The Path Less Traveled- Media Coverage Grand Rapids Press

JHY overlooking the US-Canadian border from the Border Route Trail (photo by RMA

The Grand Rapids Press is running a nice article today about my being the first (so far only) woman to hike the entire North Country National Scenic Trail. I was interviewed three weeks ago for this, but didn't want to say anything till the article appeared in print.

Hopefully, it will generate a few book sales, although the Grand Rapids bookstores that were carrying North Country Cache have mostly dropped it, so people will probably have to look on line. Thankfully the writer does mention the name of the book.

She did get a few things really wrong (and there are way too many spelling errors for submission to a major newspaper), but I'm glad to have the coverage!

The story begins:

When Jennifer Pharr Davis set the fastest thru-hike record of the Appalachian Trail in August, completing the 2,181-mile foot path in less than 47 days -- the fastest by any man or woman -- the North Carolina hiker’s achievement got a storm of national media coverage.

But just a year earlier, Joan Young, of Scottville, became the first woman to hike the North Country Trail -- the longest foot path in the United States.

And, for the most part, the media were mum.

See the full article at: M-Live.com

Wow- Also Sold Out of Would You Dare?

I have also discovered that I am completely out of copies of my book of short biographies Would You Dare?

That's a bit more serious of a printing project because it has 86 pages, and has a comb binding. I'll need to pretty much find a whole day to devote to that. Of course, an order for a copy would turn it into an immediate priority!

Order of Devotions for Hikers

I got an order for ten copies of Devotions for Hikers this week, to be delivered tomorrow. Horray!

That means I need to print more. I'm really glad that I wrote down EXACTLY how to do that and put it in my file, and also that the new printer doesn't seem to have any idiosyncrasies that cause it to print differently from the last one.

I have all the printing done, and am assembling them next. I have chosen to print this book myself, because it keeps the weight very small- something that backpackers are always worried about, and the printing costs are very low this way, as well.

I'll never get rich offering this little booklet, but it is a slow, but steady, seller. If my records are accurate, I've sold 62 copies with almost no promotion. I just put it out for sale with my other things when I give a program. Of course it's listed at Books Leaving Footprints

I have a file with ideas for a second volume. It's also available as an e-book at Smashwords. Click the picture of the cover to go there.

Chapters 15-16 of News from Dead Mule Swamp

The West Side Gang writers' group meets tonight and I want to have a chapter of News from Dead Mule Swamp to read. After lunch I got down to work, and actually wrote two chapters. This is too much to share at one meeting, but I feel really good about making progress on the story.

Chapter 15 gives more insight into rural life, which is really the tongue-in-cheek sub-theme of the book. In Chapter 16, the plot begins to move along again.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 15:

    I followed her through the porch into a kitchen that probably hadn’t changed since the 1950s. A wooden table and chairs, painted white, occupied the center floor space. A one-piece cast, enameled sink and drainboard filled a corner, and flowered chintz hid the pipes and whatever was stored beneath. Open shelves were neatly lined with flowered paper and stacked with dishes, pans, books and knick-knacks. A round-topped refrigerator hummed in the adjacent corner. The one anomaly was a brand-new cooktop range. Cora had been following my eyes. “Had to do it,” she said. “The old oven just up and died one day."

If the West Side Gang has interesting things to say, I'll report tomorrow.

Spirit of the Woods Program and Book Sales

Last night I gave my program "The North Country Trail and the Kitchen Sink" for our local chapter of the North Country Trail Association. There were quite a few guests there, so that was fun- to educate a lot more people about the trail.

I thought that the group was pretty well saturated with book sales, but I sold two copies of North Country Cache, so that's always a good thing.

Also, there was one ordered through Amazon this week.

I have no bookings coming up until spring, and that date is not firm yet. If you are in the Midwest and would like a great program at a reasonable cost, let me know! You can see the flyer of my offerings and prices at Books Leaving Footprints. (Click on Meet the Author, see lower left corner)

Book Review- Spin the Plate

I am participating today in Jennifer Walker's Book Tour. To do so, I'm reviewing the book Spin the Plate

Spin the Plate was a surprisingly interesting read. Donna Anastasi weaves a tale of two people who do not fit well into society and brings them together in a believable way.

Jo is a victim of sexual child abuse at the hand of her father, which she can not forgive. Not a small woman, she has become tough and reclusive. She earns a living as a tattoo artist and roams the streets at night rescuing and avenging hurt and abandoned animals.

Francis is a small man, who was bullied as a child because of his size and shy nature. He is drawn to Jo so much that he seeks out a way to make her acquaintance and win her confidence.

This unlikely duo build a relationship that works for them, and along the way surprising things happen.

Spin the Plate is the 2011 Living Now Books Gold Medal winner. If you are familiar with this award, you will suspect before you begin reading that there is going to be a positive outcome. Living Now Books are “designed to improve and enhance our lives through creative ideas, [or] inspiring advice.” The core philosophy of the book is Christian. Yet the inevitable presentation of the Christian message is not forced or hackneyed. It simply grows out of Francis’ sharing of his life story. Yet, not all Christians will be comfortable with some of the actions of the characters. They are “real” people, not all good or all bad.

Any author is going to bring in his or her own world view, and secular authors feel free to hint at or expound on their philosophies. Anastasi's world view is Christian, and it shows, but is not forced on the reader as coming from outside the story. I found this refreshing in a Christian book.

The one false note in the book is a long soliloquy by Francis about a charity he has founded that gains visibility by being featured on American Idol. It’s an interesting concept, but Anastasi has Francis talk about it for several pages. It breaks the flow of the story, and just becomes an advertisement for an idea

At 194 pages, this is an easy read, and will leave you with positive feelings about the world rather than the general angst of “literary fiction.” Published by Black Rose Writing. Order Spin the Plate

Working on "Fall Off the Couch Laughing"

I'm hopeful that this eBook will take a lot less time than the first one. For one thing, the seemingly complex steps you need to follow to format a book for Smashwords doesn't seem so daunting this time.

Also, I know what I need to do with the pictures to incorporate them. E-books don't deal very will with images, but they are an important part of my essays. And they do load in all formats except the plain text version. From my first experience, I learned that I need to make the caption a part of the image itself.

So, I'm working on getting the ten essays collected into one document, and choosing the order. Then I'll put the pictures in.