Tagged!

I got this marvelous award from Helen Ginger who tagged me at Straight From Hel! I'm giving this meme a good deal of thought, so watch here for my comments and a list of who's next.

The Van Gogh Blues by Eric Maisel

Early last year, I was honored to host Eric Maisel during his blog book tour for Ten Zen Seconds. I received the added benefit of surviving a dreadful cataract surgery thanks to the tips and inspiration in the book! Today, our tour spotlights the softcover reprint of Eric's highly popular book, The Van Gogh Blues. And again, I find myself with a tool to navigate changes in my life, this time dealing with the stresses of switching careers and life meaning from painter and gallery owner to writer, a shift that has proven much more challenging and distressing than anything I might have imagined. Read on for some comments from the author:

HBP: Eric, can you tell us what The Van Gogh Blues is about?

E: For more than 25 years I’ve been looking at the realities of the creative life and the make-up of the creative person in books like Fearless Creating, Creativity for Life, Coaching the Artist Within, and lots of others. A certain theme or idea began to emerge: that creative people are people who stand in relation to life in a certain way—they see themselves as active meaning-makers rather than as passive folks with no stake in the world and no inner potential to realize. This orientation makes meaning a certain kind of problem for them—if, in their own estimation, they aren’t making sufficient meaning, they get down. I began to see that this “simple” dynamic helped explain why so many creative people—I would say all of us at one time or another time—get the blues.

To say this more crisply, it seemed to me that the depression that we see in creative people was best conceptualized as existential depression, rather than as biological, psychological, or social depression. This meant that the treatment had to be existential in nature. You could medicate a depressed artist but you probably weren’t really getting at what was bothering him, namely that the meaning had leaked out of his life and that, as a result, he was just going through the motions, paralyzed by his meaning crisis.

HPB: Are you saying that whenever a creative person is depressed, we are looking at existential depression? Or might that person be depressed in “some other way”?

E: When you’re depressed, especially if you are severely depressed, if the depression won’t go away, or if it comes back regularly, you owe it to yourself to get a medical work-up, because the cause might be biological and antidepressants might prove valuable. You also owe it to yourself to do some psychological work (hopefully with a sensible, talented, and effective therapist), as there may be psychological issues at play. But you ALSO owe it to yourself to explore whether the depression might be existential in nature and to see if your “treatment plan” should revolve around some key existential actions like reaffirming that your efforts matter and reinvesting meaning in your art and your life.

HBP: So you’re saying that a person who decides, for whatever reason, that she is going to be a “meaning maker,” is more likely to get depressed by virtue of that very decision. In addition to telling herself that she matters and that her creative work matters, what else should she do to “keep meaning afloat” in her life? What else helps?

E: I think it is a great help just to have a “vocabulary of meaning” and to have language to use so that you know what is going on in your life. If you can’t accurately name a thing, it is very hard to think about that thing. That’s why I present a whole vocabulary of meaning in The Van Gogh Blues and introduce ideas and phrases like “meaning effort,” “meaning drain,” “meaning container,” and many others. When we get a rejection letter, we want to be able to say, “Oh, this is a meaning threat to my life as a novelist” and instantly reinvest meaning in our decision to write novels, because if we don’t think that way and speak that way, it is terribly easy to let that rejection letter precipitate a meaning crisis and get us seriously blue. By reminding ourselves that is our job not only to make meaning but also to maintain meaning when it is threatened, we get in the habit of remembering that we and we alone are in charge of keeping meaning afloat—no one else will do that for us. Having a vocabulary of meaning available to talk about these matters is a crucial part of the process.

HBP: This is the paperback version of The Van Gogh Blues, How was the hardback version received?

E: Very well! The reviewer for the Midwest Book Review called The Van Gogh Blues “a mind-blowingly wonderful book.” The reviewer for Library Journal wrote, "Maisel persuasively argues that creative individuals measure their happiness and success by how much meaning they create in their work.” I’ve received countless emails from artists all over the world thanking me for identifying their “brand” of depression and for providing them with a clear and complete program for dealing with that depression. I hope that the paperback version will reach even more creative folks—and the people who care about them.

HBP: How does The Van Gogh Blues tie in with other books that you’ve written?

E: I’m interested in everything that makes a creative person creative and I’m also interested in every challenge that we creative people face. I believe that we have special anxiety issues and I spelled those out in Fearless Creating. I believe that we have a special relationship to addiction (and addictive tendencies) and with Dr. Susan Raeburn, an addiction professional, I’ve just finished a book called Creative Recovery, which spells out the first complete recovery program for creative people. That’ll appear from Shambhala late in 2008. I’m fascinated by our special relationship to obsessions and compulsions and am currently working on a book about that. Everything that we are and do interests me—that’s my “meaning agenda”!

