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?

Being Mortal

During my weekly trek to the library, I checked out this DVD.  Last night I watched it with my daughter. She left in the middle, as she said it was too sad. I didn't think it was particularly sad, but perhaps I'm a little more used to these kind of shows. It was interesting to hear doctor's perspectives on how they address end of life conversations with their patients. From what this doc says, it's not a conversation that they are particularly comfortable with. They are trained to save, not surrender.

I have added Dr. Atul Gawande's book

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

to my read list.

Have you read any good books lately?