too much technology?

I’m horrible at self-promotion. Truly. Facebook, websites, and blogs…and now I’ve added Twitter (follow me @ErinDuttonAuthr). I find I do best with the stuff that I can update from my phone, email, Facebook, etc. Keeping my website and this blog current are a bit more time-consuming and require so much more of my brain, that I sometimes put it off until later…and later….and “damn, I need to find time to do that.”

I try very hard to read and respond to email and Facebook messages in a timely manner. In fact, I love getting email and messages. It’s fulfilling to hear from readers, what they like and what they didn’t like about my work. The response to this latest book has been perhaps the most amazing. Hearing from brave cancer survivors and their families who’ve been through similar experiences to Brooke and Addison, and having them tell me that I got it right, means more than I can say.

That kind of feedback is part of what keeps me publishing. I’ll be a writer for my whole life, but the submitting, and editing, and publishing, is more for the readers. And I know what that means because I love to read, too.

So, I’ll try harder to keep things up to date. And since the holidays are fast approaching and will soon be gone before we know it, perhaps that will be one of my New Year’s resolutions.

Post Women’s Week

I love Provincetown. I have since my first visit there thirteen years ago. I was much younger, and much newer to the community. For a girl who grew up in a small town without much exposure, only beginning to realize who I really was…Ptown was amazing, welcoming, and safe. Suddenly the world was full of possibilites that didn’t include the knot I’d been carrying around in the pit of my stomach. I had yet to come out to my family and many of my friends. Only a few of my friends knew what realization I’d been coming to. Being in Ptown, for the first time, I felt like the momentus shift my life had been hovering on was a positive thing.

How the world has changed in thirteen years. Acceptance is spreading, even if not as quickly as we hope. I’ve been back to Ptown since that visit, a couple of years ago. But this trip, last week, seemed even more poignant for me. I’ve changed so much in that thirteen years as well. Everything I’ve experienced in that time led me to a return trip to the town that first welcomed me. This time, I made the journey to promote my writing…my published novels…my contribution to the same community that has held me close for thirteen years.

This past week, I participated in several reading panels, both reading and moderating. Despite my nerves about public speaking, I had an awesome chat session with a room full of readers. Thanks to all of those ladies for making me feel more comfortable. I also got to hang out with a crazy, talented bunch of authors whose humor and kindess impresses me at least as much as their body of work.

I brought with me a woman I’m madly in love with. And now, thinking about walking along the street holding her hand makes my heart swell with love and pride. She’s amazing. And the fact that the insecure, uncertain girl I was then can now share my love for this woman with my family and friends leaves me in awe of the journey I’ve taken.

Women’s Week 2011 Schedule

My schedule is set for Women’s Week 2011 in Provincetown, Mass. I’ll be arriving in town on Thursday, October 13th for a long weekend of amazing activities. Catch up with me first at Gabriel’s at 102 Bradford Street, on Thursday at 2 pm. where I will be reading from my newest romance. Later that same day…I’ll be at Harbor Lounge on Commercial Street for a casual mixer beginning at 5:30 pm.

On Friday, myself and a bunch of other great authors will be reading at the Provincetown Library on Commercial Street at noon.

On Saturday, meet me at Gabriel’s again for a chat session at 2 pm, followed by a panel I’m moderating highlighting some awesome BSB author’s and their new and upcoming releases.

Signings at Now Voyager Bookstore will immediately follow each of these readings.

If you’re in town earlier in the week, don’t miss another great BSB reading sessions at Gabriel’s on Wednesday, the 12th at 2 pm.

In between all of the literary fun, I’ll be about town enjoying the other cool offerings of Women’s Week, visiting the seals on the beach, getting my fill of the ocean air, and taking a ton of photos. Cape Cod in autumn is pretty incredible and I can’t wait to be there.

 

Connecting Through Music

So, though it wasn’t a conscious decision, I’ve taken some time off from writing this Spring/Summer to concentrate on other things. I’ve tried to change the way I eat, become more active, and started losing weight. Now, finally, I feel better, healthier, in better shape and the stories have started creeping back into my head.

I’ve started working on what I’m hoping will shape up to be my next book. Almost as soon as I began writing about these characters I realized that this book had a soundtrack. I’ve always liked writing to music to set the mood. I love how a good song can perfectly capture a feeling. Sometimes it’s a theme, or just a single lyric that has me aspiring to write a phrase that conveys a point so perfectly. Or maybe I latch on to the actual music, the build up, the swell of a violin, or the simple melody of a piano, or the rasp of a guitar string in an acoustic arrangement. And sometimes, I notice the singer’s voice, a quality or some nuance that touches something inside and sparks a particular emotion. I am in awe of music. 

With regard to my writing, sometimes the music seems even more important than just filling the background. This time the story is actually inspired by the music. I had actually started working on another potential idea when a couple of songs kept finding their way into my head and soon the emotion behind them had me thinking about a new cast of characters.

The playlist is comprised of a collection of songs, by such artists as Norah Jones, Jackson Browne, Indigo Girls, Sara Ramirez and Missy Higgins. These days, just turning on my iPod is enough to have possible scenes playing out in my head.

I’ll post more on this potential new book when it’s more fully realized. But for now, I’m just going to hit “Play” and go where the music takes me.

My First Blog!

My First Blog – sounds like a child’s toy, not unlike the play telephone or the kid-sized kitchen I played in as a toddler. I suppose the comparison isn’t far off these days. Technology comes to us sooner in life than ever. A child can navigate a cell phone or computer sometimes before he/she can read or write. Those of us who remember not having the internet and watching only four television channels, just have to catch up. So that’s what I’m doing.

When I began publishing in 2007, I set up my “official author email address” and learned how to build a simple website. And now, I’ll start blogging, though I’m still not convinced I have that much interesting to say. Who knows, maybe next I’ll finally brave Twitter.

So, if you’re not familiar with who I am…a little intro: I’m a published author of lesbian fiction, largely romance. I’ve published seven novels with Bold Strokes Books as well as a number of short stories. You can find more information about my work at my website: www.erindutton.com.

My goal with this blog is to provide a place to announce news about my writing and new projects. I’m also an amateur photography and an avid golfer, so you’re sure to find blogs about my hobbies as well.