Fellow Minnesota writer (and my co-founder of 12 Tiny Things) Ellie Roscher recently penned a blog posted called “To Joyfully Endorse” – she said one of the greatest joys of being a writer is championing other writers. And I wholeheartedly agree.
There’s this thing that happens when you are an author – you write a book, a proposal, you figure out how to get it published (self? small indie press? hybrid boutique press? large indie press? agent? traditional house?), and finally after all those edits and cover decisions and revisions and type-setting approvals…..it’s time to get some endorsements for your work. I didn’t have any idea how this process worked before becoming a published author. It turns out those blurbs you see on the back cover of books are not simply the magic of the universe getting all of these books into the hands of wise and sometimes well known people who end up raving about their merits. No, that’s not at all how it works. (At least for most of us..) Rather, at some point as the book slowly makes its way to the final, ready-to-print typeset version, authors must embrace the ‘art of asking’ as Amanda Palmer puts it.
It’s pretty humbling to send out those emails that say, “heeeeeyyyyy, what’s your schedule like? How would you feel about maybe reading this book I wrote and stating [eloquently] how much you enjoyed it?”
*Note: If you are sending an inquiry to someone you don’t know well, or perhaps don’t know at all other than you (or your editor) like their work and think they might like yours, this email is much less cheeky. 😉
Fortunately, most writers are readers. I know I am. [People can’t always say yes due to life circumstance, but so often they do.] And I’m with Ellie when she says there is much joy in championing the work of others. So, here are some of the authors that I was able to say, “yes, please send it over!” to in 2019 so far. You may wish to add their books to your to-read list.
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Frank LaRue Owen’s latest collection, The Temple of Warm Harmony,invites you to look closely at whatever “red dust” may be stuck to your life and use the pattern that emerges as it falls to the ground as a path back to your true essence: a map toward your own temple of warm harmony. A book to revisit any time you feel disconnected from living in a way that makes you glad to be breathing.
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What does it mean to be swept up in a river of love? Read Aimee Carr’s novel of the same name, and you might just find out. A story of heart, spirit, and how nature connects us all, River of Love tells the tale of how imperfect lives, when steeped in love for the earth and each other, might just give you faith in resurrection, reset, and second chances.
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Ghosts, by William Huggins (forthcoming, October 2019), is a story of awakening to a truth that has always been there, finally illuminated as walls are breached and surrender to diversity and change triumph over the drive to be in control. Gripping from the very first page, by the end, you may have a new idea of what it can mean to soften into who you are meant to be. A poignant reminder the past cannot be forgotten — and when placed in the light, has the power to transform fear into compassion.
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Meta Carlson’s (forthcoming, spring 2020) Ordinary Blessings gives voice to the everyday stuff of life that needs to be honored – from the mundane to the difficult. I found myself nodding along, marking page after page to return to when life calls for sacred acknowledgment. This book is a gift of actionable love to the world. Read it, not because a book will change your life, but because letting ordinary blessings into your earthly experience will.
Heidi Barr | Author 