Author Jody Holford
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Bonus Content
  • Reader Group
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter

All the things all at once

5/29/2014

 
Picture
Image found on hollywoodhomestead
There are so many things happening around me right now that are out of my control that it feels impossible to sit still and encapsulate how I feel about that fact. Twitter and Facebook have been abuzz with #yesallwomen and I want to weigh in but I'm not sure how to summarize all of my feelings so I basically just read the hashtags all week. Because yes, I think, all women, but I also think, all people. We all have a fundamental stake in being good people. To others and to ourselves. Every day, we should be the kind of person we would want our kids to be proud of, be the kind of person we want them to be. And if you don't have kids, then be the kind of person you'd want to be friends with. The kind of person that you would count on. One of my favourite quotes (ever) is "The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday." We get a blank slate every day to right wrongs, make better choices, be better people. Women and men. Kids and Adults. All of us.

Something else weighing heavy in my mind is the politics surrounding teaching right now. It's horrible. It's horrible to watch and horrible to be part of. When you become a teacher, you want to work with kids. You want to make someone's life, day, next ten minutes just a little better. You want to see them succeed, get over the hurdles, and achieve their potential. There are a lot of deterrents in that path. There are crowded classrooms, higher needs, budget cuts, and mountains of curriculum. That's not what bugs me though. And no, it's not the wage either. What bothers me is the overall shift I'm seeing that makes me think that people are devaluing teachers. Not all, maybe not even most, but some. Margaret Mead says
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." I love this quote and find it quite true. The flip side of it though is that a small group of people committed to making you see the negative can actually create change too. When I was growing up, I loved a lot of my teachers. There is an undeniable bond, for most people, between themselves and a least one teacher in their memory. While we were on strike today, we talked about who that one teacher for us was. For some it was their home economics teacher. Others, it was their Language Arts teacher. For me, it was my high school drama teacher. Whoever it was, it is very likely that you had a teacher touch your life in a positive way. Teachers shape us, spend time with us, watch us grow, notice when we surpass our own expectations, applaud us, push us back up when we fall. When I was little, we studied community helpers: police officers, firemen, doctors, and teachers. They were people you could trust. People that wanted to impact someone else's life in a positive way. We still matter because your kids will always matter. They are the next generation that will make choices based on the core values that we instill in them, together.

The last thing that is on my mind is the Book Expo of America. I'm an odd person in that I am intensely jealous of all the wonderful people that I "know" who are there now, walking the aisles with Rainbow Rowell, Neil Patrick Harris, Jeff Kinney, and so many more. I wish I were there. But then I think, what would I do if I were there? Most likely, I would freak a little at the thought of talking to these people. I'd be ultra nervous and quite certain that every wrong word ever invented would come out of my mouth at exactly the wrong time. I would laugh too loud and babble incessantly. Someone who was brave enough to say that yes, they were actually with me, would smile politely and yank on my sweater sleeve, trying to save the poor person I'm talking to. This is why my interaction is better online. The delete button doesn't work in real life. Which brings us full circle-- #yesallwomen, #yesallpeople because the delete button is not an option and we don't know what word or gesture, attitude or comment will impact the person around us, or how. We all matter. It's important that we not only remember that, but teach it to the next generation-- to your children, your friend's child. Manners still matter, thoughtfulness isn't out of date, thinking before you speak never goes out of style. And you really don't understand someone until you've walked in their shoes. So instead, walk beside them, without judgement, and just do your best to keep moving forward.

Sorry if this was just straight up rambling, but I did warn you in the title that it was #allthethings

Top ten of 2013

12/31/2013

 
Picture
image via Back to the Future gifs
I like lists. I like making them, looking at them, and checking them off. Here's a list of ten (writing related) things that happened to me this year that mattered:
Pictureimage via tumblr
10: I received over one dozen partial and/or full requests from agents since May (I am still waiting to hear back from 5 for one manuscript and 1 for another manuscript)

Pictureimage via tumblr
9: I had my blogs read by real authors like Ellen Potter and Tanya Lloyd Kyi.

Pictureimage via funylool.com
8: I sat in a room with Diana Gabaldon, Michael Slade, and Jack Whyte for an entire evening. I didn't say much but I nodded like a fool and didn't hide in the bathroom.

PictureJennifer Aniston via tumblr
7: I connected with an amazing group of fellow writers via Twitter, such as Brenda Drake, Jessa Russo, Rachel Pudelek, Roselle Kaes, Lauren Spieller and so many more I'm probably forgetting but not because they aren't awesome.

PictureJennifer Lawrence via from celebbuzz.com
6: Rainbow Rowell and Jill Shalvis tweeted me and The Bloggess followed me. All three events made me inexplicably happy.

PictureRainbow Rowell's book E&P
5: I read Elenor and Park. It matters. It made me want to be better.

