Almost On The Verge: A Chapter From Tales For Delicious Girls

ALMOST ON THE VERGE

Excerpt from Tales for Delicious Girls by Barbora Knobova

Looking back at some of my serious relationships, would-be relationships, love affairs and relationships beyond any definition, my mind boggles at all those things I was (almost) able to do for men. I almost became a Jew, a Muslim, a devoted member of the Anglican Church and a lover of mushy peas that I’ve hated since kindergarten. I put up with possessive mothers-in-law, admired jealous sisters-in-law, played with unbearably spoiled nephews and adoringly took care of senile aunts. I went on a four-day trek through the desert and ate matzo in a kibbutz, although I’m a convinced city girl. I celebrated Pesah, Ramadan and I almost had myself christened. I also almost moved a few times, changed my job and pretended that I was not at all cold in that awful chilly apartment with mold on the walls, and that it was an amazingly manly, bohemian pad. A week after a major surgery, I dragged myself through bleak December London by public transport only to prove what a cool and low-maintenance girl I was. Not to mention the emotional and financial damage that I suffered during all those enthusiastic efforts, and that I did not give a damn about until I completely sobered up and started to act again as a rational homo sapiens, that is, as a person compos mentis.

And why am I writing all this? Because of the extremely important word “almost”. Because of the little word “almost”, thanks to which I now recall all those crazy and idiotic escapades bordering on derangement with grace, amusement and with a smile on my face. Because of the word “almost”, thanks to which I actually like remembering them because l’aventure c’est l’aventure, or adventure is adventure, as a French movie with Lino Ventura claims. And adventure is necessary, adventure ensures that I will not get bored and that one day I will have something to tell my grandchildren (supposing I withhold a few unimportant details that I prefer not to admit even to myself).

However, some women have tough luck with the word “almost”, as it seems to avoid them. It keeps jumping back, hiding and reappearing. And from the heights of its own elusiveness, it laughs at them and mocks them. In the upshot, many of us end up with an empty bank account, with an empty apartment, with empty hands and hitting rock bottom. At the best, with bruises on our soul. At the worst, with bruises even on the soul’s outer wrapping.

Nevertheless, this chameleon syndrome implying “I will be what you want me to be” probably affects only women. If you know a man who, because of “the love of his life”, gives up his job, his family, his fat cat whose hairs you are allergic to, and his disgusting high school sneakers that are “as good as new”, introduce him to me. Introduce him to me and I will have him submitted to a thorough psychological examination as an absurd natural phenomenon.

A man is simply an inadaptable creature. A man goes to bed when he is sick, even if a windstorm takes away the roof above his head and his boss threatens to fire him. A man eats what he likes, in the pub that he has adored since college parties. A man does not pretend that his biggest dream is to spend the evening with you and your bitter high school friend “whom you can’t stand anyway, you told me that last Wednesday”. He does not walk your beagle if he hates dogs. And he does not join you on a guided tour in Madrid if he is all but enthusiastic about the gems of architecture. And a man does not care if you like it or not, if you fume with rage, cry or get mad and stop talking to him. He does not care what the others think of his decisions, choices and wacky opinions. He couldn’t care less, and actually, he wouldn’t even think of worrying about it because it’s a loss of time and especially of energy that needs to be saved for much more meaningful and much more entertaining stuff.

And that’s the point. Why do women trim their sails while men remain in their comfort zone? Why do we push ourselves to the limit, live on our nerves, give up our soul, our personality, the little things we love? Why do we pretend, fake, lie blatantly to ourselves and on top of that manage to become convinced that it’s making us happy? Why do we rigorously get rid of everything that makes us unique? What for?

Let’s try to put an end to it once and for all. Let’s try to love ourselves unconditionally; let’s protect ourselves and everything that belongs to us. Let’s not conform to the needs, ideas or demands of relationships in which we cannot be ourselves and in which we don’t even recognize ourselves anymore. Because men, lovers, admirers and potential (sometimes even real) fathers of our children come and go; some stay for awhile, some stay a little bit longer and some might stay forever, but that’s something we never know in advance. The only thing that stays forever is us. So don’t ever give up on yourself, because you are your own most precious possession.

