Book Give-away

Monica Bhide - one of the authors included in Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart is hosting a give-away. You could win a copy of the book and something very special to Monica's heart. Check out her blog to see what exactly that is and how to enter!

Joene Hendry Writes About Her Feelings of the Book, Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart

Have you ever wondered how a first-time published essayist may feel when she sees the final product and finally has the chance to hold the book in her hands? Joene Hendry penned her thoughts and offered to give us a glimpse of how she felt the day she received her copy of Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between

My First Read of  Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between

By Joene Hendry 

The cold, rain-drenched November day shed little natural light toward my overstuffed reading chair. Some supplemental florescence would be needed to read what the mail delivered yesterday in a nondescript corrugated package. Though I had carefully opened the package to insure the contents arrived undamaged, until now I  had to squelch my excitement over the words within my copy of Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between.

The book is a compilation of essays - one of them mine - written by writers who are also members of the professional writers' group, Freelance Success. As a freelance writer my byline appeared on hundreds of print and online articles, all reporting facts and research. This was different. For the first time my name is listed as an author in a published book. For this publication I put a piece of myself - a huge, intensely personal piece - out there for all to read.

Many years had to pass before I could begin to write the feelings my essay conveys. Many months went by before I had the emotional strength to rewrite, rework, rehash, and tweak the words that eventually matured into Tending the Garden of Grief.

When I first compiled this essay I suspected my series of sentences and paragraphs was worthy of sharing, but I was too close to its contents to be sure. When I submitted the essay to Andrea King Collier during one of her popular essay classes, and she called to say, "this is beautifully written," I knew I had the makings of a publishable work.

Still, my tale - not the kind of feel good essay many publications seek - remained in the essay folder in my computer, undergoing occasional tweaks and revisions. It only came out from its protective archives when the Freelance Success team asked members for personal essay submissions for a self-published book project they planned.

After carefully reading the submission guidelines and tweaking my essay out of its lengthy gestation I hit 'Send' and hoped for the best.

It's a major understatement to say I was thrilled after learning my essay was chosen. Now, after of hundreds of hours of committee work by Freelance Success members who believed that turning a bunch of personal essays into a book was a worthy exercise, I held the book in my hands.

My collective words make up just one/twenty-eighth of the other personal stories in Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between. I was anxious to see, feel, and absorb the subjects the other writers tackled.

I read of events that wove the fabric of each author's life - that strengthened the author's sense of self or of others. Some ring true with my memories, others are foreign to my experiences. But all, whether about families, friends, lovers, pets, or life-changing events, touched some part of me.

As I sat curled into my don't-bother-me reading chair, protected from the autumn chill by the afghan my Grandmother made for me years ago, I read how two dear friends share the warmth of their friendship by trading off the crocheted goods they created when they lived near each other. How a woman knitted as her way of dealing with the loss of a loved one.

I shed memorial tears of losing two of my adored pets as I read others' accounts of finding, learning to love, and losing their beloved furry companions. And I marveled at how a wingless butterfly can be the impetus for a child's and a parent's learning.

After reading this compilation, I'm overcome with admiration for my fellow essayists. The breadth and depth of the subject matter is so diverse - sexuality, personal quirks, family shortcomings and traditions, sending children off into the world, loves gained and lost, foods that nourish beyond the belly.

Anyone with a pulse will find something in  Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between  that tweaks at or pierces their heart.

           

If you want to hear the Wendy & Marijke interview

If you missed the news about the interview with Wendy Helfenbaum and Marijke Vroomen-Durning on a Montreal radio station, CJAD, you can listen it online. The interview runs just shy of five minutes and you can access it here:(http://www.cjad.com/Shows/Passion.aspx, in audio highlights.

Tonight, Nov. 19, 10 PM EST - radio interview

If you're in the mood to listen to Montreal radio tonight at 10 pm, EST, Wendy Helfenbaum and Marijke Vroomen-Durning will be on CJAD Montreal, speaking about Fits, Starts and Matters of the Heart.

To listen online, go to http://www.cjad.com and click on the listen now button.

Today, it's Kristen Stewart's Turn for our Q&A

Welcome Kristen!

How long have you been writing essays?

Like many of my coauthors I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember—non-fiction, fiction and essays—and mining my family, friends and life for inspiration along the way.  In fact, my first “book” was the life story of my cat Midnight and his brush with death after being run over by a car.

When and where was your first essay published?

I've written for various commercial magazines and websites but this is my first published essay.

How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?

I was thrilled because it would be my first published essay and honored by the company it would be keeping.  I think many writers doubt themselves and their abilities from time to time—I know I do—and to have my essay be accepted to appear alongside work from such a talented group of writers gave me a great thrill of validation.

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it? 

My essay is called "Butterfly, Butterfly Fly Away Home" and is about my son and our experience with a one-winged butterfly.  He received a Butterfly Garden for a gift and we couldn't wait to watch the caterpillars turn into butterflies and fly away—until one of the cocoons was misshapen and resulted in a one-winged flying-impaired butterfly.  The essay celebrates my son's innocence both in his reaction to the butterfly itself and to its ultimate disappearance in the backyard. 

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology? 

Being published in this anthology feels not only like a great accomplishment writing-wise but a affirmation that others saw the "magic" in the story itself like I did.  It's also been a fascinating—and educational--experience to be on the inside of a self-publishing endeavor.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

Everyone has something to write about—the trick is finding it and then determining the right approach.  For my non-fiction writing I gravitate toward ideas that I feel are applicable to a large group of people but when it comes to essays I try to examine unusual events that happen in my life—and then figure out how to apply this unique experience to a universal theme.  

Kristen Stewart lives in New Jersey.  Learn more about her and her writing at www.kristenestewart.com.

Monday's Q&A, with Beverly Burmeier

Beverly Burmeier is the next author in our Q&A series about Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. Here is what Beverly has to say:

How long have you been writing essays?

Seems like almost all my life.

When and where was your first essay published? (If you haven't been published before, how did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?)

I started writing seriously about 10 years ago and had essays published soon after in regional and parenting magazines.  My first essay in a national publication was Christian Science Monitor in 2005. 

What inspired you to write it?

I've had a pen pal for more than 50 years.  We've never met but still stay in contact, especially through Christmas cards.  I wrote about that enduring relationship.

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?

My oldest daughter is adopted, and I wrote about how her journey to find her birth mother affected our relationship.

Had you tried the essay market before?

Yes.  A totally different version published in Woman's World was one of my first sales.

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology?

I'm very pleased to be in the company of some wonderful essay writers.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

Life is full of story ideas, so take time to put your thoughts and feelings on paper (or at least the computer).  Just let the words flow; you can edit later. 

Q&A With Author Monica Bhide

Do you like Nutella? Well, whether you do or not doesn't matter, but Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart essayist Monica Bhide *loves* Nutella. Guess you'll have to buy the book to find out why, right? ;-)

How long have you been writing essays?  About six years now. 

 

When and where was your first essay published? My first essay was published in the Washington Post Food section almost five years ago ( or a touch longer..). It was about attending a huge Indian wedding. 

How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?  

Very honored. I know several of the writers and really love their work. 

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?  

It is about my love for Nutella and how Nutella has been a constant friend all my life.. through ups and downs and all. 

Had you tried the essay market before?  

Yes, it had been selected for publication in a magazine and I had been paid. Sadly, the magazine shut down. 

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology? 

I count it as a huge blessing

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?  

There is so much to write about... mine your life and you will find so many little things to write about. Essays dont have to be, in my opinion, about huge magical moments and miracles. Good essays make us see the miracles in small, everyday things.