HBP: What might a person interested in these issues do to keep abreast of your work?

E: They might subscribe to my two podcast shows, The Joy of Living Creatively and Your Purpose-Centered Life, both on the Personal Life Media Network. You can find a show list for The Joy of Living Creatively here and one for Your Purpose-Centered Life here. They might also follow this tour, since each host on the tour will be asking his or her own special questions. Here is the complete tour schedule. If they are writers, they might be interested in my new book, A Writer’s Space, which appears this spring and in which I look at many existential issues in the lives of writers. They might also want to subscribe to my free newsletter, in which I preview a lot of the material that ends up in my books (and also keep folks abreast of my workshops and trainings). But of the course the most important thing is that they get their hands on The Van Gogh Blues!—since it is really likely to help them.

A visit with Dana Fredsti

Hotbuttonpress: Meet Dana Fredsti, author of The Peruvian Pigeon, the first almost-cozy mystery in her Murder For Hire series. Set in modern-day California, the book parodies 1940’s pulp detective fiction through the theatrics of a local acting troupe. They hire out their talents as fundraising entertainment for business and area high society, and along the way find a few dead bodies to complicate the plot. It’s clear the author knows her stuff when it comes to the acting world. Dana, how far back does your acting interest go? Elementary school? High school?

Dana: I would have to say my acting interests go back as far as elementary school, at least to the best of my recollection. My fifth and six grade teachers were very ambitious and put on Antigone and Hamlet, respectively, as the class plays. Oh yeah, and Julius Caesar. I played Antigone, Queen Gertrude and an extra in the crowd for Marc Anthony. The “we come to bury Caesar, not to praise him” speech. My cousin Sandy made my costumes and I loved my blue flowery pseudo-Grecian Antigone costume. I had really long hair back in those days and remember using my pony tail quite dramatically, flipping my hair this way and that as I gave my speech, before being dragged away to be entombed alive.

I also have very fond memories of the scene in Hamlet when Hamlet confronts his mother in her dressing room as Polonius hides behind a curtain to spy and is subsequently killed by the twitchy Prince of the Danes. When Polonius uttered his dying words, “Oh, I am slain!”, they came out as wooden as only an elementary student with no acting ability could deliver them. “Hamlet” and I looked at each other and got the giggles, which quickly spread to the audience and eliminated any possible drama in the rest of the scene.

I pretty much decided I liked acting from that point on. It was definitely my main interest in high school and the only class I didn’t want to ditch. Yes, I ditched classes occasionally to go get donuts at Winchell’s down on Clairemont Drive or to see dollar matinees at the Clairemont Theater with my friend, Maureen. The same Maureen who later became my partner in crime with Murder For Hire, by the way. At any rate, I was in every play except one during my three years of high school (our drama teacher, Mrs. Curran, believed every actor should work tech on at least one play), did community theater, and later went on to act in some really bad movies when I moved to Los Angeles.

Hotbutton Press: So acting was really a career path for you?

Dana: Back when I was younger and more naive, I thought acting was going to be my career. I rapidly discovered I did not have the drive to put up with the bullsnit you have to go through even to start to make it. I have always been easily distracted. I’d go through phases of sending out headshots and resumes, went through a couple of agents without any real results, watched as the required dress size for an actress shrunk while her boobs grew disproportionately, and found I got more satisfaction from writing and eating what I wanted. I did come very close to getting a boob job, but didn’t follow through on it. It’s funny ‘cause when I first moved to Los Angeles, my size was considered normal for an actress. In a world where Brittany Spears was termed “obese” by some fans when she made her ill-advised wardrobe choice for the 2007 MTV Awards, I’d be Jabba the Hut. Okay, not that bad, but I was never a size 2 or 4. Except possibly when I was a toddler.

Hotbutton Press: What do you do now for a living? I mean besides write novels.

Dana: I’m currently working at a Venture Capital company (sustainable, green, health and wellness type investments) as their office goddess (i.e. manager). My co-worker recently told me writing was my real job and my day-job was my steady side-gig. Heh. I like the way she thinks. I actually really like the company, my co-workers and our office. All in all, it’s a great job and I’m very happy there. It’s like the anti-VC firm, with a really eclectic and creative group of people and they’ve all been extremely supportive of my writing. That, I’ve found through past experience, is a rarity in the workplace. Plus we have a really cool Nespresso maker and I make killer Belgian chocolate mochas every morning.

Hotbutton Press: Speaking of chocolate, your characters are seriously into it! Where can we find a recipe to tide us over until the next book?

Dana: This is an easy one! For the best hot chocolate ever, take two squares of Belgian chocolate and click here.

Hotbutton Press: I can see this mystery series adapted for TV. Would you ever consider that?

