My novel is done! + Podcast: Royal Beauty + Birgit’s True Elfins

Posted on by da-AL
This post's title over artist Ann Newmarch's poster of a woman carrying a man. Under it is written, "Women hold up half the sky."
I can’t believe I never saw this image before, though Australians have known it for decades. It’s by artist Ann Newmarch.
Want to listen to a podcast/audio version of Happiness Between Tails? Click the Spotify podcast link above. And please give it a follow.

Yay! It’s done! I finally finished (I know, I know it took foooor-ever!) writing my book #1 (Flamenco & the Sitting Cat) of the two novels (#2 is Tango & the Sitting Cat) that are linked, but that can each stand alone.

Ulp! Now what?!

First up is to record the beginning section of it. The book a series of letters (a.k.a. epistolary) grouped in 12 parts (a nod to the 12/12 rhythm of flamenco). There’s producing a teaser, an intro, an outro, and the first set of letters. When it’s publicly aired, there will be a press release to write.

For now, the audio sample will only be to give agents a preliminary listen, in the hopes that the audio sample will create extra sparkle. Acting experience of a prior life demonstrated that there’s a lot more to agents than merely attracting one.

The real ginormous trick is to find a phenomenal one; someone who is fair and communicates well. Most of all, someone with great connections and who’s belief in the potential success of our collaboration can motivate them to work hard. That means I need to cull a list of appropriate agents and write an enticing pitch.

My inclination is to continue listing stuff to do because I’m so excited, but I’d just be repeating the same whirling thoughts over and over. So, moving along…

But wait, I also need artwork that looks equally good as a book cover and a smartphone thumbnail. One that can apply to the podcast too, and be easily customized for each new show segment.

Thanks much, blog friends who pointed out a while ago that my old cover resembled something for kids or teens.

Moving along once more in what’s turning out as hodgepodge as my brain at the moment…

For anyone out there doing the WordPress-blog-to-Anchor-podcast two-step — is it just me or do you also have to wait an entire 8 hours for your newest show episodes to appear on WordPress’ podcast editing block’s drop-down menu? After a chat and emails with WordPress, they said they would look into it, but you know how that’ll probably go.

More on podcasting: editing podcast shows on iMovie is easier than learning GarageBand. Nervous that my shows may technically suffering in ways I can’t hear, I scrounged for official comparisons. Seems iMovie is just as good, given that I’m using only voice, occasional sound FX and music, not mastering elaborate music compositions.

Again on podcasting: in the same way that blog posts can look different, for better or worse, depending on the device, so can audio shows. I asked Anchor if there’s a way to ensure that sound levels don’t vary. Basically they answered “no,” but that they would put it on their list.

More on Anchor: grousing, but also bringing up these complaints so you won’t think it’s just you doing something wrong — why is it too much trouble for Anchor to add page numbers for one’s editing list of show episodes?

More Swiss cheese thoughts…

A couple of days ago, I finished listening to humorist/autobiographer/essayist David Sedaris’ latest book, Happy-Go-Lucky.

Cover of "Happy-Go-Lucky" by David Sedaris.

He admits his dark humor isn’t for everyone. With each book, I’m smitten with how searingly self-searching he is and doesn’t settle for “all-good/all-bad” depictions and outcomes tied with neat bows.

This time he totally blew my mind with his honesty about his dad. Like me, he had one monster of a father who in old age showed flashes of something akin to softness and a smidge of regret. But so, as the “fruit” of such a person, what does one do with that?! Like when my father got nicer yet was still creepy and came onto me a couple of years before he died? In many ways, it was easier when he was just blatantly horrible…

My review of it for Amazon and Goodreads:

One of his best. Happy-Go-Lucky hits the nail on the head when it comes to showing how things aren’t always black or white — that they can lie within the confusing rainbow in between.

Each of his books, all his thoughtful self-disclosure, brings to mind the 1970s Women’s Lib phrase, “The personal is political.” Upon googling it, turns out some criticized it for really referencing white woman privilege. I’d like to reclaim it to define how, when we get really day-to-day honest and authentic enough to strive for better, it helps everyone.

Like how blogging makes the world smaller and small voices bigger.

Included in Wiki’s information on the slogan was a reference to bullseye-scoring Ann Newmarch’s artwork at the top of this post.

Here I flit to a happy thing, a quotation I just found that dovetails with a major theme within my novel…

Director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up): I used to think, “Oh, these are coming-of-age movies.” But I think people are still coming of age at 80 and 90.

And now I’ll trip to some thank you’s to Infidel753, who’s guested at Happiness Between Tails here and here. He’s got quite a following and each time he’s kindly featured me among his Sunday round up posts, lots of new people check out my site. His round-ups are a rollercoaster of links: from political horror to outright silliness, and glorious to nails-on-chalkboard ugly. And he keeps visitors updated on safe abortion information to use in these barbaric times. 

