In my roll as Business Development Director for Tattered Cover
Press, I get to do some entertaining and interesting things, like meet
with different groups who are interested in self-publishing, and it's
always good to meet folks, and hear what they're doing and wishing to
accomplish with their books.
For the second year in a row, I got to attend the
Author U Extravanganza here in Denver as the guest of my friend, Dr.
Judith Briles, who in a weekend takes an aspiring author through every
facet of publishing through scores of workshops on everything from
social media to bookmaking to literary agents and beyond. It's
exhilarating and illuminating fare for aspiring authors.
Both years, I met up with Barb Warner, who this year
proudly showed me her finished book called, Keep Your Fork which carries
the reading line, "Dessert is on the Way: Savoring the Second Half of
Your Life." This is a perfect book for me, because I need daily
direction, and practical advice, in order to deal with my ego, which
isn't instinctively fed by the length of time it takes me to get out of
my chair, and other humbling geriatric rituals. I've learned as I get
older that my attitude dictates how my day is going to go, and being
born under a cynical star, I can choose to take my last years in grace
or decline, and that choice is going to be the denominator of the
quality of my life.
That's not simple for me and I need help with that,
and that's what I get from Barb's book, which is at once, thoughtful,
relevant, and practical. Best of all, it doesn't drone on and on with
intellectual arguments, it just lays it out there. One frequently hears
the "Short is the New Long," and if that's true, then Keep Your Fork cuts
mustard. I can read a chapter in five minutes, or twenty, and there's
plenty to reflect on. There's a just do it affirmation at the end of
each chapter, as well. Highly recommended for boomers and caregivers.
Congratulations, Barb!
--John
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