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Win an autographed copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game!

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InkwellBe the first person to correctly answer the following trivia questions about famous writers and I will send you an autographed copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game. Keep in mind that these are not your standard boilerplate publicist-vetted factoids about these writers. I dug a little deeper for this trivia quiz to expose the salacious, offensive, petty, and admirable side of those you’ve come to love and hate through their crafting of the written word.

Don’t be put off by these 10 questions! Researching the answers will be fun. Unlike scratch off tickets, the odds of you winning are very VERY good. That’s because very few people actually read my blog. So good luck. I look forward to hearing from you.

  1. Which 19th century writer continuously got his wife pregnant and then got mad at her when she was too tired to travel with him overseas on his lecture tour?
  2. Which writer, who in later years became famous during the Harlem Renaissance, strung along a high school romantic interest through letters for years with no intent of having a relationship with her?
  3. Which married 20th Century writer invited other women into his bed while his wife was in it, knowing that the wife would lie there in humiliation and pretend to be asleep?
  4. Which contemporary author spent much of his youth getting into bar brawls and street fights, partially because of his anger at his father, also an author?
  5. Which contemporary author spent much of his youth being raised by the regulars who frequented his neighborhood’s bar?
  6. During the 1800s this author helped a financially struggling African-American law student pay his tuition at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. The law student in later years mentored Thurgood Marshall, who later because U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
  7. This writer was tossed into jail repeatedly for what was called “The love that dare not speak its name”
  8. This writer was a college dropout who moved in with reclusive writer J.D. Salinger. The relationship ended when he announced to her that he didn’t want anymore children.
  9. This prolific writer’s relationship with prison inmates inspired the two novels that launched her career.
  10. Oprah seeks advice from this author and poet.

I “sold” some “Chicken Soup” today

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FRUGAL BOOK SIGNING CUSTOMERI had a lovely time at Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury, signing copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game. A number of friends stopped by to lend their support, including members of the Myrtle Baptist Church Book Club. I was also delighted at the new acquaintances who purchased the book. I even had a couple of children come up to me, aspiring writers who wanted to know how to get published. I was glad to be able to give them encouragement.

Independent Booksellers Tell How They Survive

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Frugal books Photo

Have you ever wondered how the owners of independent bookstores feel about the pressure they face because of online booksellers and the large chain store with its seemingly endless selection of books, book-related merchandise, and full-service café menu? Many have closed due to their inability to compete. Some of the ones that survive look for creative ways to stay afloat.

Leonard and Clarrissa, the owners of Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury, where I’ll be signing books on May 3rd, have their own way of keeping the customers coming back.

LISA:So many independent bookstores, such as yours find it hard to compete with online bookstores and bookstore chains. Are you challenged by this? How do you keep the customers coming in despite this competition?

FRUGAL BOOKSTORE: Yes we are challenged by it, however, our customer base prefers the experience of patronizing their local bookstore that carries niche genres that a lot of online and mainstream booksellers do not.

LISA: Your slogan is “Changing Minds One Book at a Time.” Please elaborate.

FRUGAL BOOKSTORE: Leonard actually came up with the slogan. It was born out of his experience while incarcerated, each book he read not only helped to change his mind; it also helped him become who he is.

LISA: What are the challenges of husband and wife operating a business together?

FRUGAL BOOKSTORE: As with any relationship whether it is personal or professional there will be disagreements and we won’t always see eye-to-eye but it is important to stay focused and positive, which is what we do.

LISA: What is the future of brick and mortar independent bookstores? Will they continue to exist?

FRUGAL BOOKSTORE: It would be nice to know the answer but there’s really no way for us to know the future of independent bookstore. We only hope that more people will support them as they are an asset to us all.

LISA: Your store seems to be community-oriented. Please explain.

FRUGAL BOOKSTORE: We promote literacy in the community by hosting book signings and book fairs throughout the city. We are also in the process of hosting a spelling bee for students in the near future.

LISA: What makes your bookstore unique? What do you offer that others don’t?

FRUGAL BOOKSTORE: Our selection of books on African American studies, Latino interests, gifts, such as African figurines, soapstone sculptures, framed art, shadow boxes. Also, we provide a welcoming and professional atmosphere that people respect and appreciate.

My book signing in Boston is only days away

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Chick ChickNext Saturday, May 3rd, I’ll be signing books from 1 to 3 p.m. at Frugal Bookstore, in the Roxbury section of Boston at 306 Martin Luther King Boulevard. The bookstore is located in The Mall of Roxbury. I spoke to co-owner Clarrissa a couple of days ago to confirm all of the arrangements. I’ll be at a tabe in front of the Chicken Soup Coverbookstore with my pen ready to sign copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game. She said the mall tends to be heavily trafficked in the early afternoon hours, so I should expect to sign quite a few books. As it turns out, another author will be signing in front of the store at the same time. I understand she’s flying in from Maryland, so between the two of us we should be able to draw a lot of customers. If you’re in the Boston area, I look forward to seeing you there!

