Adding Lib by Kathryn Elliott (VBT, guest post and GIVEAWAY) Goddess Fish Tours

It is my pleasure to have a guest post from one of the authors from the Wild Rose Press garden, Kathryn Elliott.



ELF:  What was the most difficult thing to overcome on your path to becoming a published author and how did you conquer it?



KE:  Every writer doubts their ability to capture an audience; it’s natural. The ‘will I sell’ illness is hard to shake, and stubborn to my Irish core it took lunch with my favorite college professor to cure my case of the lit jitters.

“It’s so good to see you, Kathryn. Tell me, what you have been doing the last 20 years?”

“Well, I’m married, have two rambunctious sons and write for several local newspapers.”

Dead silence.

“Professor?”

“I have to say, and I mean this with the utmost respect for your life choices, I expected much more from you.”

I’m speechless; an unheard of phenomena.

“You showed great promise. Where is the book you so often spoke of writing? Have you abandoned that dream?”

So, that’s what it feels like to be hit by a bus, I always wondered; nothing like having your role model sum up your professional life as slightly more than adequate. And yet, it was the kick in the rump I needed.

Here’s how my book journey began.

I talked to people, not email, not text, talked! People, like me, who write for a living. Not just those who dabble, but people who file 1099’s under the category of creative, in other words, poor. Although contracted, I still garner most my income as a freelancer, thus my circle of contacts within the writing realm was decent. Here’s their suggestions.

Lesson One: From my weekly editor: “For the love of God – Blog! I am so sick of you trying to interject humor into the police blotter! Get it out in cyber space and cut down on my red line time! And by the way, I need you to cover the senior art fair, make it sound exciting.”

Done.

Lesson Two: From local children’s book author: “Join a writers group. Try and find one more suited for your professional experience. Trust me, there are a lot of them out there full of people pushing their books with absolutely no writing experience and a lot of them still live in their mother’s basement and collect action figures. Choose wisely.”

Done.

Lesson Three: From my college professor: “Go back to school; education is a tool only sharp when kept active.”

Done.

Lesson Four: From a fellow almost-author: “Be prepared to fail, and fail often; no way to sugar coat it. This is not a career for the weak. Do you drink? If not, start.”

Done. (In spades.)

Lesson Five: From a helpful, but rightfully harsh literary agent: “Get some Beta readers to rip this thing to shreds. I don’t have time for this much work. (An ugly and eye-opening first draft critique after a contest win.) Don’t ask your Mom, sister or anyone who even likes you, in fact, get people who hate you. Do you have people who hate you? Don’t worry, if you write, you will.”

Done. (And may I say, ouch!)

Lesson Six: From my son: “Keep at it Mom, somebody will buy it.” Pause. “Do we have any Oreos?”

Done.

Lesson Seven: From the mirror: “Dust off the dream and hit that bucket list running! And buy Oreos.”

Thank you for hosting! I hope Adding Lib brings humor and a tug on the heartstrings!





Adding Lib

by Kathryn Elliott

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BLURB:

Libby O'Rourke has a short fuse. Her mother, Mae, carries a big match. Engulfed in the never-ending life-juggling of suburbia, Libby fails to notice Mae's emerging dementia symptoms until a kitchen fire puts the problem on the front burner.

Proficient in the art of denial, Mae brushes the shattering diagnosis aside and sets her sights on a matchmaking crusade for her eldest son. After all, if her lucid days are numbered, Mae’s going to make damned sure he makes it down the aisle while she still recognizes the groom.

It’s going to take a razor wit and an iron stomach to handle Mae's diagnosis. Thankfully, just like her mother Libby has both.



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EXCERPT

At three o’clock, excess wine and a bladder weakened by two pregnancies woke Libby from a sound sleep. She crept to the bathroom as quietly as two-hundred-year-old floor boards would allow and, on the way back, noticed the phone’s blinking message light.

“Crap.” Mae’s message taunted from the answering machine. “What to do?” she said to herself. “Check it, or go back to bed?” Years of maternally ingrained guilt won out as she pressed play.

“Hi Lib,” Mae’s recorded message played. “It’s your mother.”

“Color me surprised.” Libby groaned.

“I just got back from my visit with Dr. Cooper. You remember him, he removed Daddy’s planter’s wart.”

“TMI Mom, TMI.”

“Anyhow, he did a splendid job with my colon and said I had none of those dirty pollocks.”

“Polyps, unless you’ve got a ten-foot abstract in your small intestine.”

“You can watch now. Did you know that? They have a camera in your bum the whole time, fascinating really. Anyway, a few of my other test results were a bit off, and he wants me to see a neurologist for some silly reason. Nothing to worry about, just a little blip to check out. Anyhow, I need someone to take me for the appointment, and I was hoping you could find the time. If not, don’t worry, I’ll call your brother Sean. I’m sure he can drop anything less important than his mother.”

“Of course. He’s Jesus.” Libby’s eyes rolled.

“Take care, sweetie. Call me when you can, love to all.”

Libby replayed the message and returned to bed. Blip speculation haunted her dreams.


BUY LINKS:

The Wild Rose Press
Amazon

Nook
iBook

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kathryn Elliott is a lifetime journalist with awards in political satire, human interest, and commentary. A Connecticut native, she is a happily married mother of two sons with high hopes one of them will pay for a delightful rest home.

A true believer in laughter's healing power, Kathryn writes characters whose flaws resonate with readers long after "The End."
Adding Lib is her debut novel, and the first in The McGinn Series.


FACEBOOK
TWITTER: @CandidKathryn
BLOG LINK
GOODREADS

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GIVEAWAY

Kathryn will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here