My Conversation with Kiki Latimer

Dagny's birthday was quite eventful--morning brought a delightful conversation with Kiki Latimer. You can listen on WCAT Radio or WCAT TV. How I wish I'd known about her wonderful resources on her website when I was writing Bound. But I only heard about her podcast, the Catholic Bookworm, because of the online Catholic Writing Conference I attended in January. What a joy to discover more about her--she tells lovely stories and I'm looking forward to reading her memoir: Seeing God's Face: A Catholic American Woman in India. 

Afternoon was for Adoration. I had so much to thank our Blessed Lord Jesus and pray for--my writing, my music, my family, our priests and choirs, and most of all for the conclave that is at this moment deliberating and casting their votes for the next Pope. God already knows, and we pray that the cardinals are listening to that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. We pray our next pope will be a man after God's own heart, a good shepherd.

Evening brought choir practice. So many of our choristers are sick or taking care of others who are sick. We pray they will recover. But we had such a good time--with Palestrina and Josquin mostly. This music makes my heart sing. We went to Home Team BBQ afterwards to celebrate Dagny's birthday. Max is toasting her from NYC. My heart is full. (The two outdoor pictures were taken at Momo's at Waterfront Park over the weekend--you should know that we celebrate birthdays all month long :) 

BOUND is Heavily Discounted

I don't know what Amazon's doing but BOUND is heavily discounted ($6.22 is well below the cost of printing+shipping). So if you've always wanted to read a paperback of BOUND, now's your chance to get a copy or multiple copies--for a friend or perhaps even a book club? 

Over the last two months, I've bought two heavily discounted books and they're only a year old, so I don't know what's going on but I would appreciate it very much if you all could spread the word because I don't know how long this will last. 

Of all the books I've written, BOUND remains the one I'm the one most proud of. It is my best work. Thank you for keeping it in print! 

Prayer, Podcast and Presents

The Nativity, St. Barnabas, Bromborough

Beginning today, St. Andrew the Apostle's Feast Day, we can recite this prayer 15 times daily for special intentions. Advent is a wonderful time of waiting and watching and praying for miracles.

 

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
 in which the Son of God was born
 of the most pure Virgin Mary,
 at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God,

 to hear my prayers and grant my desires,

through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,

and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

I was invited to join a podcast of the Lamplighters. Rob Wyllie had a wonderful article, God's Toys, in The Lamp Magazine about The Velveteen Rabbit and it was lovely joining him and the editors of The Lamp, Matthew Walther and Nic Rowan, for a discussion on both old and new children's literature. I only wish it could've been in person.

This weekend, the Daniel Island News, which hosted the monthly author series this year is hosting a holiday book sale with over 25 authors participating. I'm so happy we'll all be together because I missed every other lecture this year due to choir practice. Besides, books make the best presents!

An Excerpt of BOUND in Sword & Spade

It is always gratifying when someone you admire appreciates your work. So when Jason Craig, editor of Sword & Spade and author of Leaving Boyhood Behind: Reclaiming Catholic Brotherhood asked if he could publish an excerpt from BOUND, I was delighted to say yes. S&S is focused on issues that men and families face with ideas and solutions from a Catholic perspective. This issue of S&S was devoted to the historic decision of the US Supreme Court to reverse Roe v Wade--to give thanks to God and to remember that we still have to fight at the state level for the most vulnerable in our society. The date of this reversal was profound for Catholics because it was the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Font of Love) and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, who leaped with joy in his mother's womb at the sound of Mary's greeting. Such a beautiful sign from God to bring us hope. Life is winning!

But the story that touched my heart the most was from Jason himself, "Thank you for not killing me," words spoken by his 13-year-old niece at her mother's (his sister's) wedding. Not every child is born in ideal circumstances, but they treasure their life. I've seen my share of bedraggled children in India and not one of them wanted to die. Ever. They begged for food or money. They wanted to live. Yet we would think them better off dead. Jason's essay recounts his shock at learning that his pro-life mother made an appointment at a Planned Parenthood clinic to discuss what their "choices" might be.  

The excerpt he chose to publish was the chapter when Rebecca takes Joy to an abortion clinic. If you read closely, you will see how language is used to hide the truth of what is actually happening. I am so proud to be in the pages of Sword & Spade. 

My First Time as a Podcast Guest

So much going on this summer but I wanted to share a link to my very first recording as a guest on Jayne de Sales' podcast. She "dives deep into why fiction matters with some of the most interesting living authors." Thank you, Jayne, for inviting me. It was a great pleasure.

