Books Make Great Holiday Gifts


Books make great gifts!

If you’re looking for holiday presents (for yourself or others,) I’d adore it if you gave one or both of my books, Depression Hates a Moving Target or You Should Be Writing.

But here are some other ideas as well:

POETRY

How to See the World: Poems – by Paula J. Lambert

In How to See the World, Lambert takes us deftly along as she examines the new reality in which we’ve all awakened in 2020. She peels back its complicated layers with adept use of metaphor, as well as a revelatory tone that will have readers doubling back to unfold new meanings in a line, a verse, or a poem. Real moments of brilliance sparkle calling us to look beyond surface and pattern to recognize something beyond ourselves, even while we languish in a groundswell of change.

Tell me moonlight can’t speak…she writes, then convinces us that it can. While pandemic is here and unavoidable, do not approach this collection as an outgassing of that reality. It is about much more–how interconnected we all are while teetering at the brink of change and that we must witness the miracle, not turn away.—Rose M. Smith, author of Unearthing Ida

MEMOIR, RELIGION & FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Nothing Bad Between Us: A Mennonite Missionary’s Daughter Finds Healing in Her Brokenness by Marlena Fiol

After being publicly humiliated in front of her entire close-knit Mennonite community, Marlena Fiol didn’t know how she would recover. Follow her journey from an abusive upbringing in Paraguay to escape, love, and loss in the United States and finally on to forgiveness and reconciliation.

Discover a story of healing and personal transformation. Marlena’s childhood was full of contradictions. Her father was both a heroic doctor for people with leprosy and an abusive parent. Her Mennonite missionary community was both a devoted tribe and a controlling society. And Marlena longed to both be accepted in Paraguay and escape to somewhere new. In Nothing Bad Between Us, follow Marlena’s journey as she takes control of her life and learns to be her authentic self, scars and imperfections included.

Read my interview with Marlena.

MEDITATION FOR FINANCIAL HEALING

The Gift of Crisis: How I Used Meditation to Go from Financial Failure to a Life of Purpose by Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley

Approach Crisis with Self-Love, Assertiveness and Courage—You are not alone: Since the start of the recession, 8.8 million jobs have been lost, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley was one of those 8.8 million people who lost their jobs. Between 2007 and 2014, she was also one of 7.3 million homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure. Some affected by job loss and foreclosure, due to the economic downturn, were able to bounce back relatively emotionally unscathed. Many, however, internalized the outer events as a negative reflection of their personal capacities without taking a deeper look at the crisis as a potential underlying catalyst. In The Gift of Crisis, Bridgitte shows you how to explore crisis as a tool for courageous change, regaining your self-esteem with self-love and self-compassion.

Read my interview with Bridgitte.

ECO-MINDFULNESS

Love Earth Now: The Power of Doing One Thing Every Day by Cheryl Leutjen

Silver Nautilus Book Award Winner! What can you do for the environment? Do you find yourself wondering what on Earth you can do about the serious environmental challenges we face today? Do you worry there’s nothing any one person can do that will make a difference? Most people say they would like to do something to make the world a better place, but they just don’t believe they have the time, energy, money or power to do anything that will make a real difference. Are you willing to devote 20 minutes a week to find out? Environmental activist Cheryl Leutjen has the planet’s back and is betting you do too. Her powerful book of inspired ideas and eco-mindfulness calls upon us all to Love Earth Now.

Read my interview with Cheryl.

SPIRITUAL LIVING

The Rules of Creation by Lynda Allen

The Rules of Creation is a handbook for living life from the pure essence of divinity from which we each sprang. They not only share wisdom, but encourage each of us to explore the depths of our own innate wisdom as well. It offers eight simple rules to live by, which help us not only remember our own divinity, but to live from there with joy and certainty.

GRIEF & SUDDEN LOSS

The Sudden Loss Survival Guide: Seven Essential Practices for Healing Grief by Chelsea Hanson

Restore Your Spirit after Sudden Loss—Healing after loss. When a loved one passes unexpectedly, the person left behind can lose their bearings. After the sudden loss of her mother, Chelsea Hanson, a nationally-recognized grief educator and founder of With Sympathy Gifts and Keepsakes, didn’t know where to turn for help, what to do next, or how to put the pieces of her life back together. Hanson’s The Sudden Loss Survival Guide gathers everything that she learned during her own recovery process and provides an indispensable road map to aid those who’ve experienced a life-changing loss.