Tales For Delicious Girls

www.barboraknobova.com

Tales for Delicious Girls: Marvelous Empowerment

09/10/2009

Review by Robin Marvel

Tales for Delicious Girls is a book of charming, funny experiences that women are faced with throughout their lives.  Women everywhere will be able to relate to the wonderful, heartfelt stories throughout the book.

I enjoyed every moment that I spent reading Tales for Delicious Girls.  It is captivating, I could hardly put it down.  Tales for Delicious Girls will have you reminiscing about your own experiences of love, loss and the occassional arrogant man!!

I am definitely a D.E.L.C.I.O.U.S girl!  Are you?

Thank you, Barbora!

Look Inside Tales for Delicious Girls on Amazon.com

Tales for Delicious Girls participates in the Look Inside program on Amazon.com. Now you can flip through the book and read many excerpts!

Look Inside Tales for Delicious Girls

Use Amazon.com To Market Your Book

Writing a book is challenging and rewarding at the same time. I loved writing Tales for Delicious Girls, I loved writing a book about women and for women that contains humor, stories about relationships, dating, female friendship and love. It’s a supportive, encouraging book and women can really identify with it, which is wonderful.

Well, now my book is published and I’ve realized that the hardest part of the book publishing process lies ahead. Getting your book to readers, choosing the right marketing channels, learning about how book marketing works. It can be stressful but at the same time it’s a very exciting venture!

There are many ways of getting your book to readers but being on Amazon.com is crucial and indispensable. Most people will look for your book on Amazon.com. They trust the site, they enjoy shopping there, they get discounts, they can read reviews, connect with other readers and with the author. Although Amazon has been criticized recently, I like buying books on Amazon and I like having my book there. Simply because Amazon is not just a place where your book is being sold, it’s also a great marketing tool for authors.

When your book appears on Amazon.com, there are a few things you can do to encourage sales and get closer to your readers. First, build your Author Page. Once you sign up and claim your book, Amazon asks you to submit your photograph and your biography. Your page appears online usually within a week (mine took only 3 days!). Then you can start your Amazon blog or connect it to your current blog and you can also start a discussion on your Author Page.

I also suggest you sign up for the Search Inside program. I’m still waiting for my content to appear online and as I’m a pretty impatient person, it’s getting a bit frustrating, but it’s definitely worth it.

One thing I like particularly about Amazon is the fact that it’s not only an online store, it’s a real community for readers. You can easily find discussions about your topic, join it, answer questions, offer advice, give opinions and introduce your book to your target audience on Amazon.

You can also build a list of books that are similar to yours and review them. This way you get in front of people who are interested in your genre.

Amazon.com is a great place to sell your book, connect with your readers and get some extra exposure. It’s a valuable tool for authors so don’t forget to include it in your marketing efforts.

Barbora Knobova, Author and Love Coach

Visit my website for more information

Check out Tales for Delicious Girls on Amazon.com

Interview with Dot Ryan, Author of Corrigan’s Pool

I’m very honored that Dot Ryan, author of Corrigan’s Pool, agreed to this interview. Dot is a great author and a wonderful lady. Her book, Corrigan’s Pool, is truly exceptional – just like the story of her life.

1. What inspired you to write Corrigans’ Pool and what made you choose the subject?

I learned at a very early age that my Irish paternal great-great grandparents came to Texas from Pennsylvania in 1819. Stories passed down from generation to generation about the hazards they and others faced piqued my interest in history even before I was old enough to read and write.  In time, my interests gravitated to novels, books with strong characters struggling to survive, in one way or another, through an era of American’s diverse history, especially the Civil War years and its aftermath. I grew up knowing that someday I would write such a novel.   Corrigans’ Pool popped into my head and into my dreams years before I actually wrote it.