Thanks too, Fair and Unbalanced (in addition to blogging, he podcasts), for mentioning me in your thought-provoking roundups.

Before I wear you out with all this jumping around inside my head, here’s my Amazon and Goodreads review of, Born Hungry: Julia Child Becomes “the French Chef,” authored by Alex Prud’homme and illustrated bySarah Green.

Captivating for any age! Beautiful artwork and lovely writing. A real delight!

Cover of Born Hungry: Julia Child Becomes "the French Chef,” authored by Alex Prud’homme and illustrated bySarah Green.

Now to end with a sweet pro-old-lady clip from Disney’s Moana…

Have you scored any victories this week?

Published by da-AL

Happiness Between Tails blog/podcast speaks to and from the heart. It connects lovers — of pets, authors, reading — and of my still-unreleased novels. “Flamenco + the Sitting Cat” and “Tango + the Sitting Cat,” are my love letters to all who fear they're too odd, too damaged, too old, too whatever to find love and happiness with or without a partner. HappinessBetweenTails.com • ContactdaAL@gmail.com • BuyMeACoffee.com/SupportHBT

53 thoughts on “My novel is done! + Podcast: Royal Beauty + Birgit’s True Elfins”

  1. Happy-Go-Lucky sounds like an interesting, pretty provocative and honest read. I can only imagine the difficulty of talking about a parent that wasn’t the type of parent you’d hope they would have been, resolving the idea in your head with the reality of what they are/were like. You maybe feel like you can’t be fully outraged/angry/disgusted/disappointed etc if they also show humanity and kindness, even just on occasion. The cover makes me uneasy though, it’s like something out of a nightmare!

    CONGRATULATIONS on finishing your novel, da-AL!!! So much hard work that has been worth every moment. I know there’s a lot left to do, like the cover art and finding a publisher, but I hope you can enjoy the process now the main thing is done. I laughed at how you said it took aaaaages – The book I wanted to write has taken over a decade and I’ve not even done one page yet 😂

    Very excited for you lovely!!! 💜👏🎉

    Caz Xxxx

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Thank you for sharing!!… congratulations on finishing your book!.. hope it starts you on a new and wonderful adventure and I wish you much success with your book and dreams!!.. I have a victory every morning I wake up on the green side of the grass and able to watch the morning come… 🙂

    Until we meet again..
    May the sun shine all day long
    Everything go right, nothing go wrong
    May those you love bring love back to you
    And may all the wishes you wish come true
    (Irish Saying)

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I haven’t really celebrated, Mona — great q — will have to think… tho it’s very very nice to announce here & to have received so much encouragement 🙂

      Like

  4. Woop woop Woop woop!!!! congratulations, da-AL! That’s a tremendous accomplishment.
    Also, I’ve seen that photo before but I can’t remember where. (and did you ever read the book called “Half the Sky”? It’s amazing.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I join other readers here in saying “congratulations” on finishing your novel! I know how excited I get when I manage to finish one small blog post, so I can only imagine how satisfied you must feel to finish something so substantial as a novel. Way to go!

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Congratulations on finishing the novel! That’s a major project and takes a lot of commitment. (I think you may have omitted the word “cat” from the title in parentheses.) I hope you get an agent who can help you. The problem with the old-style publication route is always that there’s someone standing between you and the reader who needs to be won over. That’s why I prefer the blogging format — no intermediaries to convince.

    my father got nicer yet was still creepy and came onto me a couple of years before he died

    That’s really disturbing. Did he have dementia? I know that when elderly men get dementia, sometimes their sense of sexual boundaries breaks down and they start acting inappropriately.

    And thanks for the mention. With two guest posts, I guess I’m now an established Daal-ek (Expostulate! Expostulate!) I’ll continue to include helpful information on abortion access in my link round-ups when I find it.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Dear Daal-ek (Expostulate! Expostulate!, you are the best of readers! thanks for pointing out the typo, moreover your thoughtful consideration

      dunno about my dad – he was unstintingly inappropriate & always quite the charmer – Sedaris mentions that his dad got a little ‘soft in the head’ as opposed to outright dementia – my father was pretty much all there, ‘just more of him,’ which is to say as confusing & maddening & narcissistic & manipulative as ever. Of course, that begs more detail but I don’t have the energy for that right now.

      my fave of Sedaris’ essays was about what people say after one dies that first appeared in the New Yorker — he unfortuanately trunkated it for the book, sort of funny-fied it more — but he mentions how people will say (I know you’ll love this) something to the effect that when your parent died at an old age, “God must’ve really loved him to have him live so long.” Yeah, right…

      Liked by 1 person

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