Teale Blog
New Book
It’s hard to believe that this time last year I was floating on the cloud of excitement that preceded the publication of “Shades of Teale.” The novel, my first, was published by Manor House Publishing in late November, 2011, and it’s been thrilling to see my first book in print. The thrill is even bigger this year as I await the arrival of a second creative work under the Manor House banner, “Passages to Epiphany.” Due out later this fall, the book is a collection of short stories and creative non-fiction pieces that looks at the subject of awakenings. I’ve long been intrigued by that little moment where understanding dawns in our minds and hearts and we suddenly come to see a situation, or even our entire lives, in a new and different light. This book is focused around those moments in both fictional and non-fictional scenarios. The new stories vary in length and topic matter – the heroines of my short stories are all very unique and the non-fiction pieces are all about moments in my life that have been particularly affecting. These stories dovetail nicely with some other work I’ve been doing this year. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been training with International author, speaker and coach Jennifer Hough, and I hope to earn certification as an Awakened Coach by early November. The coaching is teaching me how to help other people drop the baggage that has been weighing them down so they can move forward into their own success. The tie-in with “Life of a Writer” may not be immediately obvious, but I do see my writing as a tool for helping people do pretty much the same thing. I like a book that makes me think, feel and wonder at the world around me and I hope that’s something I deliver to readers as well. As some of you may know, I make my living as a business writer and for decades my writing time has been spent primarily on producing newsletter and web content, speeches, white papers, articles and blog posts. I love my work and I’m privileged to work with some amazing people who make my days enjoyable and interesting. I never thought I would be able to combine business writing with creative writing but here I am, doing just that! I am indeed a lucky lady!...
Read MoreSeptember is here and the learning continues
It’s hard to believe that we’ve left summer behind at the door to September and yet I guess every year we face the same departure. I get a somewhat wistful feeling this time of year and as I drag bags of paper, pencils lined notepaper and duo tangs through the front door of my home I say a little prayer of thank that my youngest children are still part of my daily life. It won’t be long before they join their older sister out there in a larger world and I will be left to face September alone with no agendas to sign or lunches to supervise. I’ve done a bit of my own learning over the past year or so and I was thrilled to get word just a week or so ago that I have successfully earned my Master of Arts degree in English Literature and Writing from the Intercultural Open University Foundation (IOUF). This wonderful distance learning organization educates social change agents to the level of a Master or PhD degree and I was very grateful for the scholarship they awarded me to enable me to complete the degree. Thanks to academic partnerships with the Universidad Azteca and the Universidad Central de Nicaragua, I will also receive degrees from these two universities as well. The IOUF has a global perspective and has offices in Granada, Spain, and Arden, Delaware. They select as students only people who are dedicated to the kind of social change that improves lives, broadens insights or somehow makes the world a better place. Their PhD grads include people who have Written notable books Undertaken major works of charity Developed important models for communication or technology and Made substantial contributions to sustainable business IOUF students – who they call “learners” — are located around the world and have areas of expertise in many fields. It’s been an honor to have spent the past year among them and I’m thrilled beyond belief to have earned my MA. My interest in helping people who have been in abusive relationships through the publication of “Shades of Teale” was one of the criteria the IOUF used to determine if I met eligibility requirements for their program. I wrote Teale’s story just to get it out of my head and heart and onto paper and although I dreamt of becoming a published author one day, I never dreamed that Teale would be my invitation to the MA degree I have so long hoped to obtain. Life is indeed a strange and fascinating journey. If your work or charitable interests involve somehow making the world a better place, and the idea of obtaining a graduate or post-graduate degree appeals to you, I invite you to look into what the IOUF has to offer. My experience with this organization has been superb and the folks who have mentored me to my degree have all been people of compassion and integrity. I may not need pencils and erasers anymore. But I certainly appreciate the opportunity for ever more...
Read MoreWho Reads “Shades of Teale”?