2. How long did it take for you to write Corrigans’ Pool?

This is a truth that is very hard to tell, but, like my Irish grandmother always said, “Never fib about anything—the truth is easier to remember per chance you need to repeat yourself.”  I suppose one could say I wrote Corrigans’ Pool the hard way, discovering, as I went along that the desire to write a book is all well and good … but first, one must learn to write! I wrote bits and pieces of the novel in the 60s’ and 70s’, then put it away for months and years at a time while I struggled with the knowledge that I needed more knowledge. The two years of college business courses that I had completed earlier were not enough. Thereafter, I began a campaign of self-study, hours in libraries doing research, reading and re-reading dozens of books on writing, enrolling in every writer’s course available within reasonable driving distance from my rural home. And, of course, reading as many novels as I could. By the time I felt that I could truly call myself a writer, I had a son and daughter in high school and a third daughter just starting junior high.  It was not beneath me to study their English books late at night when they were asleep; I did so with a dedication that had been lacking when I was a student.  I finished my novel in 1982 … and lost every page of it in a fire a few months later, along with most of my research notes.  Devastated is not a strong enough word for what I felt.  After struggling against bouts of crippling self-pity (that surfaced periodically during the next few years) I started Corrigans’ Pool all over again. Six years later, with time off to run a business, my novel was a hefty tome of 1012 pages.  More work was ahead in that it had to be shortened by more than half. When a male relative discovered that a new Corrigans’ Pool had risen from the ashes of the old, he declared me a classic example of stubborn feminine fortitude. That’s a good enough description, as far as I’m concerned.

3. Did you encounter any difficulties when writing?

In addition to the problems mentioned above, the most difficult thing was finding the time to write while still maintaining a healthy life style.  Loss of sleep and failure to exercise takes its toll on many writers.  Most of us have outside jobs, after which we rush home to care for families.  I did that for years, and had to learn to pace myself.  The difficulty I now face is learning to market my published book effectively while finding time to write more books.  My retirement from the workplace makes the process easier.

4. What was the most difficult part to write and the easiest? The most difficult part was making certain of my historical facts and then working them into my story’s timeline.  Doing research and double-checking that research took many long hours. The easiest part was creating the characters, picking their brains, deciding their quirks and attitudes, and then discovering how they react to each other. Before I wrote the first word of Corrigans’ Pool, I had created most of the characters. I had even introduced myself to a few of the characters that would appear in the sequel to Corrigans’ Pool—which was only an incomplete though in my head at the time.

5. Would you change anything if you could?

No.  Like Corrigans’ Pool’s Gentry Garland said to the tenacious young Honor Corrigan, “Never ask why unless a why can change a what.”   In other words, if you can’t change it, don’t fret it.  I used to wish I could have pulled that first manuscript from the flames before it burned, but I’ve since learned that when your dreams go up in smoke … take a short nap and then dream again.

6. Tell us about your favorite character.

Besides the central character Ella Corrigan and her younger sister, Honor … I like their domineering grandmother, Beatrice Corrigan. She is a contradiction of her time, extremely old fashioned in many of her beliefs but scandalously modern in her views of divorce. A sample of this is when she said to Ella, “There is a part of me that says scandal is to be avoided no matter what—the part of me that taught you all those unbendable rules that apply only to females.” She grasped Ella’s chin and studied her face. “And there is a better part of me that argues a woman should not have to hinge her well-being, her happiness, her value, on the decree of a callous husband or a pitiless society.”  I don’t think Beatrice would have burned her bra in the 60s’ but she would have marched alongside the dissenters even as she tried to cover their bosoms with her cape. Another favorite character is Timon Pledger, a guilt-ridden young preacher—a character that readers have told me they find fascinating.  He fascinated me, too, as I wrote about him. I also like the twin slave girls, Moonbeam and Sunbeam, along with Ella’s protector, Meshach. (I’ll stop here before I tell you that I love all my characters, which I do … except maybe the horrible Victor Faircloth.)

7. According to your opinion, who is your book for?

When I first began writing Corrigans’ Pool, I thought I was writing for women of all ages, but as the story developed, I wondered if perhaps men would also like it.  This, because it is far from a “traditional romance” story of the type that most men shy away from.  The war, in conjunction with the male characters and what happens to them, along with the slaves whose story drives the mystery behind an important sub plot in the book are reasons for men to read Corrigans’ Pool.  My thoughts were reaffirmed by several reviews on barnesandnoble.com that were written by men who had high praise for Corrigans’ Pool.  So yes, I would say that Corrigans’ Pool is meant for men and women of all ages. 

8. What would you like to accomplish with your book? Can I regard this as a fun question and say that I would like to sell several million copies, and then get a call from Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, or Clint Eastwood wanting to make a movie of it?

