So many memoir writers visit Memory Writers Network wanting to announce their memoirs. I’ve created this page to give you a chance to do just that. Please add a comment to this page, briefly describing your book and providing a link to it.
Rules
- Only one comment per book
- Keep the synopsis reasonably short. (Maybe 100 words or thereabouts.)
- No spam or links to sites other than ones directly related to your memoir.
- Office friendly. If the book or site are too sexy, I may not approve the comment.
146 responses to “Your Memoir Here”
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Greetings to you Jerry!
Thank you for the opportunity to post here concerning my coming-of-age memoir, Dog Water Free. It’s a story about an improbable search for emotional truth.
This quote is from a review by a Past President of the Women’s National Book Association (Lynn Henrikson/San Francisco): “Dog Water Free grabs character in a unique and delightful way. This story – and Mikee’s voice – will be with me for a long, long time.”
4.9 Stars on 50 Reviews: “DWF packs a wicked emotional punch”. Amazon link is here I hope you are able to check it out, or at the very least enjoy an excerpt. Please do let me know. Best to you and yours – and to all your followers, of course. Michael -
Thanks for this impeccably written synopsis, David. I like the way the story is set up. I like the idea of the ticking clock (has to be done in 2 weeks), the extensive dialog (confessional?) the natural history of the inland waterway, and the story within a story. The structure reminds me of another memoir, Zen and Now in which author Mark Richardson travels along the historic path traveled by Robert Pirsig for his motorcycle journey in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. One difference is that Richardson traveled alone so much of his narrative takes place in his own head. Your memoir sounds rich with possibility. Best wishes, Jerry
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In November of 1999, photographer David Crosby set off on a dream trip; helping to pilot a 42′ Grand Banks trawler 1,300 miles down the Intra Coastal Waterway from Oxford, Maryland, to Sarasota, Florida. He only had two weeks to make the trip, as he’d promised his family that he’d be home in Greenville, SC for the Thanksgiving dinner.
Keeping Us Afloat is the story of David’s two week long running conversation with Captain Rick, the boat owner’s representative. As they shared stories, Rick told of his travels and troubles, and David of his decades long effort to bring happiness to his wife, Jenny, while still leading a fun and exciting life along the way. From poverty to a clash with the law, college to success, living in a plantation house, a synagogue, a houseboat, a log home and a farm, Crosby’s candid story of his never ending efforts to fulfill Jenny’s dreams fill the long hours of driving the boat.
Only after telling the whole story during the two week cruise does David realize that he will never make his wife happy. That’s something only she can do for herself.
Part travelogue and part memoir, this engaging story of adventure and challenge is filled with the craziness of being a commercial photographer in the 80’s and 90’s, and of the difficulties of trying to make someone else happy. It’s a journey worth taking.
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Eddie, Thanks for stopping by and letting us know about your memoir. I want to congratulate you on an excellent blurb. The challenges of growing up that you pose in the blurb sets up fascinating dramatic tension. Good luck with it. Best wishes, Jerry
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Seeking refuge from the projects in New York City, Eddie’s parents send him to Portland, Oregon, where he is introduced to a life full of parks, sports, and single-family homes. Here, he teams up with his best friend, Ed, to explore the meaning of adolescence. Their friendship evolves, though, as Ed pushes the boundaries of risky behavior, and all Eddie can do is watch. Filled with enticing sports play-by-plays, thrilling fight scenes, and aw-inducing love motifs, Wallace Park tells a unique yet universal story of adversity highlighted with friendship and love.
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A little girl growing up in rural Connecticut in the 1950s has an unusual dream: to become a jazz pianist. She works hard at her goal, but life takes her on a series of adventures and challenges with unexpected twists and turns. Always a spiritual seeker, she longs for something that will make sense out of a life that ends up taking her through four marriages, mothering two children, becoming a music journalist and then a bandleader, and finally to another continent, where she settles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ultimately she discovers that trying to live her life by her own wits can’t compare with yielding to something bigger than herself. It’s a riveting tale told with honesty and humor.
Links:
http://goo.gl/Zj3407 – Amazon
http://tinyurl.com/aosews5 B&N
http://www.ibookstore.com/products.php?i=B009VOF6YG – iBookstore -
I have recently published a memoir, “Secrets of the Velvet Closet” and would like your review. This book is just over 50,000 words and follows the journey of a young woman from the age of seven to present day and the challenges she faced as a closeted lesbian only seeking acceptance, love, and a sense of self. From her early days growing up with an alcoholic mother and an absentee bible thumping father, this story begins with intolerance, and continues through two marriages, depression, alcoholism, abuse, adultery, and betrayal.
My name Lena Rai. Being a Native American lesbian, I’m an established poet and an upcoming novelist. My work has been published in The international Library of Poetry. I’ve also had an award winning essay entitled, The Accomplishments of Gerald R. Ford as President of the United States for the Gerald R. Ford renaming ceremony in Grand Rapids, MI. I’m the author of two self published books of poetry, “Voices Silently Speak” and “Whispering a Lady’s Secret”. I also carry a successful blog that pertains to my poetry and personal life at http://lenarai.wordpress.com where I have many esteemed followers.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18716999-secrets-of-the-velvet-closet
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Hi Paige, Thanks for the intriguing plot twist. I can’t speak exactly to your situation. But here are some thoughts.
First of all, the author wants to give the reader sufficient reason to buy the book. Thinking of clever things to say on the back of the book to get people to buy it keeps us awake at night. “I worked for ten years to write the book.” or “The book will make you laugh and cry.” My favorite promise is that the character will grow. I recently finished Swimming with Maya by Eleanor Vincent. It promises me an ocean of grief and also the courage and personal development of the author. I wanted to understand the journey. To find out what makes a good promise for your book, review the memoirs you love and see what enticed you to read them.