I’ve had some interesting reactions to “Shades of Teale” and although not everyone warms up to the story and its sometimes stark exposé of marital unrest, I’ve been gratified by the positive comments I’ve heard about the writing, if not the subject matter. For those who are new to this site (and my novel!), “Shades of Teale” tells the story of a woman who begins her first marriage floating on the naïve but pretty delusion that her husband is a genius, wedded life is bliss and marriage is forever. Is any of that true? My main character, Teale Covey, brings an ironic candor to her search for the facts. Along the way Teale takes an unflinching, and sometimes entertaining, look at how she has changed from the spritely young girl she had been in her youth and she comes to see that in her efforts to live out the myth of wedded bliss, she has compromised her heart and her identity. Her husband, David, is not the man she thought he was and in fact, although Teale doesn’t immediately recognize it as such, his treatment of her is abusive. Folks who have never found themselves to be the compromised partner in an unequal relationship might have a hard time embracing Teale’s acceptance of what seems like such grossly unfair treatment. They may wonder why she was ever attracted to David in the first place, and they will possibly wonder why she stayed as long as she did. My hope is that this book will help these people understand the nature of abuse and be better equipped to help anyone who is struggling with what is undoubtedly a very complex issue. People who have survived an abusive relationship have told me that my descriptions are accurate and compelling; abuse is a slippery devil and countless wonderful people have found themselves suffering its consequences. I’ve written this book in the hope that survivors will find in Teale a companion, a kindred spirit who walked the path they themselves have trod and found a way to a happier ending on the other side of their misery. But I’ve also written this book for people who are currently in an abusive relationship. I don’t find blame and judgement to be useful concepts for the resolution of most issues in this world; my wish for these readers is that they will find in Teale’s story the comfort to know that they are not crazy, they are not worthless and they are not alone. My wish is for them to find the strength to identify the reality of their situation and to find the even greater strength to make the changes that will improve it. If you know of anyone who might benefit from reading this story I invite you to encourage them in their quest for comfort. My book isn’t all doom and gloom — it has some lighter moments as well! As my publisher says, the novel is kind of like a cross between “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “The Devil Wears Prada.” I personally am not a big fan of the concept of wallowing and I suspect there are an awful lot of readers out there who feel the same way. So enjoy! And make every moment...
Read MoreGoal Check: Am I meeting my creative writing goals?
Every January I write down what I want to achieve during the year ahead because I believe the process does a lot to help make my dreams come true. As a newly minted author, I really had no clue at the start of 2012 what a realistic goal might look like for me in the months ahead. But I waded in at the beginning of this year anyway. We’re just over halfway through the year now, and I thought it made sense to check in to see how I’m doing. It’s been a tough slog on the novel front: my business writing interests have kept me hopping all year and I’m learning how to balance my priorities. On the business side of things, I write newsletter and web content, speeches and press materials for large organizations. Here’s how I’ve been doing with “Teale” so far this year: 1. Goal: Connect with women’s organizations to explore ways of using my novel to help women in distressing situations move into happier lives. “Shades of Teale” tells the story of a woman’s journey through an increasingly unhappy marriage to a better sense of her own strength on the other side. It’s a story many of us can related to. I’ve made some overtures on this one but so far nothing has gelled. Score: 2/10. 2. Goal: Develop a set of “Shades of Teale” meditation cards and bring them to market. I’ve completed a rough version of the cards and I’ve asked my magical friend Christine Riedel Gagnon to review them for me with an eye to improvements I might make. Christine is a life coach and she’s a practitioner and teacher of Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique, Shamanism, Animal Communication. She’s an expert in a number of other healing arts and also an authority on domestic abuse. Christine has come back to me with some questions about the type of input I’m looking for and I haven’t yet gotten back to her. I give myself about a five out of ten on this one. 3. Goal: Introduce “Shades of Teale” as an e-book. Success! “Teale” is now available on amazon.ca as a Kindle book and you can order your copy on Amazon.com. 4. Goal: Sell out the original press run and create enough demand for a huge reprint. Hasn’t happened so far! Two out of Ten! 5. Goal: do at least three virtual book tours. Oh dear, not going so well on this front either. Zero out of 10. We’ll see how I do by the end of the year but so far I’m not impressed with myself! Can I do better? Will do my best! Cross your fingers for me! And in the meantime, if you’d like to order “Shades of Teale” as either an e-book or a soft cover, please...