Realistically though, I would like Corrigans’ Pool to establish me as a serious writer. I believe this can be accomplished only when, and if, I can get Corrigans’ Pool into the hands of the reading public.  I am perfectly willing to put my fate in their capable hands.

9.   What are you working on at the moment? What are your future plans?

Presently, I am working on the sequel to Corrigans’ Pool, which takes place in Texas immediately after the Civil War during the state’s dangerous Reconstruction era.  Many readers of Corrigans’ Pool have told me which characters they definitely want to see in the sequel, and I am paying close attention to everything my treasured readers say.  I will post Part One of the sequel (which I have tentatively named Leaving Corrigans’ Pool) on my website (dotryanbook.com) later this fall.  I hope to publish the entire book by the end of next year, hopefully before that.  Self-promoting Corrigans’ Pool may slow the finish of the sequel, but I will do my very best.

My future plans are to finish two additional novels that I started some time back.

Both take place in World War II America, in the South.  I am also working on a comic memoir about my and my husband’s seven-year adventure as entrepreneurs in the Texas Dance Hall business, during the dying throes of the Urban Cowboy days. I’ve got a lot to do, but writing is a joy that keeps me young at heart and mind.  I am a lucky woman, with the encouragement of a great husband and family who lovingly share me with my writing habits.

Thank you very much for the interview, Dot!

Dot’s Website

Delicious Dot Ryan

This week I’m going to introduce you to a wonderful Delicious Girl, a great author and my beloved friend, Dot Ryan. We are going to talk about her life ad about her amazing book Corrigan’s Pool. If you think that nothing can surpass Gone With The Wind, Dot Ryan and Corrigan’s Pool will prove you wrong! Come back to read the Delicious Interview with Dot Ryan this Tuesday, September 29th.

In this novel, the genteel ways of the old South are woven together with its coarser threads of infamy—slavery.  Historically accurate, Corrigans’ Pool reveals a tale of love, hate, courage, and the overwhelming need for a young woman to find her inner strength to survive.

Bitter with thoughts of the darkly handsome stranger who promised to marry her and then left town without a word, Ella Corrigan hastily weds a neighboring planter—a man whose cold indifference is merely a disguise for cunning insanity. His cruelty to his slaves horrify her and, even though her family has owned slaves for generations, she questions the concept of human bondage for the first time while desperately missing her cherished Greenpoole plantation and Corrigan’s Pool … a beautiful phenomenon of nature that the slaves call “Conjuring Pool” for reasons they cannot explain when asked.

The South is embroiled in a bitter Civil War by the time Ella Corrigan discovers that Corrigans’ Pool is much more than the exquisitely beautiful pond she had thought it to be all her life. But by the time she learns its dangerous secret she is deeply entangled in a secret of her own … one that has made her a virtual prisoner, hopelessly trapped in a world dreadfully different from her previous existence as mistress of her gentle father’s palatial plantation home along the Savannah River. Stunned by what she sees, she must harden herself to her new surroundings or perish … along with the cowed and scarred Negroes who toil in her husband’s rice swamps and cotton fields.

As Union troops burn their way across Georgia and swarm onto Ella’s property and then into Savannah, she must make a harrowing journey downriver where danger lurks around every shadowy bend. Can she save herself and those who depend on her? What will she do when the past that she has long blamed for her misery steps unexpectedly out of the darkness to face her?

Dot Ryan, born and raised in Bee County in South Texas, makes her home in “the sparkling city by the sea,” Corpus Christi, Texas, with husband, Sam. Corrigans’ Pool is Dot’s first novel. She is busy writing her second and third works of fiction.

Buy Corrigan’s Pool in the Delicious Bookstore

Get Your Copy of Tales for Delicious Girls

Tales for Delicious Girls are now available on Amazon.com, international Amazons, Barnes & Noble.com and others!

http://cli.gs/TalesForDeliciousGirls

A book for all the Delicious Girls out there

“Tales for Delicious Girls” offers witty, refreshing, clever and ironic insight into relationships between men and women from all points of view. The book is a modern relationship manual, providing answers to the most pressing dating and friendship questions that strong, independent, modern women want to know. “Tales for Delicious Girls” deals with wishes, desires and dreams – as well as hilarious mishaps and dating disasters.

