Teale Blog
An Author’s Goals for 2013
The year is well-launched now and I’m finally catching up on my efforts to set my annual goals. It’s something I do every year. I do this in my writing business as well and if you’d like to see how goals fit into that aspect of my life, I invite you to read my business blog as well. Setting goals helps me focus my energy on the activities that will support my dreams and desires and I usually supplement my annual goals with smaller monthly project goals. The key to making the whole process fun lies in making sure I also stay open to dancing with other opportunities that crop up out of the blue as well. Here’s what I am planning for 2013: 1. Virtual book tours. I’ve noticed that a number of other authors have invited readers to join them in virtual book tours and I think this sounds like fun. I’m not sure yet exactly how the process works but I’m willing to learn. 2. Book signings and presentations. With the publication of “Passages to Epiphany,” my new collection of short stories and creative non-fiction pieces, I now have two books to promote and I plan on setting up even more book signings and public talks this year than last. Please let me know if you would like me to meet with your group or organization to talk about my books and/or any other issues relevant to the world of a Canadian writer, editor and author. 3. Book reviews. Last year was excellent from a business writing perspective and that meant I had little time available for organizing book reviews. I plan to be more focused on reviews in 2013, for both “Shades of Teale” and “Passages.” 4. Women’s organizations. “Shades of Teale” has some important messages around the issue of domestic abuse and I would like to see the topic gain greater currency in our world overall. With that in mind, I plan to connect with women’s organizations to explore the possibility of using “Shades” to create positive social change. 5. Learn more about self-publishing. I am grateful to Manor House Publishing for giving me the opportunity to become a published author. It’s a dream come true for me! At the same time, I also field a lot of questions from other writers who would like to see their manuscripts become published in a “non-traditional “way. As a freelance editor, I enjoy helping people bring their book projects to life and the more I learn about self-publishing, the more value I can add to the book writing journeys of my clients . This will be fun! The year ahead is bound to be interesting! I’d love to hear about your writing goals for the year and I invite you to leave a comment below setting out what you hope to accomplish in 2013. And if you are interested in finding out more about what I offer as a freelance writer, editor and coach, I invite you to check out my business writing website at www.crossmancommunicaitons.com. Best wishes for every success in 2013! ...
Read MoreAuthor Accountability
The past year has been a huge learning curve for me in terms of my life as an author and it’s been enjoyable in all possible ways. One of the challenges I’ve had to face has been in balancing my responsibilities as a self-employed writer focused on developing newsletter and web content for businesses with the promotion of novel, “Shades of Teale.” I’m widowed and raising two children as well, and they are still at the “Mom could you drive me to band practice?” stage of life. Every moment is hectic and precious. That’s one of the reasons I’m a big believer in setting goals for myself. It’s all too easy for a year to pass in a tsunami of responsibility with little to show for the constant effort required to keep a family afloat. I like results! When I set goals I have a clear direction ahead and I can focus my efforts on creating the life I want, rather than the life I get. At the beginning of 2012 I took a stab at setting goals for my fledgling author activities and I thought it would be interesting now, at the dawn of a New Year, to take a look at how I did. So here goes: 1. “Shades of Teale” tells the story of a woman’s journey through an increasingly unhappy marriage to a better sense of her own strength on the other side. One of my goals was to connect with women’s organizations to explore ways of using my novel to help people move into happier lives. I didn’t get very far with this one so if you think you can introduce me to anyone with whom I could have a profitable conversation, please get in touch! 2. Goal #2 was to develop a set of meditation cards and bring them to market as a means of supporting my message of hope, particularly for people trapped in bitter domestic situations. The cards are currently in production and I’m looking forward to a January launch, so stay tuned! 3. I also wanted to welcome the “Shades of Teale” e-book to the world. This was duly achieved and you can purchase a copy of “Shades of Teale” on Kindle. 4. Although I had originally wanted to sell out the original press run and create enough demand for a reprint, my own marketing efforts fell prey to the exigencies of running both a business and a family. There’s still another year ahead! 5. Finally, I wanted to do at least three virtual book tours. This was another project that didn’t get off the ground, although I did complete numerous book signings. Again, there’s always 2013! Promoting a book will take as much time as you have available and I’m moving into 2013 a little more efficiently. I’m now the author of a second published book called “Passages to Epiphany.” This is a collection of short stories and creative non-fiction pieces about awakenings and so there is even more to promote in the months ahead. If you feel you’d like to lend a hand in any way, I invite you to get in touch! I’m always open to offers of help and I appreciate all goodwill that comes my way. In the meantime, all the best for a super year ahead!...
