Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Open Mic Readings

Are you uncertain about your public speaking talents? Do you wonder if the prose you've written has enough appeal to share in a public forum?

One method of countering the wim-wams (butterflies) of public speaking is through open mic readings. In our area, there's a great reading group headed up by Western North Carolina Writers' representatives. Every third Monday our local library hosts open mic forums that provide the opportunity for writers of prose and poetry to share their work with other writers and the general public. Authors' presentations of essays and poems range from soulful and serious to downright hilarious.

You may want to give open mic reading a try. Not only does the process help you cope with any uncertainties about your written work, it could also give your self-confidence a boost—and might even help get rid of those wim-wams.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Good Spot for Indie Writers

Author Mary here. 

Want to discuss good—or not so good—markets for generating publicity for your indie book?

That's one of the topics I've found, along with some great discussions with writer-to-writer feedback, on the LinkedIn: Indie Authors site. There's always a new question or topic popping up. Once you've joined the LinkedIn site at linkedin.com, feel free to interact.

A recent discussion involved the issue of someone's book cover. That person was seeking comments, positive or negative, about the appearance and quality of his cover. He received terrific feedback, thanks to the responses and expertise of other writers.

Another author asked for help in finding links to website designers. She received a ton of feedback, including a few sites that were dependable and others, not so much.

The bottom line is whether you're a newbie indie writer or a more experienced author, your questions and advice on the indie writers site are always welcome. No bullies there!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Nice Review

Mattie here. Can't help bragging a bit about my creator, Mary Berger, and the outstanding review "The Message" received. 

One Sunday morning I watched her pick up the newspaper and glance casually at the Arts section. Well I had already seen the review (I have my ways), so I knew it was there, waiting for her to spot it. In fact, it was almost impossible for me to sit still while she thumbed through the rest of the newspaper. I practically had to whack her with the palm of my hand in order to get her to see it. (She's kinda slow sometimes.)

Finally, the article caught her eye. "Hey!" she squealed loud enough for folks in the next town to hear, "My book! Here's the review I've been waiting for." Now we both knew that a review was in the works but simply didn't know when it would appear.

So there it was—"The Message" cover popping in full color along with a nice color photo of Mary. The reporter couldn't have done a better job She stressed that Mary's philosophy is simple: Sometimes people just want a humorous, light read. And that's where Mary's books about yours truly—cough, cough—are just the ticket.

I can't imagine what sort of humor she'll be cooking up next.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Pass the word

Just received the following request from Ellen Schofield at NetWest. Please pass this information along for those who might want to attend George Singleton's event.
Thanks, 
Mary A. Berger


Hello NetWest members,

We received this request from City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, and are passing it along to you. We hope some of you can attend.

Best Regards,
Ellen Schofield
NetWest Program Coordinator



​I​
f possible, can you help get the word out about George's event on Saturday, May 24th at 3 p.m?  Here is a link to our website announcing the reading:


Friday, May 16, 2014

Blue Ridge BookFest

The much anticipated Blue Ridge BookFest, held at the local Blue Ridge College in western North Carolina, has come and gone. And what a success it was! I'm told we had over 200 attendees and that many book exhibitors sold either all their books or at least several. The steering committee provided a nice luncheon, followed by the popular Cassandra King, local author of Moonrise, who gave an interesting talk about her background.

All in all, a pretty successful and enjoyable day for authors, presenters and book fans alike.

(I sold multiple books which made Mattie happy, I'm sure. Maybe she'll quit pestering me for a while—at least until next year's BookFest rolls around!)