Pictureimage from Mr. Christie ;)
4: I met this truly awesome agent that I won't name. She might not be my agent, but she became my friend, which is pretty cool all by itself. Turns out agents are real people.

Pictureimage from totalgirl.com
3: I found critique partners and new friends, Tara and Kelli, that will go beyond writing and be part of what makes 2014 special.

Pictureimage from Foreward Lit anthology
2: My story, A Not So Lonely Christmas, was published in Foreward Lit's anthology, Holiday Spice

Picturecover art by Caitlin Rantala
1: I self published Forever Christmas via Amazon

Writing and parenting...more similar than you'd think

4/16/2013

 
Picture


It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that being a parent and being a writer have quite a bit in common. I can honestly say I am no expert at either but each shapes me in similar ways. Here are some of the shared traits I've noticed between the two:



1.  Both roles take commitment, effort, energy, and love. Every day. Consistently.
2.  They inspire happiness, sadness, joy, sorrow, laughter, and curiosity.
3.  They can both wear you out without meaning to.
4.  They require patience and an open mind.
5.  You are going to make mistakes. You have to get over it, go back, and do better.
6.  You may have to enlist the help of others; this is okay.
7.  Sometimes, in both,  the things you say won't be what you mean and sometimes the things you mean won't be  what you say.
8.  You are always learning. You are never done. You never know everything.
9.  You always have more to give; it may not seem like it some days, but it's there, inside you.
10. You are ridiculously protective of both your child and your manuscript.
11. You have to be willing to accept flaws; nothing and no one is perfect.
12. They both require focus. Sometimes so much that you feel like your eyes will cross.
13. They can cause lack of sleep.
14. These roles both fill something inside you that nothing else could.
15. In both of these roles, letting go, even a little bit at a time, is not easy, but often necessary.

Who do I want to be?

3/29/2013

 
Picture
I, like most adults, spend a lot of time telling the children in my life (my own and my students) to 'Be themselves'. We stress the importance of this in every day life. The choices you make need to be your own and trying to be someone else will never lead you where you want to go. I wonder, however, if this is entirely true. Yes, you need to be yourself, love yourself, respect yourself, and accept yourself. We aren't self-contained little worlds, though, so it stands to reason that the people around us influence us and make us want to emulate them. Big sisters, little sisters, friends, moms, dads, activists: we have reason to want to be like some of the people that inspire us. So yes, we want to be ourselves, but we also need to decide who influences the selves we shape.

The other aspect of the 'Be yourself' philosphy that can get a bit confusing is that you are an ever changing thing. We are influenced, molded, and changed by the experiences we have and the people we let in to our lives. As a writer, I think the influence of others is vitally important. I cannot be the self I was at 20, nor would you want me to be. Who I am is, undoubtably, a part of the experiences and people in my life that have shaped me. This comes across in my writing. I want to be Robert Munsch, Mem Fox, Margie Palatini, and Kevin Henkes; but I'm not. I am charmed and influenced by them, but I am also charmed and influenced by Nora Roberts, James Patterson, and J.K. Rowling. The same 'me' that loves romantic suspense novels can't stand a sad ending or the unknown. So, how do you (I) reconcile all of this into the writer I want to be? I hope you weren't looking for an answer because the truth is, I don't have one.

It's the question that haunts me constantly when I try to think of how I want to establish myself as an author. Actually, if I'm being completely honest, it's the question that haunts me as a person. As my children get older, I think more and more about who I am, who I want to be, who I want them to be, and what matters to me. I haven't narrowed all of this down yet, but I do know that I want authenticity. To me, that means feeling good about what I write, what I say, and what I do. I don't always feel that way and when something I've said, written, or done sits wrong with me, I am open enough to accept that, to self-reflect, and to re-evaluate. I suppose that's all we can do as authors, parents, and people. So maybe, being 'yourself' is being true to what feels right and good to who you are at any given moment in time.

I tell my girls that when they are in a social situation at school that if they don't agree with the choices others are making, they will feel it. We call it instinct and I think it's present from very early on. Being yourself involves trusting that instinct, even when it's hard to face what it's telling you. For this week's quote of the week, in my classroom, I chose Winston Churchill's words: Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. It takes courage not only to be yourself, but to be willing to take the journey to find out who that self really is. At the moment, I'm pretty sure that journey is endless.




Picture

A different version of myself

2/22/2013

 
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
- E. E. Cummings


Picture
Wading into the publishing world is much like getting into cold water. You move slowly, one step at a time, uncertain that you should continue. You take another step, willing to prove you can be courageous, but shaking a little inside.

