Out Like a Labradoodle
Attention-seeking, friendly and social, smart, gentle, energetic, playful, and adaptable. Like my writing mates.
This month began with rain and will end with rain. Today, as it poured outside, I had my last meeting with my memoir group. They’ve read a chapter a month for a year to polish Ten Days, Ten Pounds (Pasta & Prosecco, Caravaggio & Carnevale, Jewels & Justice, Brain Surgery & Butterflies): What I Gained by Losing It In Italy AND How I Became a Volcano Goddess. This month, I started querying an agent a day. I’ve got a short list of 50 to start with.
It’s been an amazing experience as the four of us have developed our long-form stories, mine about my midlife adventure to and from Italy, the others about near-death experiences in Thailand, a May-December marriage, and a mom with multiple personalities. We’ve met on Zoom and taken turns to build each other up and tear each other apart. (Well, never each other, but the sentences and ideas that didn’t work.) Constructively. To celebrate my “graduation” I made pasta from scratch and puntarelle I grew in my garden. We drank the rest of the “Masquerade” wine and Limoncello, nibbled imported Panforte. I got great feedback on the last two chapters, and they all approved of the Afterword I wrote this week, which I call “Dopo Parola” because I am approaching my 1000 day streak on Duolingo and feel I now have the authority to make phrases up. Not making this up: The Italian equivalent of the Labradoodle is the Lagotto Romagnolo.
Take a listen, if you’re interested in seeing “how the sausage is made,” to this feedback session for Chapter 26, “Hail Mary,” in which I contemplate JesusMom (hello, Easter) in a bunch of her churches in Rome, and almost have a George Clooney sighting.
Did someone say sausage?
Here are a bunch of different animals whose names start with the letter L.
Here’s the registration link for Fiberlicious! [course starts mid-April]
Here’s my FB fan group, TEN DAYS, TEN POUNDS: How I Wrote a Bestseller with Help from my Friends!