo is 50. Including basic price, tax and delivery, this cost me just under £20. Moo helpfully offer a sample of card types so you can compare the glossy card to the matte, the white finish versus off-white. But what would have really helped me would have been a sample of my designs; So I could try out different title sizes, for example and different colours etc. Because I found that I couldn't really tell if a layout worked until I was holding it in my hands. I ended up ordering 3 times! £60 is what it has cost to hold 50 cards that I am happy with. Ordering a larger batch would have been better value but obviously you don't want to do that until you're sure of the design. 

I suppose I should have printed out my designs at home first and stuck them over a card or something to get a better idea, but my own printout would not have been the same as Moo's rendering so still there would have been room for uncertainty. I believe some printing shops will print cards for you. This is a much cheaper option and so would be very appealing if you wanted to experiment with design!

Some people have suggested printing bookmarks and postcards. I love the bookmark idea but it doesn't seem quite right when you've published an ebook!

Let me know about your experiences making a card. I suppose now that I've got the card sorted out, no one will ask for my website again!

Diverse I.T.

Diverse I.T.

I am excited to launch a new website! www.diverseit.co is a blog for women to share their experiences of working in I.T. Since writing The I.T. Girl I have encountered women across the Tech world who relate to the story and say they would like to read more! So that has led to this site. We would also like to get the male point of view and your thoughts on diversity in the workplace in general. Check out the submission guidelines here.

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DiverseITco

and Twitter: www.twitter.com/DiverseITco

Tell your friends about us and check out our 

first blog post.

Haiku Anthology by WordJar

Congratulations to WordJar on this beautiful and unique anthology. I'm proud to be a part of it! 

I first met WordJar when they published my poem, The Procrastinator, in their annual Valentines anthology My Love. This is their 8th anothology and is unique not just because it only contains haiku but because each haiku has been coupled with an image to extend its poignancy.  

Not being very familiar with haiku when I entered the competition, I looked up the rules on wiki. Here's what it says: 

Haiku (俳句 haikai verse^?) listen (help·info) (no separate plural form) is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:

• The essence of haiku is "cutting" (kiru).^[1] This is often represented by the juxtaposition of two images or ideas and a kireji ("cutting word") between them,^[2] a kind of verbal punctuation mark which signals the moment of separation and colours the manner in which the juxtaposed elements are related.
• Traditional haiku consist of 17 on (also known as morae), in three phrases of 5, 7 and 5 on respectively.^[3] Any one of the three phrases may end with the kireji.^[4] Although haiku are often stated to have 17 syllables,^[5] this is inaccurate as syllables and on are not the same.
• A kigo (seasonal reference), usually drawn from a saijiki, an extensive but defined list of such words.

Well, I failed to incorporate the seasons but you can find my contribution on page 3. I am particularly taken with Juliet Wilson's haiku on page 7, Carlton William Jr's "Dear Leader" on page 11 and Nancy Mills' "Regret" on page 13.

Carlton William Jr's haiku actually won the competition. It is arresting and haunting and, going by the rules above, it might also be a perfect haiku! See for yourself...

You can find WordJar's other anthologies here.

Book Review: The Tiferet Talk Interviews

I knew nothing about the Tiferet Talks when I was asked to review this book as part of Sage's Blog Tour. So, let's start at the beginning. The word Tiferet refers to the meeting point between the spiritual and the practical realms, where creativity arises. Visit the wiki link to read more about its meaning. The Tiferet Journal is a platform for literature, art, creativity and spirituality. On these themes it hosts writing contests, courses, interviews and is a publisher of prose and poetry. See their Facebook page for updates.

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Synopsis

The Tiferet Talk Interviews is a fascinating collection of twelve interviews transcribed from the Tiferet Talk Radio show, hosted by Melissa Studdard. Some of the world's most notable writers and spiritual leaders share their thoughts on writing, tolerance, and the world we live in today. Gain incredible insight into their perspective on ways to tell the truth of our lives, access creativity, and balance magic and craft. The Tiferet Talk Interviews includes a special introduction by Donna Baier Stein and interviews with Julia Cameron, Edward Hirsch, Jude Rittenhouse, Marc Allen, Arielle Ford, Robert Pinsky, Dr. Bernie Siegel, Robin Rice, Jeffrey Davis, Floyd Skloot, Anthony Lawlor, and Lois P. Jones.      

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To review this collection of interviews as a writer, a reader or a reviewer is a difficult choice. As a writer, I got the message that being in touch with one's spirituality - or emotional needs and sense of empowerment, if you like - nurtures creativity. This is explored through the experiences of writers and poets, some who practise yoga, some who offer practical exercises for tapping into creativity, some who have been through tragedy and sickness and have responded in their creative voice. There are recurring themes such as whether or not creativity can be taught and the effect it has on people's lives when it comes. I liked how each chapter focused on the story of how the artist developed their craft and I thought Melissa Studdard's welcoming and generous style created a rapport where she got to the heart of each interviewee's philosophy, with in-depth, well prepared questions.

