Teale Blog
Novel Thoughts from a Women’s Writer
I’m the luckiest person I know. As a career writer with a focus on business copy I’ve met many fascinating people engaged in compelling work and I’ve had some amazing experiences. I’ve toured an underground salt mine and a factory that turned out millions of donuts weekly. I’ve gone incognito to political meetings and fully ID’d to retirement homes. I’ve met people old enough to have ridden horses down Yonge Street 100 years ago and others who glide along the crest of new technologies. The opportunities are still cropping up for me – a few months ago I enjoyed a special behind-the-scenes tour of a major international airport and just last week I was walking the beach in California with some people who are changing the world. No matter how you look at it, my work as a paid writer is exhilarating and fulfilling. Now that I’ve added “published author” to my writing identity, I’m immersing myself in a whole new world of activity. Here are my top three book activities right now – no doubt there will be more to add as the year goes on: 1. Booksignings. I’m a people person in general and I especially love meeting people who like talking about books. Despite all the gloom and doom we hear in the media about the death of publishing I don’t think we are anywhere near the death of reading. Although the publishing business is definitely changing, it’s not going to go away. 2. Radio interviews. Taking part in a vibrant conversation with someone who is interested in what I’m doing is very flattering, to be sure – but it also gives me insights into what other people care about, which is valuable information for an author who wants to connect well with her audience! 3. Learning about the publishing industry. I’m really pleased that Manor House Publishing selected my novel from among thousands of manuscripts that are currently yearning for publication (well, technically it’s their authors who are doing the yearning). It’s a competitive business and with the blossoming of self-publishing, the game is changing faster than colors on a chameleon. Many of my business clients have written books they would like to bring to print as well and I’m learning as much as I can as quickly as possible so I can serve my business clients with impact. It can sometimes be a bit of a challenge for me to seamlessly blend my business writing and authoring activities – and aren’t I lucky to have that problem? There’s grace in the juggling though — and who knows, maybe my next book will involve a donut-eating salt miner who rides political horses in retirement homes? Stay tuned for...
Read MoreGoal Setting: An Author’s Key to Creation
I’m a big believer in the power of setting goals and it wouldn’t be January if I weren’t thinking about what I want the year to look like. I posted some of my goals 12 days ago on my freelance writer website and one of them was to enter four short story contests this year. Believe it or not I’ve entered two already! But in terms of “Shades of Teale” I think it would be interesting to set a direction now and see where I end up. I’m a newbie at this novel-promotion business and I have no idea at this point how realistic my intentions are. But it will be fun to see how things turn out. So here goes: 1. “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. Unfortunately, the story is one many women (and certainly many men as well) know to be part of the truth of our world. One of my goals is to connect with national and international women’s organizations to explore ways of using my novel to help women in distressing situations move into happier lives. 2. Develop a set of meditation cards and bring them to market as a means of supporting my message of hope, particularly for people trapped in bitter domestic situations. 3. Welcome the “Shades of Teale” e-book to the world. 4. Sell out the original press run and create enough demand for a huge reprint. 5. Do at least three virtual book tours. And that’s about it. Coupled with my work as a freelance corporate communications writer, and my ongoing work towards my MA degree in English, I’m going to be busy this year. But I’m a very methodical person and a lucky one, as well, so I’m hopeful that all will go according to plan. What are your writing-related goals for the year? I’d love to hear what you’re doing to make 2012 the best year yet! ...
Read MoreA New Year Begins for “Shades of Teale!”
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of enjoyment made possible by my daring decision to take three weeks off to be home with my family. I’ve never done that before and as a full-time freelance writer it was a bit nerve-wracking – no work, no pay! In 20 years I won’t remember how stressful it is to try to play catch-up, though, and I will be glad I shared that time with my kids. Meanwhile, my women’s fiction story, “Shades of Teale,” has been bubbling along nicely and I’ve just noticed that amazon.ca is telling folks they’re down to their last copy. Not to worry, though, more are on their way to the distributor and copies are still available. It would be nice to force my publisher into a reprint! Delivery is now available quite quickly – when I checked on Sunday, Amazon was still saying they could deliver by Monday. Great service, amazon.ca! You can order your copy of Shades of Teale here. I have a book signing coming up on Friday, January 20, in Burlington, Ontario, and I’d love it if you’d drop by for a chat. I’ll be at the Burlington Indigo at 1250 Brant Street from 3 to 6 pm. My signings so far have been characterized by a very festive atmosphere and this one should be no different: joining me will be fellow Manor House Author Christine McDowell from Montreal and let me tell you, she’s a character! Christine has written a very enjoyable self-help book called “You’re Not Broken” and it contains a lot of valuable insights on harnessing your inner power (yes, you have tons of it!). Here’s a little more about her book. There are more details available on the Manor House Publishing Facebook Page and I invite you to check out my Shades of Teale booksigning event! We’re going to have fun at our signing so drop by and enjoy the cheer! More signings are on the horizon and Manor House Publishing is getting my schedule organized for the year now. If you’d like me to come and visit your community, please drop me a note and I’ll see when we can add you to our list. Alternatively, if your group or organization would like me to come and talk about “Shades of Teale,” please let me know and I’ll do everything I can to fit you into my schedule. I really enjoy meeting people, especially people who love to read. I will be organizing virtual book tours as well so stay tuned for those details! All the best for a great year ahead — and keep...