We're not quite sure how she came across my work but she read BOUND and loved it and wanted to talk about it on her show. I was thrilled and a bit nervous because I think best through my fingers and not with my mouth but what a joy to converse with a kindred spirit. We spoke for about half hour about gardening and pets before we decided to record and ended up talking more about the writer's journey, which is also tied to my faith journey. Enjoy! Here's her lovely introduction: What treasure can you find in West Yellowstone, Montana? Scientist-turned-writer Vijaya Bodach found a copy of her favorite tale in a used bookstore there. Science, wonder, and faith were central to our conversation, and she even reveals what stories do to our brains on an MRI. Stick around to the end where she shares her recipe for Mango Lassi! This author of the Young Adult Novel “Bound”, set in Pullman, Washington is a fellow graduate of Washington State University. Go Cougs! 

I learned several things. Improvisation and spontaneity are good for thinking and articulating on my metaphorical feet. I will seek out more opportunities because it was very enjoyable, though there's lots of room for improvement on my part. I gained a new insight from Jayne when I mentioned my tendency of jumping into things and them working out. She said it's the opposite of fear holding us back from our dreams. So true. We should trust more in the Lord and listen less to the devil and his lies. I spoke about what I want, but the truth is, we should be constantly seeking what God wants from our lives. We owe Him absolutely everything and I'm discovering that I'm happiest when I'm doing His will. And it's not at all onerous. In fact, quite the opposite, as you can see below.

Dobbs v Jackson: Overturning Roe v Wade

On this Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I cannot help but thank Him for giving SCOTUS the courage to overturn the very unjust Roe v Wade ruling that opened the door to abortion on demand. I listened to a priest speak about free will and what it means. True freedom means we have freedom to do the right thing. If you do the wrong thing, it's an abuse of free will. I needed to hear that second sentence.

Abortion is the greatest evil. It is why I wrote BOUND, to make a defense of life using natural law as a guide. But I didn't realize the spiritual dimension until I came across a very interesting testimony about what happens spiritually in an abortion and it is downright horrifying: What Happens Spiritually in an Abortion | Padre Peregrino:

"Abortion is the worst of all the sins because to kill the children still in the womb of the mother, to kill a little innocent and defenseless creature, is to give power to Satan. The devil commands from the depths of the abyss, because we are scattering innocent blood! A baby is like an innocent lamb and without stain… And Who is the Lamb without stain? It is Jesus! In that moment, the baby is the image and likeness of Jesus! The fact that it might be the mother herself to kill her own child, determines a profound bond with the darkness, permitting that more devils from hell might come out to destroy and strangle humanity. It is as if one might open the seals… Seals that God has put to impede evil to come out, but that, for every abortion, it opens… And so horrible larvae come out, so that there are more and more devils…

They come out to chase and persecute humanity, and then make us slaves of the flesh, of sin, of all the bad things that we see, and we will see always more. It is as if we might give the key of hell to the devils, to let them escape. And so escape more devils, of prostitution, of sexual aberrations, of Satanism, of atheism, of suicide, of indifference… Of all the evils that we see around us. And the world is getting worse every day… Think how many babies are killed every day: it is all a triumph of the evil one! That you might know that for the price of this innocent blood, the number of devils outside of hell grows; they circulate freely in our midst! Let us take shelter!"

Let us take shelter in the Heart of Jesus, opened for us to save us. May the triumphant Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved, blessed and glorified forever! My hope is that just like we are healing from the sins of slavery by abolishing it, that we can now begin to heal as a nation from the sin of abortion. My heart sings non nobis Domine!

Build an oratory within yourself; and there have Jesus on the altar of your heart. ~ St. Paul of the Cross

It is also the Feast of St. John the Baptist, who was sanctified in the womb of his mother Elizabeth at the Feast of the Visitation.