Read MoreCareer Fair News: A writer’s career path
I was invited to take part in a Career Fair at my children’s school a couple of weeks ago and I accepted the invitation with great delight: I would have been thrilled to hear someone talk about how to create a career as a writer when I was 13! I’ve been a writer since I could hold a pencil. As a child I used to climb into the back yard apple tree and write the hours away in great contentment. As a teenager, I wrote poetry and entered essay contests, two of which I won. By the end of high school I had decided to become a journalist, mostly since that was the only occupation I knew of that was centered around writing for a living. I headed off to Queen’s University to pursue a degree in Political Studies and while I was there I strayed into the offices of The Queen’s Journal, our student newspaper. I practically lived there ever after! We published three times a week and there was a constant demand for news articles. The more experienced writers coached and edited the younger ones and it proved to be a great training ground for many people who are today making a difference in many aspects of Canadian life. After graduation I freelanced for a weekly business newspaper and worked part-time at the London Free Press as a Neighborhood News reporter. Eventually I gained contract work as the Free Press’s Homes and Features writer and by the time the contract ended I had found work at Canadian Press in Toronto. I didn’t last long at CP – the overnight shift was hard for me and the pay was minimal. So in due course I was offered the job of media relations officer for the Ontario Ministry of Health. This assignment required me to write speeches, press releases and briefing reports for the Minister’s use and I also fielded questions from reporters about Ministry projects, initiatives and policies. Somewhere along the line I got married, moved to England for a couple of years, had a baby, and returned to Canada in search of work. I was fortunate to connect with a highly competitive boutique marketing agency and I spent a few years there writing a broad range of materials from brochures and advertisements to newsletter copy, sales letters and press materials. By the time I left to build my own freelance writing service, I had extended my skill set quite substantially. By the time I was pregnant with my second child (following a divorce and a new marriage) I had begun writing the novel that Manor House Publishing gave life to late last year as “Shades of Teale.” It was a dream come true! Today, I am still working as a freelancer providing corporate communications and marketing support to Canadian businesses – but I am also giving my creative side the attention it also needs by writing short stories and starting work on the sequel to “Shades of Teale.” It’s a busy life and so very, very rewarding! If I had to offer some advice to any young people considering a career as a writer I would say: Don’t ever be afraid to start at the bottom of an organization and work your way up; Work longer and harder than expected and forget about what that does to your “hourly wage”; Always maintain a positive and respectful attitude to everyone with whom you work; Be creative and open to new opportunities; Get as much training and experience as you possibly can. I have invested in thousands of hours of education over the course of my career and it has paid off handsomely for me in terms of honing my skillset and giving me insights that I can put to productive use. There are many naysayers out there who feel a writing career is a lousy way to make a living. My response to that is always “if you want something badly enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen.” Good luck with your own writing...
Read More“Shades of Teale” is now available as an e-book!
Big news this month: “Shades of Teale is now available as a Kindle e-book through Amazon.com! If you would like to order your own copy, you’ll find the e-verson downloads quickly. You can read the first three chapters of the novel on the Amazon.com listing, so if you’d like to get a taste of the writing and the story, feel free to check it out. Thanks to Manor House Publishing CEO Michael Davie for all the hard work he put into bringing the e-book to light! I’ve also (finally!) set up my author listing on Amazon.com as well, so please take a look and see what you think. I’m working on a schedule for new book signings for the next few months so watch this space for news of new opportunities to come and say “Hi!” Best wishes for a great...
Read More