Writing in thin air

 

 

The view from my living room on an unusual foggy morning.

I began writing in 1992. By 2014 I had over a dozen  manuscripts and a thousand rejections to show for my work. Some editors and agents said they loved the characters but not the plots. Others loved the plots but not the characters. Some suggested that historical fiction wasn't selling, and if I would add some supernatural elements - a ghost, or time travel, or perhaps a werewolf, then they would reconsider by submissions. In 2014 I decided that the definition of insanity - doing the same thing

and expecting a different result - was probably right. It was time for me to do something different.

I began self publishing my books in 2014. That first year I released Code: Elephants on the Moon, a midgrade novel set in Normandy just before D-Day, and The Bent Reed, a midgrade novel featuring a family living in Gettysburg at the time of the Civil War battle.  2015 saw On Fledgling Wings,  a midgrade coming of age story set in 13th century England, added to my list. 

But self publishing is difficult. Not only did I have to write my books, I had to edit and format them, and advertise and market them. I quickly realized that it's easier to write a book than sell it. When a group of my author friends said that they were banding together to form a publishing house because it was easier to market and sell books that had a publishing house associated with them, I decided to try it myself, and Thin Air Books was born.

Thin Air Books now has 7 books on its list, and still features just one author: me. Has it helped sales? It's hard to know, but I doubt it. No independent book sellers have offered to put my books on their shelves because they come from a publishing house, and no editors or agents have decided that I'm a better prospect because of my self publishing and marketing efforts. I continue to slog along, happy to be producing and sharing my work with the world, although my sales are almost as thin as the mountain air I breathe.

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Bohnhoff's Birthday Book Bonanza!

 

 

Between Christmas and my early January birthday, this past month has been quite the book bonanza for me!

I love books. Most of the time, I borrow what I read from the library.  This year, I borrowed a few titles that I loved so much that I was tempted to "lose" them and pay the fines just to keep them. Luckily for me, my dear family came through for me,preventing me from entering a life of crime.

Susan G. Purdy's Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes is an absolute must for those of us who live up where the air is thin, but it is good for you flat-landers as well. Each of Purdy's recipes features adaptations for altitudes between sea level and 10,000 feet, plus an analysis of why she changes what she changes. I tend to be one of those cooks who uses a teaspoon to measure anything between 1/4 and 1 tsp and found her meticulousness daunting, but so far I've used three recipes and all have turned out quite well.

Combat-Ready Kitchen is a fascinating look at how the U.S. military's  quest for nutritious, shelf-stable, readily portable food has driven the eating habits of normal Americans. I never knew before reading this that the rise of aluminum foil in America's kitchens is a bi product of the enormous metal surplus after America stopped producing bombers, or that macaroni and cheese and Cheetos were both created to use up surplus cheese powder. There's a lot of food for thought in this book,

particularly when Saucedo discusses the quest for bread that stayed fresh, and how that might have affected our nutrition and digestion. A Thousand Years over a Hot Stove is another book so filled with interesting tidbits that I checked it out of the library numerous times before putting it on my wish list. Laura Schenone provides a history of American women that also provides a pithy look into the commercialization of food in Amer-

ica. It's interesting to read how, for the sake of convenience, women gave up more and more of their kitchen work to big companies, then took it back when natural became fashionable again. But the book that really made my heart leap for for wasn't on my wish list. One of my sons (or his wife) found this 1889 edition of a biography of Kit Carson and gave it to me. It is not one of those dime-store Westerns that seeks to make him into an American icon, but an

 honest and fairly accurate work, and I look forward to using it the next time I get to teach New Mexico history.

This has been a very good month for me, as far as books go. How about you? Did you get any treasures over the holidays? I'd love to hear what new tomes are gracing your shelves.

Some of My Favorite Gifts, Part 1

 

 

Last August, as I began work at a new school, one of my former students came to visit, and she brought me this orchid. Alexa is one of my most successful former students. She came from an immigrant family that spoke limited English, but she has a great amount of personal drive. She's worked hard, and is now in a joint bachelors/MD program. I taught Alexa when she was in 6th grade. She continued to keep in touch with me, returning throughout

her high school years to let me know how she was doing, and occasionally to get advice on papers she was writing. I had the honor of writing recommendations for her a few times. But I can't claim any credit for her successes. She's worked hard and earned everything she's received in life.

What makes this orchid so special is that she was willing to drive way out in to the country to give it to me. That was a big effort, and I appreciated it. The orchid she left me is a continual reminder that what I do is important. Not many of my students will be like Alexa, but there are plenty who are listening to what I say, and will take what little I can give and grow it into a good career and a good life. Even though the flowers have faded and grown papery, it continues to remind me that students who have a strong foundation can grow into something beautiful and lasting.

Thank you, Alexa, for the reminder, and for the inspiration of your life.

Turning a New Place Mat

 

Some people turn over a new leaf at the start of the new year. I turn over the place mats. I have a friend named Jessica Bonzen who is a quilter. She sells her beautiful handiwork at some of the same craft shows where I sell my books.

Sorry for the fuzzy image.

A few years ago I commissioned her to make some place mats just for me. Jessica created sets of four, specially shaped to fit the round table in the corner of my living room closest to the big picture window. When my husband and I sit there, it's like sitting on the edge of the world, looking out over God's glory.

One of the sets Jessica made me features red and white poinsettias. I wish the picture was clearer so that you could see how beautiful it is, but my camera and I seem to not be on speaking terms this new year.

Besides the beautiful fabrics and quality workmanship Jessica puts into her products, one of the features I love the most is that her place mats are double-sided. Turn them over, and discover a new design! My Christmas place mats reverse into a wintry snow scene with cardinals and white aspen trees.

I'm ringing in the new year by turning over my place mats. Good bye, Christmas. You were wonderful, but it's time for a new year. However you plan to commemorate the beginning of 2018, I wish you health and happiness.