Dana: Oh, yeah! As long as it didn’t affect my writing more books in the series or any funky legal mess with the rights.

Hotbutton Press: What next?

Dana: Let’s see. I have both my sequel to MFH (working title Murder for Hire: The Big Snooze) and a supernatural thriller/romance/mystery started. That is to say, I’ve done basic plot and character notes, the barest skeleton of outlines, and some research for the latter. Also, another edit of a screenplay and I’ve made a solemn vow to post on my blog at least twice a week, preferably three! None of this is counting bookstore signings and other promotional appearances for MFH. 2008 will be a very busy year!

Hotbutton Press: Getting that sequel written for your impatient fans is the most important job. We’re dying to know what happens next, especially with the dangling romances you wickedly set up. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have to say I didn’t suspect who the villain was right up until the conclusion. It was a definite cliffhanger for me.

Don't miss out! There will be a drawing at the end of the tour for three free copies of The Peruvian Pigeon… but only if you leave a comment here or at the other blog book tour stops listed below:

Sunday, January 20th Elysabeth’s Emerald City

Monday, January 21st Blogbooktours

Tuesday, January 22nd Kat's Random Thoughts

Wednesday, January 23rd Chrysalis Stage

Thursday, January 24th Kitty Litter: A Mystery Writer's Rants & Raves

Friday, January 25th Pointless Drivel

Saturday, January 26th Redzilla Attacks!

And the winners are:

Zoggirl

Shelli

Diesel

Steven Prosapio

Email our author at zhadi at aol dot com to make arrangements for your winning copy of The Peruvian Pigeon. Congratulations all!

And you can buy the book by clicking here. Enjoy the rest of the tour.

The Peruvian Pigeon

Coming soon we'll interview Dana Fredsti about her premier book in the Murder For Hire cozy mystery series. Here's a bit of the synopsis:

Connie Garrett has a lot on her plate. Her mystery-oriented theatrical troupe, Murder for Hire, has been hired as entertainment for Emerald Cove’s first annual Fall Festival, a series of events held to honor local authors and raise money for the newly opened Emerald Cove Library.

This year’s Festival post mortem honoree is Shay Randell, creator of the famous hard-boiled detective Mick O’Mallet. The publicity generated for the Festival is better than previous years because a new television series featuring O’Mallet is now in the works. The publicity from the Festival could be invaluable to Murder for Hire. One of the actors, Connie’s boyfriend Grant, is even being considered for the role of O’Mallet in the new series.

You can read more here.

Even more fun, listen to the author read the prologue by clicking here.

Preaching to the Corpse

Roberta Isleib is in the midst of a very interesting and creative blog book tour, and I'm visiting each tour stop she makes. I've just finished the first book in this series, Deadly Advice, and it was a page-turner, make no bones about it. I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next corpse! You can check out her entire tour schedule here, and I'll post my favorite stops with live links so you can hop over direct.

First, stop at The Dark Phantom Review to read the excerpt.

If you're a writer, don't miss the interview at Fiction Scribe.



Author Bio

New Jersey born clinical psychologist Roberta Isleib took up writing mysteries to justify time spent on the links. Her first series, featuring a neurotic professional golfer and a sports psychologist, was nominated for both Agatha and Anthony awards.

Roberta's new series, starring a Connecticut psychologist and advice columnist, debuted in 2007 with DEADLY ADVICE and PREACHING TO THE CORPSE. She has also had many articles and short stories published. "Disturbance in the Field," published in SEASMOKE by Level Best Books, was short-listed for both Agatha and Macavity awards.

Roberta is the president of International Sisters in Crime and the past president of the New England chapter. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the Authors Guild. She lives with her family in Connecticut.

All about me(me) and reading

Elsa Neal, that brilliant fiction editor at BellaOnline, tagged me for this meme and what could be more appropriate for a blog about books?

What have you just read?
Deadly Advice by Roberta Isleib.

What are you reading now?
Why We Read What We Read by John Heath and Lisa Adams.

Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
Preaching to the Corpse by Roberta and Dana Fredsti’s premiere novel, which has a great title, but hasn't been in front of my face often enough for me to instantly recall. It's the first in her Murder For Hire series. And this situation is exactly why authors must put their latest title after their names everywhere in the world, every chance they get. Repetition, repetition, repetition.....wait, I've almost got it..... The Peruvian Pigeon!

What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
An Editing How-To eBook – the first eBook I ever bought – that was so full of errors I should have edited it and sent it back to the author! I did complain to the publisher who laughed and replied that they should have hired me to edit the thing. I was not amused.

What's one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
Not the editing book, that’s for certain! I think my all-time favorites are Mary Stewart’s books in the Merlin Trilogy. I never tire of reading them. The fourth book, The Wicked Day, is one of my very least favorites.