Secondly, we want to make the book interesting enough so when readers close it, they liked it enough to give a good review. To that end, it’s our job to deliver some surprises and twists. Perhaps your twist simply gives the reader a wonderful experience. You might not need to promise it. Let them rave about it in the reviews.
Third, I want to urge you not to believe that readers will see you as “just” anything. Those of us who are interested in memoirs see memoir authors as tenacious, passionate creators who have worked extensively to find the stories in their lives. In addition to our unique circumstances, this creative effort is an important aspect that distinguishes our memoirs.
Fourth, don’t worry if someone has done a memoir about an adopted child before. Consider this a subgenre, like memoirs about grief, about coming of age, about retirement, about the sixties, about addiction. Each one of these creates a framework in which you can pour the infinite variations of being yourself.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Jerry -
Any time! I have a bit of a “plot twist” in it, which is hard to describe without giving the unexpected part away. One of those real-life ironies / truth-is-stranger-than-fiction things….especially considering the era in which this story takes place. My challenge is to somehow convey this to potential readers, so that they see Akin to the Truth as more than just some adopted lady’s personal story. Any thoughts?
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Thanks for this, Paige. I have not read the book but from what you describe, it sounds intriguing. In addition to the central theme of adoption, I love the notion of needing to keep it a secret for fear of the social stigma. Insights into the 60s sounds like another interesting dimension. I read on your blog about the journey to find a publisher. Now you are onto the next step, trying to find your audience. Woohoo! It’s all part of the journey of the memoir writer. Thanks for networking here.
Best wishes,
Jerry -
In 1961 Paige was put up for adoption, a more taboo and secretive topic than it is today. Paige’s adoptive family chose not to focus on the adoption, but instead functioned as a regular family with natural children. However, being adopted made her feel vulnerable and unreal. She longed to know more about her true self.
In the memoir, Akin to the Truth: A Memoir of Adoption and Identity, Paige tells stories from the perspective of a child and adolescent, growing up with a closely guarded secret. Through vignettes, Paige relates feelings about her adoption to forming and maintaining relationships, caring for pets, moving to new houses and neighborhoods, losing loved ones and entering young adulthood. Her need for acceptance is mirrored in her adoptive father’s increasingly erratic behavior.
This is a tale of family joys and hardships, friendships, falling in love and the need to belong. It is set in the era of free love, social unrest and unexpected change during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
My blog: http://www.akintothetruth.com
Links to the book:
Apple iBooks:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/akin-to-the-truth/id711164304?ls=1
Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Akin-Truth-Memoir-Adoption-Identity/dp/0989948811/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380459942&sr=1-1&keywords=akin+to+the+truth -
Hi Jerry,
I was delighted to hear from you. Your comments were “right on” on all counts. My first four books were popular science books and the fifth was a deeply researched analysis of why Reagan pushed his “Star Wars” program. These then were no-nonsense factual accounts, whereas Wonderment was a first-person memoir in which I tried to push aside my journalistic penchants and to approach a more conversational, personal mode, veering toward the narrative nonfiction.
As for the cut-and-paste job, I have to confess you’re right on that, too, though it is possible I never sent it out before (I did no mass mailings). One reason I used it is because it fit your request for a 100-word synopsis. I like the Q&A at http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/author-interview-no-678-with-multi-genre-author-nigel-hey/. Much more satisfying, though it’s a lot more than 100 words!
Of course I appreciated your short comment on the discovery of spirituality. The book’s penultimate paragraph speaks of “a personal connection between human and non-human that requires not a gram of special technology to bring it to reality. When you have it, it is yours alone, a personal treasure discovered from your own spiritual dance with wonderment.”
Finally I’d love to have that casual conversation over dinner. E-mail me when you’re in town!
Cheers,
Nigel
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Hi Nigel,
Thanks for your book description. I checked out your website and see you are passionate about ideas. When I started to study memoirs, I drew an important distinction between story (a character with a need overcomes a series of obstacles until he or she finds satisfaction) and rhetoric (here are my ideas, presented in a convincing manner that will show why I believe them and why you should too).
It looks like in your other books you veer toward the latter and in this one you try to stay closer to the former. I have learned much from both types of books, and I don’t want to sound like a “memoir snob” but I think for a person (like myself) who grew up believing in ideas, learning how to tell stories is a formidable and important challenge.
Your last sentence makes me want to read the book. I love that you were surprised when you discovered your spirituality. Me too!
Good luck with the book. By the way, your comment sounds like you copy/pasted a press announcement. I would love these comments to be more like a casual conversation telling us over dinner what the book is about.
Best wishes,
Jerry -
Wonderment keeps the action going from the author’s childhood nightmares to the suspense of a brush with death in the neurology unit of a London hospital. Sometimes funny, sometimes thoughtful, this is the first-person life history of a writer who was born with a love of adventure, travel, people, and the mystery of who we are and why – laced with the humor, romance, family lore and drama that anchors a life well lived. He masters the burden of ill health and gradually, to his surprise, discovers his own spirituality. http://www.nigelhey.com
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Everyone makes choices, some good, some not so good. Carol Graham learned the long-term effects of one bad choice that led her life into a downward spiral. Her sharpest memories were shrouded in darkness and no amount of hope for the future could change the past. This is not a story of an abusive or sordid childhood, but one of mistakes, poor choices and circumstances as an adult that developed into a series of major physical, financial and emotional losses. Read how Carol overcame cancer, marital abuse, loss of a child, rape, huge financial losses and more through faith and sheer determination to become successful against all odds. Battered Hope, a compelling, captivating memoir novel.
batteredhope.blogspot,com
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