AFFIRMATIONS

Your Life Is Your Prayer: Wake Up to the Spiritual Power in Everything You Do by Sam Beasley & B.J. Gallagher
Everything you do is prayer: You may not realize it–many people don’t–but the decisions you make throughout the day, the attitudes you adopt, the conversations you have, the way you respond to other people, and the thoughts you think are all prayers. The food you choose to eat is a prayer, the way you spend your money is a prayer–even the way you drive is a prayer! We are constantly communing with the Divine, even in our most mundane activities. And our prayers are always answered in the affirmative: “Yes.”

SELF-ESTEEM

Letters from a Better Me: How Becoming an Empowered Woman Transforms the World by Rachael Wolff

Self-esteem for empowerment. By practicing affirmations each day, you will become stronger emotionally and psychologically. Writing letters to yourself can be a powerful affirming process that will give you the courage to face adversity and help you develop resilience that can get you through anything. Become the very best and strongest you can be with the unique tools and practices in Letters from a Better Me.

GOAL-SETTING

Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals by Debra Eckerling

Start with a plan. One of the biggest reasons goals fail is that we often don’t put enough thought into what we really want before diving in. Your Goal Guide by Debra Eckerling starts with that first, crucial step: figuring out your goals and putting a plan in place. As a professional writer, communications specialist, and project catalyst with more than 20 years of experience, Eckerling is prepared to help you achieve success.

Read my interview with Debra.

SUCCESS

Habits for Success: Inspired Ideas to Help You Soar by G. Brian Benson

A self-help book for an authentic life: Habits for Success was written creatively, consciously and with heart. Using his own growth process, triumphs and hero’s journey, the author weaves authenticity and vulnerability into his habits, ideas and stories to entertain and inspire the reader.

STORYTELLING

Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories by Kate Farrell

Stories are everywhere. The art of storytelling has been around as long as humans have. And in today’s noisy, techy, automated world, storytelling is not only prevalent–it’s vital. Whether you’re interested in enlivening conversation, building your business brand, sharing family wisdom, or performing on stage, Story Power will show you how to make use of a good story. Learn from the experts and become an engaging storyteller.

Read my interview with Kate.

JOURNALING

Heart, Sass & Soul: Journal Your Way to Inspiration and Happiness by Greta Solomon

Discover the Life-Changing Power of Freewriting and Journaling—Discover who you are: Writing for yourself is an incredible way to heal your heart, find happiness, and reconnect with the things that matter most. Journaling and freewriting can bring you a deeper level of self-awareness, allowing you to truly know who you are. Heart, Sass & Soul will show you how to develop a writing practice that nurtures inner strength and promotes a rich, fulfilled life.

Read my interview with Greta.

LOVE & KINDNESS

Say It Now: 33 Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life by Sherry Ricart Belul

Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right way to say “I love you” to the people you appreciate the most in life. The emotions are there, but the words don’t come. Say It Now shows you how to put your feelings into words–and actions, too. From activities that take just a minute, to love letters, joy jars, tribute videos, surprise parties, and more, this book helps you celebrate the most important people in your life.

Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Days of Good Deeds, Inspired Ideas and Acts of Goodness by Brenda Knight & Becca Anderson

The Random Acts of Kindness movement is born. In 1995, a small group of people at Conari Press came together around the idea that small gestures and simple acts can make a difference in people’s lives. Thus, Random Acts of Kindness was born. But they had no idea how big this little idea would become.

POWERFUL WOMEN

The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes and Female Firsts by Becca Anderson

Sheroes. Women hold up half the sky and, most days, do even more of the heavy lifting including childbearing and child-rearing. All after a long day at the office. Women have always been strong, true sheroes, oftentimes unacknowledged. As we shake off the last traces of a major patriarchal hangover, women are coming into their own. In the 21st Century, all women can fully embrace their fiery fempower and celebrate their no-holds-barred individuality. It is time to acknowledge the successful women of the world.

THRILLING FICTION

Extreme by Joan Gelfand

Hope Ellson is from the wrong side of the tracks, but her genius transcends class. When Hope joins FearToShred, a Silicon Valley extreme gaming startup, Hope’s mission is to groom the scrappy company for prime time. Enter Doug Wiser, her very married ex. While the two work in tandem, nefarious forces are at work behind the scenes. Adding to the excitement of this thriller are the stars and heroes of surfing and skateboarding. With a keen eye on women in tech, business ethics and dangerous stunts, “Extreme” will leave you breathless.

Read my interview with Joan.

QUIRKY MYSTERY

Dead Pelican by Lisa Haneberg

Honeymooners hoping to find a quiet spot for a romantic picnic instead discover the dead body of Forrest Yates, a top birding guide and bottom dweller human. The murder rattles the local birding association as they prepare for the yearly influx of Sandhill Cranes and the wanna-be ornithologists who flock to the island to watch them. With Ned “The Pelican Man” Quinn as their sidekick, Xena and her team explore the dark side of birding and the tenuous relationship between commerce and nature to solve the case.

