Today, I know what a birthday feels like to a five-year-old. I woke up earlier than usual to check the online edition of the Laguna Beach Independent newspaper.
I was crushed. Nothing. I looked for the article everywhere. For those of you who didn’t see it, I blogged about Dimestories on Easter Sunday. After reviewing my e-mail exchange with Jennifer Erickson, the journalist who interviewed me, I remembered what she said. “Things can always change in the newspaper world, but if all goes according to plan the article will appear in the May 1 edition of the Laguna Beach Independent.”
A couple of hours later, I re-checked, and found the article. If you click on the photo, you’ll see me reading. As Erickson wrote, this was my first DimeStories event, and my name happened to be pulled out of the red tin, first. Unfortunately, they wrote my last name as March instead of Marsh, but I’m excited about the paragraph on my memoir, half way down.
Names are chosen randomly out of a container to determine the order of readers. First-timer Sonia March of Lake Forest started things off at the April event, reading a short selection from a memoir she is writing about moving her family to Belize as a means of dealing with a defiant teenager. A little nervous at first, March gained poise as she read and finished before the timer. She hadn’t planned to be a writer, but kept a journal of her experiences and sent descriptive e-mails to friends who encouraged her to write a book. She’s been taking writing classes, and then learned about the open mic nights through McCormick. “I think this group is amazing, and I’m going to keep coming back because you can learn so much from listening to the other writers,” she said.
This Saturday, May 3rd, at 5 p.m., Laguna Beach Books is hosting the first DimeStories Orange County Showcase, where preselected stories will be read by their authors. I can’t wait to hear them.
What a great present I received today, and good luck to all other aspiring writers.
I know many of you have already published several articles, books, etc. Please share if you’ve been interviewed about your writing in a local, or national newspaper. What about television? I’d love to hear.
What a great experience for you and a neat story to tell. And I think it is a great idea for authors and interested people to have a forum like this to share their work. I’ll bet it is very educational and fun. Congratulations … this is great exposure for your work.
Congrats! That’s awesome 🙂
Also, sounds like a neat group.
Congratulations! Publicity is always good news. I wish you all the best with your work. I have only written about 100 pages of a paperback so far, and I have not approached anybody with it yet. Only a few people know about my literary attempts. Good luck Sonia with your memoirs! 🙂
I am so proud OF YOU and FOR YOU!!! What a great way to kick off your weekend!
Congratulations!!!
Nope, I have yet to be interviewed big like that! That’s awesome for you! Congrats. 🙂
That was wonderful to hear about, congratulations!
LOL. The last time I wrote anything was for our high school newspaper over 50 years ago. Nothing memorable, but I do remember writing those short articles was very difficult for me.
Brilliant news! Congratulations. I write scripts and textbooks and stuff… sometimes the stuff is reviewed, but as I generally work as a team, it is the companies who get named not us writers.
Congratulations, Sonia. The reading itself was a great experience, now you are reviewed and quoted in the news! You might try writing an op-ed about Orange County and why you had to leave it. The most popular essay in the NYTimes a few days ago predicted the end of higher education as we know it. Don’t be afraid to be provocative. But don’t alienate. Hard line to follow sometimes.
Too bad she didn’t spell your name right. Inexcusable journalistic error.
Glad, though, that you made the paper. Hope it is the beginning of a new aspect of your career.
Usually I do the interviewing; actually, I offer courses on how to work with the media.
On the few occasions when I’ve been interviewed, I wasn’t all that sure of what I wanted to say, though I had a couple of things in mind. If you’re going to be interviewed, be clear in your mind what YOU want to say; then work that into the interview.
Excellent – congratulations! 🙂
That’s wonderful, Sonia. Congrats! And what a fun event for writers to read their own works.
Yes, I have been interviewed on TV, (arranged by the Chicken Soup people) have read in front of school children, by invitation, have done book signings as a contributing writer, several times, and have been featured in local papers, etc. I don’t normally like to talk about that at all. I don’t write as much as I used to, by choice, as I have too many other things I want to do and enjoy. I never had the ambition to write a book, but have been published in 70 books of stories, dozens of magazines, and in online venues, which are all still there. And now I feel like I’m bragging! I never liked promoting myself. Never! But many writers do enjoy it, and with your own book, you have to. But Google does a fairly good job of promoting me in the search engine. Haha.
Okay, I’m making this much too long now. Got to run. Have a great weekend!
Renie
WarrenIt is a fantastic way to share your work in front of an audience
LaurenThe group changes every week. New people try it out.
swenglishexpatI’d love to know if you’re writing fiction or non-fiction? Somehow I think you’re writing fiction. Am I right?
KelliYou are very kind. It is a good way to enjoy the weekend. Now more work to do.
LadyGlamisYou are so dedicated to your writing and to helping others. There is no doubt in my mind that you’ll be a successful author.
Gramma AnnI see you don’t have a problem writing short articles any longer with your blog.
ShirleyThanks for your constant support. I’m so glad I met you last year at the Santa Barbara’s Writers’ Conference.
Rob-bearThanks for the advice from the journalistic side. I do realize now that I need to be ready with my pitch.
RenieI shall Google you to see your interviews. I’m curious at what age you started getting published? Is this something you started as a young woman or later in life? Did you not have the desire to write a novel or a memoir about your life in Hungary, or some other part?
Now you need some chocolate to celebrate. We always remember the first time someone pays us to write. It gets pretty heady and addictive after that
Congratulations, what a wonderful gift!
Enjoy it until the next honor comes your way!
You go girl!