Hosting a book signing at a store with a mission

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Frugal Bookstore LogoThe mission of Frugal Bookstore in the Roxbury section of Boston, Massachusetts, is “Changing Minds One Book at a Time.” I like that objective. Books have opened my mind to so many ideas and possibilities over the years. That’s why I was pleased when the owners agreed to schedule a book signing for me on Saturday, May 3, 2014. I’ll be signing copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game.

Owners Clarrissa and Leonard are dedicated to not only building a business, but building a community. Frugal Bookstore offers Boston’s largest selection of books by African American authors, along with African art, children’s books, greeting cards, and gifts. The bookstore is located in a shopping mall. Clarrissa and Leonard plan to set up a table for me in front of the bookstore so that not only people in the bookstore but mall shoppers will know that I’m there.

Why Being a Member of a Book Club is so Important to a Writer

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Book ClubAny writer will tell you that crafting a novel, short story, or other creative work can leave a person filled with angst and feeling isolated. We stare at the computer screen or the blank notebook page and eventually put our emotions on the line, not knowing whether what we’re producing is of publishable quality or a waste of time. Writers are competitive. Many wall themselves off. Few whose names appear on the spines of books you’ll see on the shelves at Barnes and Noble will help a writer trying to get established. I could tell you some stories, but I won’t.
That’s why being a member of a book club is critical. The majority of the women in my book club are not writers. They are book lovers. We meet at each other’s homes once a month for potluck, a glass of wine or two (or three) and a spirited conversation about that month’s book selection.
They have lifted my spirits when I’ve become discouraged about my writing and heave unwittingly helped me with my craft through the remarks they make about the month’s book selection. They have read my entire novel in progress, The Talking Drum, and were brutally honest in their critique. Months into my latest revision, I am still reviewing their suggestions and weaving them into the manuscript.
They also rallied around me when my story came out in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game a few months ago. This is the kind of support a writer needs, especially one such as myself, who’s trying to get a foothold in the industry.

Promote your writing before a familiar audience

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Coffee Time SignMy place of employment hosts a program called “Coffee Time.” Employees get to address their co-workers in a public forum over coffee about a hobby or work-related topic.

On a recent afternoon, I chose to be a “Coffee Time” presenter and spoke about my adventures in writing.

I displayed copies of literary journals that have published my short stories and essays. Coffee Time PresentationI shared with them what inspired me to write my stories and handed out copies of my work so people could see the finished product.

Also, in a drawing  I gave away a copy of Chicken Soup for The Soul: The Dating Game, in which one of my stories–“Short Distance Romance”– was published.

“Coffee Time” offered a great opportunity to let more people know about my writing and get more practice for future book events.

What I Learned from My First Book Signing

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BWC KEEPER

I’ve been a member of Boston Women Communicators for several years. The organization supports women in communications and helps them advance in their careers. Jane Breschard Wilson, the founder, agreed to let me conduct a book signing at a recent monthly meeting held at the College Club of Boston. On the table set aside for me I arranged copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, in which I have an essay, a copy of an article about me that was published recently in the Weymouth News that I had laminated and mounted with a small easel at Fedex Office, pens that I pre-tested to make sure they worked properly and copies of my business card with my blog address. BWC3

I only sold two copies of the book but I had a delightful time chatting with the members and getting good practice for future events. I got a good sense of what people like to talk about when they come to an author book signing. A number of people took business cards which I know led to more traffic on my blog based on my stats in the days following the meeting. I came up with a stock phrase to use when I signed the books so I could write and chat at the same time. So while not getting my essay into the hands of many readers, it was worth the time and effort.

Chicken Soup for the Soul has an impact halfway around the world

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I got a lovely email today from a reader in Saudi Arabia. Take a look at what he had to say.

Hello Lisa,

I hope you are doing well. I got the chance to read your impressive story “Short Distance Romance,” from ‘The Dating Game’ book of the Chicken Soup for the Soul. It came to me several days ago from their daily newsletter to which I subscribed more than 8 years ago. True love is not something we find, it is something that finds us. I was impressed with the patience of the guy, who sat only 3 pews away from you, when he finally introduced himself to you, telling you all you had to do was to say hello. If we did not express our feelings for the fear of losing a beautiful relationship, we will certainly lose the beautiful relationship by not expressing our feelings. God puts the right person in the right place at just the right time for a reason that we might not be able to realize for the time being or even until it is too late. What we call ‘coincidence’ is an extraordinary plan perfectly arranged by Him in an amazing way. But His plans are always having positive consequences in our lives.