BOUND Price Drop

I con't usually check stats on Amazon but I was getting a link for BOUND and noticed it's on sale. Woohoo! The timing couldn't be more perfect as many of us are called to give a defense of life in light of imminent reversal of Roe v Wade. This is an excellent time to pick up copies of Bound for your young friends to help them examine the question of life from various angles, for book club or classroom discussion. Suitable for ages 12+

Author Series and Marches

Suzanne Detar of the Daniel Island News (and herself an author of Don't Lose the Ball in the Lights and Other Life Lessons from Sports) invited me to kick off the Daniel Island Author Series along with Pamela Brownstein, another children's writer, who is promoting her first book, Low-ku: Haikus of the Lowcountry and illustrated by Tessa Liesecka. What a privilege it is to be able to share my writing journey and encourage others to devote time to the dreams God has placed upon their hearts. I loved this ad that the editor made, especially it's placement right below Snuggles. You can read more about it here in the paper: The Daniel Island News launches monthly author series | The Daniel Island News I love living here--it truly is a community and the local newspaper Sue started is a big part of it. Local friends, please come if you can. This is the first in-person authorly event I'm doing in two years. 

I also loved the timing of this event. My thoughts naturally turn to building a culture of life, with BOUND my small contribution, on the anniversary of Roe v Wade that brought in a culture of death in our country. My kids have been going up to DC to March for Life with their friends and I love that the future is pro-life.  

This year, there was another important march to end all the Covid-related mandates. Many people don't realize this, but the vaccines are either produced or tested in cell lines derived from aborted babies, that the new drugs they're making, including monoclonal antibodies, are made in humanized mice, which require freshly aborted baby parts to be grafted into mice. It's unconscionable that we would sacrifice children to save our own lives. Never mind that the past two years have shown that masks, vaccines, and lockdowns did not work as they were purported to work and can possibly do more harm. Here's an overview. What's required is common sense and compassion. Please also note that studies from India and Africa back in 2020 showed that ivermectin works well both in prophylaxis and treatment of Covid. The reason FDA/CDC did not approve its use was so that they could push the vaccines (emergency authorization). And as this video shows: From 100% to 20%: Video Shows Radically Shifting Narrative Of Vaccine Effectiveness | Citizens Journal, we've been lied to. But the truth is coming out and it will set us free. Pray, pray, pray.   

On Disappointments and Surprises

March for Life weekend coincided with the annual ALA meeting when the awards are announced for the best books published in the previous year. Youth media award winners here (I've not yet read a single one, but our librarian is wonderful about stocking the major award-winners, so will remedy this soon). Even though I spent much of my time in prayer that weekend, I was aware of a little hollow. There was no phone message for me. See, I had entered Tongue-Tied for the Schneider Family Award. It didn't even make the honor. I wanted to cry. The previous year, I entered Bound. Yes, I cried then too. The sticker you see on Bound is the Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writing Guild, just the first step towards the Catholic Arts & Letters Award.

Why do I do this to myself? Because I think they could've won. Yes, I'm biased. But I'm also a big reader and my books are comparable to the ones who've won in previous years. We're told to not compare ourselves with others, to do the best we can do, but seeking comparable titles is something we should do. Why am I looking for more validation? The biggest reason is for gaining more readers, having a wider audience. If I get that shiny sticker, it's vetted by people in the business. I know that kids don't care about stickers or whether a book is work-for-hire or trade. They just want a good story and they are discerning. You can't fool kids. But the people who put those books in the hands of kids are adults--parents, teachers, librarians, grandparents--so you have to woo them too. Thankfully, Tongue-Tied is marketed directly to schools so it will get in the hands of kids, still I would've appreciated a sticker. I know, vanity, vanity, it's all vanity.

In other news, I went to my KDP dashboard and was surprised to see a spike--10 paperbacks sold of Bound! On Friday, Jan. 22nd, the day of the March for Life! I assumed it must've been a youth group leader or teacher who wanted to use it for discussion. I thought for sure I'd hear from this person and if they were within driving distance, I'd visit their group. But there were no such calls or emails. Then I thought, I should look up where the sales came from on my Author Central account. People, if you are not using this wonderful tool, you are missing out on data that Amazon collects. I discovered that the sales were spread throughout the country. What a coincidence. I wonder what prompted ten people to purchase a copy of Bound because I've observed that unless I run an advertising campaign, there are no sales. With self-publishing, discoverability is low. And I'm giving up on advertising because I lose money. Let's face it, I'm a writer, and I need to focus on the writing, but something somewhere triggered ten people to buy a copy and I'd like to know what it is. Maybe it was the recent magazine article in Shalom. That's the only thing I can think of. If you have any ideas, let me know. Regardless, I'm delighted that ten more people will read BOUND and share it. My readership will grow slowly. We write to change the world, to make a difference, one person at a time, and what a privilege it is to have this beautiful writing life.