I'm hoping, that by the time I am totally submerged, I will have acclimated to my surroundings. Since last November, when I signed with my agent, Carly Watters , I have read dozens upon dozens of articles, blogs, digests, tweets, and online posts. I have read about how the industry works, what expectations most authors have, what expecations agents and editors have, things that you are encouraged to do and things that are frowned upon by industry professionals. I have lapped up every article that offers advice and suggestions and tried to decide what fits me. My own agent has a very powerful blog that offers great tips and insights. Another trick I've learned is to follow people on Twitter, that the people I follow, follow.Do you follow that? 

For instance, my agency, PS Literacy, follows Rachelle Gardner, another agent. So I often click on links to her blog and read that (
http://www.rachellegardner.com). This week, I read a post that spoke to the very heart of what I've been struggling with for a little while (or maybe forever). She talked about self-promotion and the natural inclination, for most people, to dislike it. I am in this camp: I want to write, I want to share what I write, I believe in what I write, but when I draw attention to my own writing, I feel like I am an attention seeker. Then, I feel that if I'm going to draw people to my writing, I had better say something important or they will be wondering why I took their time.

What her blog pointed out, however, was that I am not promoting ME, but more, my writing. She said that if we look at self-promotion in a business-like way, we are not saying "Look at me! Look at me!", but instead, here is something powerful (she makes the comparison to a product you have to offer) that I want to share with you. By promoting your book, you are saying,  I think sharing this with you will enhance your life.

This is truly valuable advice for a burgeoning writer, especially in the world of social media. Everything I have read advises authors to build platforms, to connect with would-be audiences. I believe it was this blog that also pointed out that even very famous authors don't sell books just by writing them. You have to promote what you do to draw people in. If you have created something worthwhile, you will keep them hooked. Even when they're hooked, however, you have to continue to promote.

Even though, in the end, it will be a children's book that I want to promote, it is still me that represents it. So, Gardner is correct in saying it's the product you're pushing, but who is behind it, also has an impact. Which is where my thoughts have been focused this week. In my classroom, and in my own home, I believe in the philosophy that 'character is defined by who you are when no one is watching'. But let's be honest, when no one is watching, I'm likely not the best version of myself. What I have to consider though, as I wade deeper into this world, is who will the audience see when they look at me?


I am very interested in writing different genres. Currently, my agent is submitting my children's book. That was written by the part of me that is silly, rhymes a lot, and loves a good fairytale. However, the Young Adult Fiction, that I'm editing and reworking, was written by my angst-ridden, inner fifteen year old. Then there's the commercial fiction/romance novel I am working on right now; it is being written by the adult me that has seen the sadder part of life and the strength that is revealed when people are pushed to their limits.

So who do I reveal? My husband certainly can't handle three of me, even if it's only public representations of me. I'm working to establish myself as a Children's Book Author first, so should I only tweet about things kid related? What if my lonely, inner-teen shows herself and posts something? Or if the adult version of me shows up and tweets or posts about romance and love and marriage. Of course, all of this is about my online presence. If there's ever a time where I have to promote my book (and, because essentially they're linked, myself) in person, there's no way to escape the different versions of me.

They all come out whenever they feel like it, often stepping over each other, and on each other, many times in a day. In addition to my mini princess, grumpy teen, and frazzled wife, I'm also harboring a nagger, a pleaser, a worrier, a goofball, and an uncoordinated, wanna-be graceful dreamer. So, when the day finally comes that I have to do something and share myself with the world, all of my 'me-s' are going to show up and I'm betting there's going to be a competition to take credit for the book I've written.

This is why I have already informed my best friend that she will accompany me to any such event, as she knows how to reign all those sides of me in and keep me focused on the one thing they all have in common: I am a writer and I want to share that with you.

 


Picture
We all look the same......