Admit it, sadly the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
Not sad at all, as I love the added attention and service!

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
I like Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern series, but many people don’t.

Do you read books while you eat?
Rarely.

While you bath?
Never, since I shower. What a mess that would be.

While you watch movies or TV?
I don’t watch TV and when I watch the occasional video, I concentrate on it. I can’t even knit for very long, before I'm completely engrossed and staring at the screen like an idiot. It's not a pretty picture.

While you listen to music?
No.

While you're on the computer?
I don’t know how people can do this! I mean, isn’t it like trying to read two things at once?

When you were little did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Not other children, but my mother used to kick me out of the house and tell me to go play. I would hide a book in the clothes hamper, which was in the bathroom, and then use the potty excuse to get in a few pages of reading.

What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Alas, I simply haven’t been able to do this since my cataract surgery earlier in the year. I still remember my marathon session with Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. I think I had pizza delivery three times over two days. Huge pizzas. Mushroom with double cheese.

Have any books made you cry?
You mean have many books made me cry? Yes. The last was Garden Spells. And I just read an article in AARP magazine that had tears rolling down my cheeks. I have that author, Ann Harleman, on my To Read list now.

So I’ve tagged these good folks, and you can read their answers here:

Dana Fredsti
Ann Parker
Doris Baker
Diana Vickery

All about me(me) and blogging

Straight From Hel tagged me to participate in a meme about blogging and I simply couldn’t refuse because I’m so completely sold on the idea. Thanks for choosing me, Helen. Here are my answers to the five questions:

1. How long have you been blogging?

Only about a year. The online youngsters don't call me Old Noob for nothing!

2. What inspired you to start a blog and who are your mentors?

I loved reading good blogs even before I had my own. I have a collection I read regularly, but it wasn't until I went to the Women Writing the West Conference that a writing pal and I offered to post conference doings on their new blog so all the members could vicariously enjoy the gathering. We did and it was so easy and fun! Next, I actually started a yahoo discussion group, and just for holiday kicks, set up a 360 degree blog in that community called Queen of Christmas. Before I knew it, I had started several blogger blogs for various reasons, and suddenly I found myself reading professional blogger newsletters to get all the hot tips on improving my own sites. There's still so much to learn. I don’t know if I’d call them mentors exactly, but Chris Garrett and Yaro Starak certainly provide some excellent information to their readers.

3. Are you trying to make money online, or just doing it for fun?

I don't close the door on blogging to make money, though I hate the look of most click-the-link advertising. Visual clutter is tough on an artist’s eyes. Without question, blogs are marketing tools, whether to promote a book, a stained glass commission, the latest yarn shipment a store has received, the loveliest fused glass bowls, whatever. Everyone likes being up on the latest, and this is a simple way to impart information. There's a reason that newspapers have blogs and were first to jump on the blog bandwagon. Added content. Easy peasy added content that doesn't require high-tech knowledge. Family albums, store bulletins, town hall news - anyone could benefit from the use of a blog. Did I mention blog book tours? This one is linked to a squidoo lens for added impact.

4. What 3 things do you struggle with online?

I don't feel like I know enough yet to really have the online presence I'd like. I want a website with a shopping cart for my own products, but don't feel like I'm quite competent enough to handle that on my own. Blogs have been a nice stepping-stone in that direction.

I don't understand a lot of aspects like cloaking urls, html code, and other nitty-gritty regarding search engine optimization, but I am developing the courage and even interest in pursuing it further thanks to blogging. It's a bit like living in a foreign country. When you immerse yourself, you eventually learn the language and the practices.

Like anyone who is fascinated with the potential of the medium, I spend too much time on the internet exploring its vast horizons. It takes a bit of discipline fitting it into a normal busy life. Paradoxically, it also takes a bit of discipline to continue regular posting once the novelty has worn off a bit.

5. What 3 things do you love about being online?

First, reading the news without having to sit down with a real newspaper. Nothing gets dumped or goes up in smoke.

Second, having vast repositories of research information available at the touch of a button, including library card catalogs.

Third, connecting to communities of like-minded people via the written word. I'm out in the sticks and for the most part, feel pretty much like an alien from another galaxy. The internet connects me to kindred spirits.

I'm interested in reading what others have to say, so I'm tagging these good bloggers for their input:

Kittlog

Riehlife

Groovy's Ruminations

Community of the Land

Donna Druchunas

Ms. Karen's Place

Be sure to go read what they have to say, and bookmark their blogs which are always packed with interesting interviews, essays, tips, insights, and even recipes. Did I mention humor and good photographs? What about gorgeous standard poodles? And a very special treat for kitties and their people.