Your thoughts on awards? Do you read award-winners?
ETA: Jan reminded me how personal it can be so adding a link to the time when I served as a judge for the SCBWI Magazine Merit Awards.  

Retreat...and Write

We've had a wonderful Christmas holiday with our family and friends and I had a birthday celebration. We went to see what I think is one of the best movies in recent history: A Hidden Life. It's about a young Austrian farmer who refuses to make an oath to Hitler and who suffers and is condemned to death. His family suffers as well. It makes me question whether I would have such courage. It is beautifully filmed and really allows one to experience the feelings of this man and his wife as they consider what it means to have free will, what it means to do the right thing, even when it cannot change the course of history. If there's only one movie you watch this year, make it A Hidden Life (reviewed in the link).

So thankful to God for all the blessings, the trials, this writing life. What a delight to receive complimentary copies of Shalom Tidings that featured a little review of Bound as well as my article on the parable of the Sower and cultivating the soil of our hearts. It is what I must continue to do. And as it turns out, the Saint Generator picked St. Patrick--he's a reminder to live my baptismal promises. The inspirational word was Beauty! Ah, time to retreat into my imagination and write more beautiful stories. How is the New Year shaping up for you?

 

Respect Life BOUND Sale

October is Respect Life month and I am having a sale both for the e-book (on all platforms) for 99 cents and paperback of BOUND for $10.99 this entire month. This is a perfect time to get multiple copies for your classroom or book group discussion. I hear it has provoked many thoughtful discussions, especially when it's hard to choose life. Please contact me if you want me to come speak to your class or book group. It would be a great pleasure.

I am a few days late but September has been a busy month with two writing conferences, deadlines to meet, and preparing for two High Masses (JOY!). I hope you will share this with your friends. Also, I hate to beg, but if you've read the book, I would really appreciate a quick review on Amazon--this is not like the book review you had to do in school; rather the best and easiest way is to just express your honest reaction. Perhaps it made you think. Maybe you want to spend more time with Rebecca and Joy (I do!) or you hated the ending. It's really okay. Once a book is published it belongs to the reader. I am thankful for all my readers, whether or not they have reservations about leaving reviews.

Here's the most recent review:

C. Kane

5.0 out of 5 starsA compelling, believable, and satisfying novel

August 9, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is a page turner with multidimensional characters and realistic, compelling choices for the main character. The metaphor of the possibility of alternate realities is apt as Rebecca navigates a series of tough decisions and revelations to ultimately make up her own mind in a way that is satisfying and believable.

 

One of the things I've learned is that Amazon gives a boost to your book if it has more than 50 reviews. So my heartfelt thanks to all who've read AND reviewed BOUND. I keep praying it will fall into the hands of those who need to read it.

I've not done any marketing for my other books, except for a school visit or two the years they came out. At the Write2Ignite conference, quite a few people were astounded that I have a lot of books and I don't market any of them. But I have no need when teachers and librarians see them listed in industry journals. Alas, most self-published books have the problem of discoverability; they do not get seen and they sink into oblivion. Actually, the vast majority of trade books tank too, so I don't feel too terrible. It's the bestsellers that keep a publishing house in business, that allows them to purchase books that they love that only 500 other people might love. So I'm very thankful for the bestselling celebrity books because I've read so many wonderful books that otherwise wouldn't be published. 

In any case, this is a great time to be writing. You have more options than you think. Don't let the rejections get you down. Persevere. Here's something I wrote on rejections for Write 2 Ignite.  

Happy reading, writing AND submitting, folks! 

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.

One Year Book Birthday Sale

I published BOUND one year ago! What a journey it's been--exhilarating at times, equally frustrating at other times. I've learned so many things and still have so much more to learn. Thanks to all my early readers and supporters (you know who you are) who read the book and shared it with friends and corrected my typos. Thanks to all who reviewed Bound. Thanks to the numerous interviews and discussions. I am so blessed to have this writing life. To celebrate, I'm holding a sale: 99 cents for all e-book platforms and $10.99 for the paperback from July 2nd-7th. Luckily, this anniversary coincides with the annual National Right to Life Conference and it's held in Charleston this year (July 5-6). Perhaps I'll see you there!!! Please share!!! 

