Monday Mourning Celebration

Shit just got real.

Well folks, it has been a long ass journey with this book. First I lived it. Then I wrote my thesis at

Goucher

. Then I wrote some more.  Then I figured out what the story was REALLY about. Then I cried. Then I killed my darlings. Then I cried some more and contemplated becoming a fry cook at McDonald's.

I was about to chuck it all, but then I won Second place (or as UNT indicated in their conference wrap up--1st Place Runner Up) at the

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference in 2013

.

That's where I met David Patterson, who became my agent a few weeks after the conference. He sent me an email that I keep near my computer as a reminder that I don't suck as much as I think I do.

He said this about that book up there. "This is really, really great stuff; sneakily astute, laugh out loud funny, deeply moving without being maudlin, and distinctive. It's already a book that I want to tell more people about."

So, anyway...After receiving validation from an agent, in addition to a prestigious writing conference, I thought I'd been handed the keys to the magic kingdom of big name publishing and after-work drinks at the Algonquin. Well, that didn't work out quite as planned. But I'm not bitter. I'm actually better.

I am self publishing my baby on Amazon and I hope that it is a story that will make you laugh, cry and maybe do a little bit of life pondering/end-of-life planning.

It would be a wonderful book to discuss at a book group. You would have all sorts of stuff to talk about...

Death

Fear

Grief

Rescuing Cats from a Death Row facility in Gatesville, TX

The Death Penalty

Social Anxiety

Did I mention it's funny? In parts.

And the best thing about this book is that it is only $3.49,  Yes, my friends, for less than the cost of a latte at your favorite java joint, you can feed a starving writer's ego.

Here's the

link

to pre-order it.  It comes out officially on November 13. Starting today, if you send me a screen shot of your order to thedeathwriter at gmail . com, I'll enter your name into a drawing for a Fire Tablet and a few other fabulous prizes that will happen on October 31, one of my favorite days of the year.

Tuesday Movie: If I Stay

Last night, I wanted nothing more than to sit down in the old LaZ Boy chair and watch a movie. I haven't been able to do that for awhile due to school, work, writing, kids, dog, husband, and other stuff that might bore you to tears. So anyway, as I was perusing the Netflix selections, I remembered a post I saw on

Rosemary Clement's

Facebook wall about

the movie 

If I Stay.

She really enjoyed the story and was brought to tears on several occasions, so I figured I'd check it out. It's about death, after all, so by watching it, I can kill two birds with one stone.

So, long story short, I watched it with my husband. It's hard to talk about this movie without giving away major spoilers, so I will just say that I enjoyed it. As the credits rolled, it made me think of the choice I would make if I were in Mia's shoes. All I will say is that I'd probably go for a non-Hollywood ending, but that's just me and I'm middle-aged. I might have a different answer if I were 18. If you decide to check it out, have a box of Kleenex handy and maybe a nice person to share the popcorn with.

Have you seen it? Which scene was harder for you?  The grandpa or the boyfriend?