HORROR

Rose by Rami Ungar

Rose Taggert awakens in a greenhouse with no clear memory of the past two years and, to her horror, finds her body transformed into an unrecognizable form. Paris Kuyper has convinced Rose that they are lovers and as Paris could not bear for her to die, he has used an ancient and dark magic to save her from certain death. But the dark magic Paris has used comes at a price. A price which a terrible demon is determined to extract from Rose.

HISTORICAL FICTION

Glorious Boy by Aimee Liu

What will it take to save Ty? This is the question that haunts Claire and Shep Durant in the wake of their four-year-old’s disappearance. Until this moment, Port Blair’s British surgeon and his young wife, a promising anthropologist, have led a charmed life in the colonial backwaters of India’s Andaman Islands–thanks in part to Naila, a local girl who shares their mysteriously mute son’s silent language.

But with the war closing in and mandatory evacuation underway, the Durants don’t realize until too late that Naila and Ty have vanished. While Claire sails for Calcutta, Shep stays to search for the children. Days later, the Japanese invade the Andamans, cutting off all communication. Fueled by guilt and anguish, Claire uses her unique knowledge of the islands’ tribes to make herself indispensable to an all-male reconnaissance team headed back behind enemy lines. Her secret plan: rescue Shep and Ty. Through the brutal odyssey that follows, she’ll discover truths about sacrifice that both shatter and transcend her understanding of devotion.


For wellness tips and twice-monthly updates, subscribe to Nita’s news.


If you purchase anything from the affiliate links on this page or in this email, Write Now Columbus will receive a portion of the proceeds. This helps us keep the website up and the internet on.

Author Interview – Kate Farrell

Author Interview – Kate Farrell

 

Author Interview – Kate Farrell

I interview authors to find out what makes them tick. This author interview features Kate Farrell. Kate and I met while volunteering at the San Francisco Writers Conference for the Women’s National Book Association of San Francisco. Another Mango author, Kate is a dynamic storyteller, teacher, librarian, and all-around fun woman. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I have.

Nita Sweeney (NS): When and how did your writing journey begin?

Kate Farrell (KF): I didn’t consider myself a writer until I received a grant to teach storytelling forty years ago. I was immediately asked to write a how-to book on the art of storytelling for a wide audience of adults: teachers, parents, librarians. Faced with this daunting challenge, I moved to a remote valley in the Eastern Sierra for a six-month writing retreat, not only to write the book, but consider the entire storytelling project—its scope and brand.

Armed with a portable, manual typewriter, erasable paper, and my background as a teacher and librarian, I wrote the manuscript chapter by chapter. I’d bundle the typed pages and ride my bicycle to the only photocopier in the town of Bishop, CA, keep the copy and mail the original at the post office across the street to San Francisco, unedited.

When I returned to the city, my work was published almost verbatim, along with the storytelling project’s name and scope, Word Weaving: A Storytelling Workbook, 1980. This first book has since been archived in historical collections in public libraries and as an educational resource. It became the basis for teaching the statewide project throughout California public schools.

NS: Why do you write? What motivates you?

KF: My motivation is to share the universal nature of stories and the timeless art of storytelling. In that sense, I see myself more of a storyteller than a writer.

Author Kate Farrell

NS: Plotter or pantser?

KF: Plotter. In nonfiction, I work from an outline; in crafting personal narratives, I use a storyboard. Well defined structure is essential in the oral tradition; nonfiction requires clarity in developing key points from general to specific.

NS: What’s your biggest writing struggle and how do you handle it?

KF: When writing personal narratives, I often doubt that my own experiences have value for others. I hope to communicate something universal that enhances others’ lives. At the same time, good stories don’t tell, but show, requiring skill in the use of detail and imagery. To overcome my doubts, I revert to technique. I use a storyboard or simple outline to delineate the narrative arc. I consider the conflict at the heart of my story and determine if others can identify with both the central conflict and its resolution.

For nonfiction, I fight fatigue since the work is fleshing out an outline with compelling language that engages the reader. Imagining the reader sitting across the desk does help, but the best motivator is an absolute deadline, chapter by chapter.

NS: What is one thing about writing you wish you’d learned earlier?

KF: In nonfiction writing, I wish I’d learned the basic components of paragraph structure.

NS: What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard?

KF: To use adverbs, especially with attributions in dialogue.

NS: Do you write by hand or on a computer?

KF: Both. I find writing by hand more relaxing. When crafting a personal narrative, I frequently use a storyboard and sketch out the scenes with stick figures and key words.