BOUND

What joy to see BOUND on the shelves of my library!!! Of course, I'd be even happier if it were checked out. My friends, spread the word. I have prayed that BOUND may find its way into the hands of young women and men, and parents of special needs children, and especially those who really need to read it, who will be transformed by it. I am no marketeer, but a simple writer. Please help me. Ask for it at your library because self-published books will hardly ever get on the radar of librarians. Recommend it for your classroom (13+) or book club. Invite me to come speak with you about it. If you loved it, share it with a friend, write a review. And my heartfelt thanks to all who've done so much to promote it already. It's been nearly a year since I published it and although I told myself I would learn to market, it is a painfully slow process. I did a few experiments in advertising but I don't know what I'm doing. And I confess that I would rather write new stories that are roiling in my head.

I feel an urgency about getting BOUND in as many hands as possible because it is unabashedly pro-life. And we need the ordinary people to stand up for these most vulnerable amongst us--the babies. I've been so thankful to see many states passing "heartbeat" laws to protect babies and their mothers from the horrors of abortion. But other states, Democrat-led, are enshrining abortion as a fundamental right and go as far as to advocate infanticide. However, most people oppose abortion during the last three months of pregnancy when the baby can live outside the mother's womb. I find it strange that people try to make exceptions for rape or incest. Abortion punishes the baby, not the rapist. Of course, it's a great burden upon the woman to conceive a child in this way and carry it to term. Ryan Bomberger has written a very cogent argument for preserving life in all cases: I am the 1% used to defend 100% of abortions.


This is why I wrote BOUND. I took one of the worst-case scenarios and made a case for the dignity of the human person because each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. We each have a unique role to play. 

Consider that 71 million baby girls have been aborted in China and India since the 1980s simply because they are girls. These missing girls are now missing women, women who would be wives, mothers, teachers, doctors, artists, etc. The men are already feeling this loss. In the US alone, we are missing over 61 million children since Roe v Wade (1973), some of whom would be middle-aged by now. These are our brothers and sisters, our aunts and uncles, our friends. And the carnage continues at the rate of about one every 30 seconds. Worldwide it is a staggering 1.5 billion. I know this is too big a number to comprehend, like numbering the stars, but every one is utterly unique and irreplaceable. This is a huge loss of life--it is unjust, like slavery, like the Jewish holocaust. We must end it.   

This is the season of Pentecost! Come Holy Spirit and enkindle in us the Fire of Thy Love. Send forth Thy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Listen to this beautiful Gregorian Chant: Veni Creator Spiritus! 

 

Mirka Breen is a Winner!

Yay, we have a winner! Mirka Breen gets a signed copy of Name Unspoken by Cadence McManinon. We did it the old fashioned way--Dagny picked out the winning strip under Yoda's watch. She's still recovering from the flu.

It's been a rare and unbelievably social week for me: a delightful school visit with the preK group at Whitesides Elementary for Read Across America. I read Ten Easter Eggs and the kids helped me out by hatching out of eggs! So, so fun!!! I received a royal treatment with even my own parking spot.



Impromptu visits with out-of-town friends! My copy of America First had arrived just a couple days prior so I crashed in on their luncheon--they were so gracious. 

I spoke to a Mom's group at the Cathedral about my faith journey and writing. We met in the little chapel downstairs--such a sacred space. And what a beautiful group of faithful young women--and babies! It was a great blessing to be able to hear Mass and catch up with my friend at lunch afterwards.

 

Today I went to my first Carolina Catholic Professionals meeting. So wonderful to listen to retired Justice Patrick Michael Duffy about growing up Catholic in the South. I'm going to share just one little bit--he is one of seven brothers and sisters, three who died when young. He told us of the time when his mother was carrying his youngest sister, the doctor advised abortion because she had Rh-negative blood type and the baby would surely kill her or be still-born or even if born alive would need a full transfusion. In those days, there was nothing to sop up the antibodies coursing through the mother's blood that might harm baby. His mother refused, saying they were both in God's hands. Every day the priest prayed for the baby and mother and the baby was born perfectly normal and healthy. A miracle! I know several families with only children because of this exact situation. Mom is Rh-negative and if the first baby is Rh-positive, it is immediately a death sentence for any child conceived thereafter. Imagine all the sterilized marriages and lost babies. It's terribly sad.

I've never been out to this diocesan property on West Ashley. It's beautiful and serene. There's a simple and beautiful chapel for offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I'm looking forward to meeting and listening to more members. It was this group that sponsored Gloria Purvis' lecture on St. Valentine's evening. In any case, I'm ready to collapse. Max and his friends will begin arriving tonight!!! Godspeed.