However, “Tales for Delicious Girls” is not simply a humorous book. In addition to entertaining the readers, the tales will inspire women to think about their own life and relationships, see themselves through different eyes and realize that they are their own best friend, the pillar of their own life, and the only person they can always count on. “Tales for Delicious Girls” encourages women to love, respect and appreciate themselves, to live the life they have always wanted, and become aware of their true uniqueness and deliciousness.

For this purpose and to emphasize the important message delivered by her book, I have founded the Truly Delicious Club that unites women from all over the world, helping them to realize their own strength and power and overcome difficult life and relationship situations.

This book will make you cry till there are tears in your eyes. It will become your faithful companion, and will help you find yourself. It was written for you because you’re delicious – the most delicious girl in the world.

Visit http://www.barboraknobova.com for more information!

Judged By The Cover

If you’re about to publish a book and if you’re thinking about creating the cover yourself, think twice. Unless you’re a skilled cover artist, leave your cover to a professional.

Creating good cover art does not require only good graphic / computer skills, and the ability to work with Photoshop doesn’t make you a good cover designer. A good artist knows the market and knows what works for books, what catches customers’ attention and what eventually convinces them to buy your book.

There are so many cover artists, but it’s not easy to choose the right one. My previous cover artist had years of experience and excellent reviews but I never saw the cover! He disappeared from the face of Earth with my money and with my cover after having wasted two months of my time. My new cover artist created a perfect, lovely, eye-catching cover in less than a week.

A book cover design can cost $200 or $2000. According to my experience, you should be able to get a good cover for not more than $500. Search the internet for cover artists, look at their previous work and contact some of the authors the artist has worked with. Ask them if the artist is reliable, diligent, keeps deadlines, is willing to implement your ideas. Before you give him / her any money, give the artist all the necessary information and insist on setting a deadline for the final cover art to avoid delays and disappointment. Also ask when the first draft will be delivered. Usually you should receive the first draft in 7-10 days so that you know where the artist is heading. Be clear about any changes and if there’s something you don’t like, say it. A good artist will go an extra mile to understand the spirit of your book and create a cover you and your readers will love.

Hail To Independent Authors

Independent authors and publishers are often still frowned upon and don’t get the attention they deserve. Why? Honestly, I don’t know.

Every year, more and more independent movies receive important awards and attract crowds of fans. Independent musicians are being looked up to. Painters and sculptors always look for new ways of expression and people respect and admire them for it. But independent authors whose books are usually not published by big publishing houses are still considered second-rate by many. Maybe it’s time we started seeing them through different eyes because there are so many reasons why we definitely should.

Traditional publishing houses are not what they used to be. They are much less willing to take new, talented authors under their wing and invest into getting their name and work out there. I’ve seen publishing houses publish not-so-good books written by VIPs only because they knew that the name would sell. I’ve seen them publish books only because the author was a friend or relative of someone “important”. I’ve seen them reject good manuscripts without even reading them. The world of publishing has changed and when an author decides to go for independent publishing, it definitely doesn’t mean he’s going the easier way and that his book is less good.

Books by independent authors get the same, if not better, professional treatment and care as books published by traditional publishing houses. Every writer knows that should his book have any chance to succeed, it must look and be professional. Which means that before it gets published, it is edited and formatted by publishing professionals and its cover is created by a professional cover artist. Of course, there are also compulsive writers who write for the sake of writing and are everything but self-critical, but most independent authors produce good quality books which are professionally edited and evaluated before they get published. The only difference is that independent authors, unlike authors published by traditional publishing houses, invest their own money into the process.

Independent authors are everywhere and their books are sold by big online retailers. But they are hard to find unless you know what / who you are looking for. Next time you feel like buying a new book, try checking out also stores of publishing companies like Lulu.com or iUniverse.com and others. You might find real gems there and get to read books which you will thoroughly enjoy.

I really believe it’s time we stopped dividing books into two categories, independently published / self-published and traditionally published. We should see them just as books and their authors just as writers. We should judge books by their contents and by the quality of writing and not by the way they are published. After all, the world is changing and let’s face it, some changes are for the better.