Blessings to you and your family,

Hamza Hassan

Saudi Arabia

Why it’s so hard to get attention from Boston

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Now that one of my stories, “Short Distance Romance,” has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, I have become part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Inner Circle. I’m not making this up. The Inner Circle is a real thing. Much of it is top-secret, hush-hush, involving special communique’s, etcetera, but what I can reveal is that as part of the Inner Circle other writers who have contributed their work to Chicken Soup have tracked me down to congratulate me and coach me on how to get publicity for being published, critical to building an audience for the novel I’m writing.

One of those contributors is Melissa Halsey Caudill, of North Carolina. The title of her story in the volume is “Uncomfortable.” I’m not lying when I tell you that I had to pull out the Kleenex by the time I got to her last paragraph. Melissa has deservedly enjoyed a media bonanza in her corner of North Carolina. She’s been written about by two newspapers, made an appearance at two libraries, given a talk at a brew house, and has a book signing scheduled on Valentine’s Day at a dinner theater event hosted by the local arts council.

I have followed Melissa’s “playbook” for getting publicity, but so far in Boston–the big city just 20 minutes north of where I live–I’ve heard nothing but the sound of crickets. I don’t blame Boston. Ignored PlantThe City of Champions has been very good to me. I became president of the Women’s National Book Association Boston Chapter, met my literary heroes at author talks sponsored by the Boston Book Festival, and have attended a host of events at the Boston Public Library and local bookstores, featuring well-known and bestselling authors.

And that’s the problem. I live in an area that provides so many literary events and is home to so many writers, that getting published in Chicken Soup for the Soul garners, at the most, a mild yawn.

But the weekly newspaper that is published in my town, the Weymouth News, did a lovely feature article on me this week and gave my sister, Sylvia Braxton Lee, a photo credit for taking my picture to go along with the story.

Getting publicity in Boston is difficult, nearly impossible. It’s a competitive market. But I’ll keep writing and maybe one day Boston will notice me.

Here’s a tip for promoting your writing

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Chicken Soup Door PrizeGypsy Kitchen is a gourmet wine and cheese shop near where I work. I like to stop by for the Friday evening wine tastings and chat with the owner, Lisa. The other day she told me about the special events the wine shop hosts–bridal showers, singles events, girls’ nights out–and I got an idea: why not offer a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, in which my story, “Short Distance Romance” appears, as a door prize. Lisa said she’d be happy to do it and that she would mention me along with the door prize in an upcoming issue of her newsletter.

I’m also giving a copy of the book away as a door prize for the next meeting of a women’s club I belong to in Boston. I’ve autographed the books, tucked my business card with my blog address on the page where my essay appears, and placed the books in decorative wrapping.

Door prizes are a great vehicle for promoting your writing and getting your name before the public. What do you think? If you have a great idea we writers can use to raise our profiles, I’d love to share it.

 

The inside scoop on “Chicken Soup for the Soul”

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Chicken Soup Book on the ShelfWell folks, bookstore shelves are a little more full now that Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, which includes my essay, “Short Distance Romance” on page 227, has arrived. At the Barnes and Noble nearest me, the Braintree, Massachusetts store, the book is in the self-help/relationship section nestled between 10,000 Ways to Say I Love You and 101 Quizzes for Couples.

In the table of contents you’ll find my essay in the “Never Too Late for Love” section. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that at first; It reminded me of not only my age, but how long it took me to find my guy, but now I’m feeling more comfortable with the reference.

Sandra Briggs and me at Braintree Barnes and Noble

Sandra Briggs and me at Braintree Barnes and Noble

My good friend Sandra Briggs, who’s in town from Atlanta met up with me at B and N Braintree for some girl talk and to celebrate my part in Chicken Soup’s latest publication. We made a toast to future publishing endeavors over skinny peppermint mocha latte’s and hot chocolate. I had shown Sandra the essay long before I submitted it to Chicken Soup, when it was just a Word document.  To refresh her memory she reread it while we were at Barnes and Noble, chuckling at different parts and beaming when she got to the end.

Chicken Soup Lisa keeperThe Chicken Soup people tell me that  the “contributors,” as we writers are called, make public appearances all over the country, doing book signings and talks at bookstores, libraries, and civic group events. I understand that the new volume will get a lot of attention around Valentine’s Day. I’ve told them I’d be happy to hit the literary circuit. If they schedule me for events, I’ll let you know.