    Archives

    May 2021
    December 2020
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    2018
    2020
    2021
    Addison Cole
    Agency Mate
    A.J. Pine
    All The Feels
    Amanda Heger
    Amara
    Amazon
    Am Writing
    Amy Trueblood
    Angel's Lake
    Animal Lovers
    Animals
    Anthology
    Appreciation
    Author
    Author Friends
    Author Interview
    Authors
    Awards
    A Way With Words
    A Writer Needs
    Balance
    Baseball Romance
    BEA14
    Becky Albertalli
    Behind The Scenes
    Belief
    Be Yourself
    Bliss
    Blogging
    Blog Hop
    Blogs
    Blog Tour
    Bonus Material
    Book 2
    Book Blitz
    BookBub
    Book Deal
    Book Love
    Book News
    Book Release
    Books
    Book Two
    Box Set
    Britton Bay
    Brother's Best Friend
    Busy
    Carly Phillips
    Caught Looking
    Celebrities
    Chris Pratt
    Christina Hovland
    Christmas
    Christmas Titles
    Christy Teigen
    Cindi Madsen
    Clean & Wholesome
    Co Author
    Co Authoring
    Co-authoring
    Coming Home
    Coming Soon
    Complete Randomness
    Contest
    Contests
    Covering All The Bases
    Cover Reveal
    Cozies
    Cozy Mysteries
    Cozy Mystery
    Dahlia Adler
    Dangerous Love
    Dawn Ius
    Daylight Falls
    Debut
    Draw
    Ebooks
    Editing
    Editors
    Ellie And Cooper
    Elliot
    Email
    Enemies To Lovers
    Entangled
    Entangled Bliss
    Entangled In Romance
    Entangled Publishing
    Entangled Teen
    Entangled Under The Mistletoe
    Enter To Win
    Evermore
    Excerpt
    Excited
    Extra
    Facebook Party
    Faith
    Falling For Home
    Falling For Kate
    Family
    Fan Girling
    Father's Dday
    First In Series
    Folklore
    Forever
    Forgetful
    Foster
    Friends
    Friends In Many Places
    Friends To Lovers
    Fun
    Giveaway
    Giveaways
    Giving Back
    Goals
    Goodbye 2018
    Goodbye This Year
    Good News
    Grateful
    Gratitude
    Guest Blogs
    Happily Ever After
    Happiness
    Harper St. George
    Hearts
    Holiday Reads
    Holiday Romance
    Holidays
    Holiday Stories
    Hop
    Hope
    Hot Vets
    Imaromancechick
    Indiesage
    InD'tale Magazine
    Interviews
    Isla
    Jaded Love
    Jasmine Guillory
    Jennifer Blackwood
    Jennifer Shirk
    Jim Cangany
    Joanne Macgregor
    Jody Holford
    Julia A Webber
    Kara Leigh Miller
    Karma Brown
    Kat Colmer
    Kate
    Keep Believing
    Keep Going
    Keep Trying
    Keep Writing
    Kelly Siskind
    Kendrick Place Series
    Kensington
    Kensington Publishing
    Kids Books
    Kindle
    Learning Curve
    Lexi Lawton
    Liam
    Life
    Lindsey Duga
    Listening
    Literary Agent
    Literary Counsel
    Looking Back
    Lori Foster
    Love
    Love Story
    Lovestruck
    Love Unexpected
    Lucy And Alex
    March Madness
    Meant To Be
    Mentor
    Merry Christmas
    Michelle Hauck
    Moments
    Montlake
    More Than Friends
    Moving Forward
    Moving On
    Nashville
    Nashville Slammers
    Need To Write
    Netflix
    Networking
    New Beginnings
    New On Amazon
    New Release
    New Series
    Newsletter
    New Year
    Novellas
    Office
    On A Break
    Parenting
    Parting Ways
    Penner Publishing
    Persona
    Perspective
    Picture Books
    #PitchWars
    Podcasts
    Pretty
    Public Identity
    Publishing
    Publishing House Mate
    Publishing Mate
    Puppies
    Query Trenches
    Rafflecopter
    Rainbow Rowell
    Random
    Reading
    Rejection
    Remember Me
    Reprint
    Re Release
    Reuinted
    Rhyme
    Romance
    Romance Chicks
    RomCom
    Sale
    Sarah Fox
    Second Chances
    Self Pub
    Sequel
    Sequels
    Series
    Sexy And Sweet
    Shannyn Schroeder
    Short Stories
    Signed Paperbacks
    Small Press
    SMP
    Sneak Peek
    Social Media
    Some Kind Of Christmas
    Some Kind Of Stories
    Song Lyrics
    Space
    Speechless
    Sports Romance
    Stella Lane
    St. Martin's Press
    Story Books
    Story Of Us
    Stuck In A Book
    Subjectivity
    Summer
    Summer Carnival
    Sun Vs. Snow
    Support
    Support Network
    Suspense
    Sweet
    Takeovers
    Tasty Book Tours
    Taylor Swift
    Teaching
    Teasers
    Ten Rules For Faking It
    Thanks
    Thanksgiving
    Thank You
    The Bad Boy Next Door
    The Mending Hearts Series
    Thoughts
    Tiffany Truitt
    Time To Write
    Toolkit
    Top Ten
    Toronto Romance Writers
    Trust
    Under The Lights
    USA TODAY HEA
    Waiting
    What Matters
    Who's Who Wednesday
    Word Bank
    Writer's Block
    Writer's Brain
    Writing
    Writing And Baseball
    Writing Community
    Writing Pal
    Writing Pals
    Writing Process
    YA
    Zach Mason

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from shawnzrossi, Magenta Rose, LittleStuff.me, le-topographe, Sparkly Kate, Sean Rozekrans, xoque, Sean Davis, RoniLoren, Yehohanan92, Lance Shields, aulbarnes08, my little red suitcase
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Bonus Content
  • Reader Group
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter