how the natural world shows – The power of story

  One fall morning while treading the parched earth through the woods, I veered from a narrow path to a short bridge hunched over a sleepy river. A pair of mallards commanded a “V” through water like plate glass. Oaks, in states of bright fall undress, hugged the banks. Peace and a soft landscape filled my vision. The sun’s rays [...]

the lost and found of an author identity

I sunk deeper into my seat when watching her on a short Q and A video. I felt her words were directed at me, as if to say, “and you know who you are.” But I dismissed the thought because I didn’t think my publisher’s recommendation for authors to update their websites every two to three years applied to me. [...]

what can a book cover really say?

While I was writing my memoir, I had envisioned my book’s cover to be a picture perhaps of an elegant landscape in oil paints of wispy birch trees with their wavy leaves in soft greens, peeling bark in degrees of white to muddy grey and tan. The image would speak to you, inviting you to join me on my search [...]

2019-04-30T19:31:55+00:00April 30, 2019|Categories: book covers, book marketing, memoir, self publishing|Tags: , |

discovering my own lane

The brightness of a sunny spring day and the clarity of a blue sky forced their way into the meeting room's tall windows. Multiple rows of six chairs were lined up like soldiers readying for their commands while a podium stood at the front of it all. The Chicago Writers Conference (CWA) was about to start. This was my first [...]

Transitioning: book publication to post pub

Your book was published. You cold called indie bookstores and libraries, sent email inquiries to venues for author events, you met up with writing groups, friends, co-workers, fellow writing colleagues, you solicited book reviews and book awards. Publicity and book tours. There was always something to do. Perhaps some authors have no discernable transition because it’s a “business as usual” [...]

post publication – the unexpected

And what a post publication week it has been! On pub day, Culturalist included Under the Birch Tree in its “Top 10 Inspiring Stories of Self-Discovery to Read When You’re Feeling Lost.” And Buzzfeed listed my memoir as “Five Captivating Memoirs You Need to Read This Summer.”  My book made a list? I certainly didn't expect my book to make [...]

i called you a memoir, part II

  “I considered creating you after I read Summers with Juliet by Bill Roorbach and realized how a memoir such as this could be so inspiring and magical while understated in innocence and adventure and complement to nature. I had something uplifting to express as I could communicate my own experiences, drawing connections to places and people and home, despite [...]

What was my inspiration, motivation and publishing process?

  Find out what first inspired me to write, my motivation to publish my memoir now, and how I found the publishing process to be, plus answers to many more questions about the making of Under the Birch Tree from my interview with the San Francisco Book Review.       San Francisco Book Review interviews Nancy Chadwick

notes from a (almost) published writer

With just one week away until my memoir's debut, and one day remaining for the Goodreads giveaway, the excitement is kicking in! There's still time to preorder, or maybe you are holding out to support your local bookstore. In the meantime, enter the giveaway, if you haven't already. You could win! There's bookstores to visit and connect with as well [...]

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