Read MoreOrdering My Book?
I was horrified to see that both amazon.ca and chapters.indigo.ca indicate it will take from three to six weeks to take possession of a copy of “Shades of Teale” after it’s been ordered. “Really?” I thought, “SIX WEEKS?!” I decided to find out for myself so on November 30 I placed an order with amazon.ca and a week or so later I repeated the process with an order on chapters.indigo.ca. The good news is that the amazon.ca order came in today — a breathless 19 days after the order was placed. My results may not be representative of what everyone else experiences but at least I’m reassured that six weeks is not necessarily going to be the norm. If you order a copy online I would love feedback on how long you had to wait — please drop me a line with that information so I can post it for others to see as well. Cheers! Susan...
Read MoreA Story about a Book Signing…
Many thanks to all the friendly folks who made it out to my book signing at A Different Drummer Books in Burlington yesterday – it was a delightful afternoon and I appreciate all the effort that went into making that happen. I saw some faces I hadn’t seen in quite some time, which made the joy of the event that much more powerful. Sometimes writing takes place in bit of a “social vacuum” and I’m always energized by the opportunity to connect with friends and new acquaintances. Yesterday found me grinning from ear to ear all day and it’s all thanks to everyone’s gift of time! Ian Elliott, owner of Different Drummer Books, was a wonderful host and I could have spent hours browsing. The store has been around for quite some time and Ian has built it into a solid establishment that caters exclusively to book lovers. There is a homey feel to the store, although it’s quite spacious, and it is such a welcoming environment that I felt like relaxing into the book world as soon as I walked in the door. Do check it out if you’re ever in the neighborhood – it’s at 513 Locust Street in Burlington. I was so pleased to be able to spend some time with Canadian artist Anna Sponer at the signing yesterday as well – she painted the picture that graces the cover of “Shades of Teale” and we’re planning some joint events in the future so stay tuned! Fellow Manor House writer Alyxandra Harvey was also in attendance, signing copies of her new short story collection, “Briar Rose and other stories darkly revisited.” I am the proud owner of a copy myself now and am looking forward to reading it! Alyxandra has a long list of dark stories to her publishing credit and it was fun to spend the afternoon with her. My essay about completing and publishing my novel is in today’s Globe and Mail – if you’d like a little more “deep background” on the subject, here’s the link:...
Read MoreRead about “Shades of Teale” in Monday’s Globe and Mail!
More exciting news! On Monday, December 19, the Globe and Mail will be publishing published an article I wrote about the emotional process of writing “Shades of Teale.” We have some fine newspapers here in Canada and the Globe has long been known as “Canada’s National Newspaper.” I grew up reading the Globe and Mail and I have fond memories of my parents sitting with their morning coffee studying its pages. Now I’m the parent! I often access the news online and since I’m up so early (don’t even ask what time!) my children don’t see me getting my morning news fix. I wonder how this will impact their news consumption habits? Critical thinking is an important skill and I credit my own passion for news with helping me look analytically at the world around me. It didn’t hurt that my superiors at The London Free Press and Canadian Press way back at the dawn of my career delivered some unflinching editing of the pieces I wrote for them! “Shades of Teale” does a little analysis of its own and much as it is a story, it is also a set of observations about an issue that pervades all intimate relationships: the balance between compromise and happiness. At what price commitment? As an aside, I’m thinking this might be a good book club book – one that might generate some interesting discussion! This will be the fourth piece the Globe has published for me this year and it’s an honour to see my byline appearing on its pages. I will post the link here as soon as it’s The link is now available, I hope you enjoy the article! Don’t forget, if you’d like to order your own copy of “Shades of Teale, you can get it through amazon.ca and chapters/indigo...
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