It was a pleasure to read these conversations, which never felt rushed, so as a reader I was relaxed too. Each one with so many references I want to follow up: poems, websites and further reading. I loved Julia Cameron's fun idea of the Artist's date and Edward Hirsch's interview with a reading of his poem A Chinese Vase, and a memorable quote: "The spiritual life wants articulation", meaning to me that poetry expresses what plain language cannot. I also enjoyed Floyd Skloot's explanation of the title Toomey's Diner and his line that he plagiarizes himself, turning a poem into a story and a story into a novel. With every interviewee prolific and accomplished in their field, some offered mostly wisdom and probing questions - shifting the theme from creativity to philosophy.

I would have preferred the theme to be less fluid, as it moved from artists' creative journeys into the area of life-coaching. I struggled for context here, trying to understand who the audience of this book ought to be. Although the self-help area does have a connection with spirituality, so in that sense it fit. I also would have preferred a more coherent arc to the collection, feeling the order of interviews was a little haphazard. But that did not take away from my enjoyment of the individual interviews. As with a well-written autobiography, it was like sitting down and having a good conversation.

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Contributors

Melissa Studdard is the author of the bestselling novel Six Weeks to Yehi­dah, and its companion journal, My Yehidah. Since its August 2011 release, Six Weeks to Yehidah has been the recipient of many accolades, including the Forward National Literature Award,  the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and January Magazine's best children's books of 2011. Her poetry, fiction, essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and anthologies. Melissa currently serves as a Reviewer-at-Large for The National Poetry Review, an editorial advisor for The Criterion, and an editor for Tiferet Journal, where she hosts the journal's radio interview program, Tiferet Talk. To learn more, please visit www.melissastuddard.com. 

Donna Baier Stein’s writing has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, Kansas Quarterly, New York Stories, Prairie Schooner, Washingtonian, many other journals and anthologies from Simon & Schuster and The Spirit That Moves us Press. Her short story collection was a Finalist in the Iowa Fiction Awards and will be published, as Sympathetic People, in 2013 by Serving House Books. She has received the PEN/New England Discovery Award for Fiction, a Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars Fellowship, Bread Loaf Scholarship, a grant from the New Jersey Council of the Arts, prizes from the Poetry Council of Virginia, two Pushcart nominations, and an Honorable Mention in the 2013 Allen E. Ginsberg Poetry Awards. Her poetry chapbook Sometimes You Sense the Difference was published in 2012 by Finishing Line Press. Donna founded and currently publishes Tiferet: A Journal of Spiritual Literature (www.tiferetjournal.com.) Her website is www.donnabaierstein.com.

How Do You Write?

Have started writing a new story. These early stages involve plot points here and a burst of prose there. Some small character detail I think of on the way to work. Inspiration from an overheard conversation...

So, how do you write / take notes? I have come to prefer sketchpads to notebooks. I like the space on the page without lines. Sometimes I'll scribble a vertical note. Sometimes I'll draw a character though my skill in this area is lacking. I also like an elastic band around the notebook cause I can add other papers more securely. Other papers usually being a group of poems I'm working on.

And I like the binder type that binds down the left hand side, so I can fold the pages back neatly, while balancing the notepad on my knee - am usually writing during my commute, so do the circumstances dictate the utensil?

Size wise I need something that will fit in my handbag, so smaller than A4 but space enough for a paragraph of writing with notes jotted around it.

Writing utensil wise, I use a refill pencil. I find pencil softer and easier to write with than pen and the refill types mean you never have to worry about sharpening. Also, you can write upside down.

I'm curious to know if other people have their preferences and idiosyncrasies? Or have I just exposed my madness?...

The I.T. Girl on Promo

The I.T. Girl is free this week on Amazon, so step right up!

A modern tale about life, love and work in the city, it has reached the top 100 Free Kindle Reads! Maybe other people feel like I do that it's about time we had a heroine from the IT world?

You can get a copy from Amazon UK or Amazon US. Or read more about the story's background here. 

Here are some sample reviews from Amazon and GoodReads:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent romance novel 25 Mar 2013 Amazon.co.uk

Format:Kindle Edition

Orla is smart, feisty and and flying-high in a high-pressured job in London's finance district. She has moved from Ireland and is taking a chance on a new city, and on a new love when she starts up a romance with one of her co-workers - the mysterious Columbus. She works hard and plays hard but when a mistake is made in one of her codes, her job is suddenly in jeopardy. Stressed out and desperately clinging to her career, she takes her anger out on `Columbus' - which threatens to ruin her love life as well as her career.

This is an intelligent romance novel for the 21st century - Orla is a successful intelligent woman, who is independent and able to live on her own, but who also comes to realise that life is better when you have someone to share it with.

Apr 05, 2013rated 5 of 5 stars on GoodReads

Funny, modern and slick. As a young person trying to work and live in London I identified with Orla a lot!!