NS: What are you currently reading?

KF: To escape from contemporary society and as a Jane Austen recommended spin off, I’ve been reading the Regency romances of Georgette Heyer. My favorite is The Corinthian; I’ve read it three times for sheer hilarity, situation comedy, and historic interest.

Author Kate Farrell Story Power

Kate Farrell, author of Story Power

NS: Is there a book you couldn’t finish? Why?

KF: I generally prefer historical fiction, so when confronted with any novel written in the present tense, I put it down. I typically cannot read present tense fiction, in first, second, or third person POV.

NS: What book couldn’t you put down?

KF: Cara Black’s new book, Three Hours in Paris, is a hunt for a covert operative in Nazi Paris, with vivid scenes, lively characters, pulse-elevating suspense. This book actually reminded me of Nancy Drew mysteries, such an intrepid heroine!

NS: What advice would you give writers starting out?

KF: Develop voice by imagining your reader next to you and speak directly to him/her as you write.

NS: Some writers struggle with the emotional side of writing. Do you have any tips for them?

KF: Focus on the purpose outside of yourself: to entertain, inform, or reveal. Connect with supportive writers to increase confidence and for encouraging feedback.

NS: What would you like readers to know about your most recent writing project?

KF: This how-to book on the art of storytelling is a culmination of my lifelong passion. It brought me full circle back to the first book I wrote forty years ago.

Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories. Mango Publishing, June 2020.

Storytelling is a powerful and engaging art, now enjoying a comeback, touted by business experts and public speakers—from branding to TEDx. Kate Farrell, a masterful storyteller who founded the Word Weaving Storytelling Project and trained thousands in the art, has now released a new book, Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories, to share the essence of the art with everyone who has a story to tell. In the book, more than twenty skillful contributors with a range of diverse voices, show you how to tell an unforgettable story.

NS: Has your writing life turned out differently than you expected? If so, how?

KF: It took me the longest time to realize that personal narrative had replaced the folktale in the oral tradition, even though The Moth and TED talks became popular twenty years ago. However, by 2005, I began to write personal narratives for my local writers’ club anthologies. With the help of experts in the field of memoir, I slowly learned the specific skills required in the genre and edited award winning anthologies. Still, I was not fully convinced of the universal nature of these personal stories until I attended the Moth Story Slams and observed their impact. These personal efforts continue to be works-in-progress. I’m excited to be part of the new direction in the oral tradition.

Kate Farrell and Brenda Knight

Story Power Author Kate Farrell and Mango Associate Publisher Brenda Knight

NS: What’s next for you writing wise?

KF: I’m writing my memoir with elements of folk and fairy tales, using the devices of magical realism combined with real life experiences. The working title is ONCE: Memoir of a Storyteller.

NS: How can storytelling help during the holidays this year?

KF: During the holidays this unusual year of social distancing, often separated from families and loved ones, take the time by phone, letter, or online to tell personal stories. Remember the good times, the gatherings, and those beloved friends and family who have passed away with a vignette or an unforgettable tale. Story Power can help you to create and craft these precious stories. The book makes a great gift for those who are journaling or recording memories during these challenging times. Prompts, exercises, and examples will stimulate your creativity and how to share.

AND FINALLY:

NS: Mermaids or Goddesses?

KF: Goddesses

NS: Toast or bagels?

KF: Toast

NS: Ocean, mountains, or forest?

KF: Forest

NS: Leggings or jeans?

KF: Leggings

NS: Dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, or horses?

KF: Dogs

About Kate Farrell
Story Power by Kate Farrell

Story Power by Kate Farrell

Kate Farrell, storyteller, author, librarian, founded the Word Weaving Storytelling Project and published numerous educational materials on storytelling. She has contributed to and edited award-winning anthologies of personal narrative, Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the 60s & 70s, and Cry of the Nightbird: Writers Against Domestic Violence. Farrell’s new book, a timely how-to guide on the art of storytelling for adults, Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories, was released in June. Recently, Farrell presented workshops for adults on the art of storytelling at the San Francisco Public Library, Mechanics Institute, and the San Francisco Writers Conference. Kate is now offering virtual workshops for libraries and writing groups, as well as performing virtually as a storyteller.

 

Website: https://katefarrell.net/

Blog: https://storytellingforeveryone.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kate-Farrell-Storyteller-330923030933184

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateStoryteller

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-farrell-1930a510

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/katefarrell2

 

 

 

 


If you purchase something through the affiliate links on this page, Write Now Columbus, a collection of resources for central Ohio writers and readers, will receive a small percentage of the sale.

Verified by MonsterInsights