Read MoreTune in January 2nd to watch Susan Crossman on the Oprah Winfrey Network!
Back in the spring I was invited to participate in filming for a television program called “Oprah’s Truth Project” that was being developed for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). You may have read my blog about that experience. The opportunity had cropped up out of the blue, as these things sometimes do, and it was an honour to be included in the show. My interviewer, Dale Curd, asked me questions about “Love and Regret” and without spoiling the punch line, “Shades of Teale” figured in my answers. There is a huge amount of work involved in putting a TV series together and after many months of attention to both the big picture vision of the program and the many details that make it work, the producers of the show have announced that the series, now renamed “Life Story,” will begin airing with back-to-back episodes on January 2nd at 9:00 pm on the Oprah Winfrey Network. I’ve been told that my segment will be airing on the inaugural night during either the 9:00 or 9:30 episode, so if you’re interested in seeing what I and other guests on the program have to say, I encourage you to tune in. The series promises to be a great exploration of the human connection and it unrolls under the able guidance of hosts Andrea Syrtash and Dale Curd. Andrea is a relationship expert, author and on-air personality. She writes extensively on the topic of relationships and speaks about effective relationships at events, conferences and in the media. Andrea is also a relationship coach who focuses on helping people live authentically in life and in love. I’m told she is a highly sensitive individual with a gift for bringing the promise of strong relationships into authentic reality. Dale, who interviewed me, is a trained psychotherapist and an experienced communicator who specializes in decoding men’s issues and de-mystifying male behaviour. He contributes to numerous TV and radio programs and among his many other achievements, he co-founded and launched Changebullying, an experiential workshop for students that’s aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of bullying in schools. I’m thrilled to be a part of this project and I hope you will join me in watching the entire series. I’ve heard that the show will be giving us all a taste of many heart-warming stories and I’m looking forward to the humbling messages of inspiration that are sure to be involved in the process. As someone who feels enormous compassion for those of us on this journey called Life, I give the Oprah Winfrey Network and its “Life Story” partner, Corus Entertainment, a big tip of the hat for bringing us all a little closer to the stories that connect us all with our own humanity. We’re all in this together and it’s wonderful to be a part of a project that brings the point home in such powerful and poignant ways. If you’d like more information on the series, check out the Corus announcement! And best wishes for a bright week! ...
Read MoreLife is a Dance!
They say that change is a constant and I see that statement confirmed everyday in my writing business. Everything from the type of work people ask me to undertake to the types of problems they ask me to solve is a fluid dance of step and respond. I’ve responded by making some changes in both how my business is structured and in the types of services I offer. Evolution of any type excites me and it’s no less true when I look at my business. I started 2012 offering mainly writing and editing services for businesses and as the year draws to a close I am looking at a client services profile that includes the writing and editing for sure, but it now also incorporates coaching. Over the past 11 months I’ve been involved in a number of coaching and training programs that have broadened my skill set and given me a much more profound understanding of performance and achievement. I am highly goal oriented myself. Over the past 12 months I: Oversaw the publication of my first novel by a traditional publishing house Oversaw the publication of my first collection of short stories Completed my MA Obtained my private pilot’s licence Went skiing in the mountains of BC Went on a spiritual retreat in BC Travelled to Nepal, a destination I’ve wanted to visit for decades Travelled to California once and Arizona three times Underwent 11 months of coaches training Was filmed for a program for the Oprah Winfrey Network Successfully billed, in one 40-day period, twice what my previous record monthly billing had been Finally organized family photos and put them up around the house (this was important because after my husband died I was shattered and couldn’t bear to look at pictures from my “happily married family years” – too much sadness was involved. Selecting the pictures with my kids’ help and putting them up around the house marked a huge turning point for us all.) Was named Director of Communications for the Intercultural Open University Foundation, an international educational organization focused on mentoring social change agents to their MA and PhD degrees It’s a sweet list! This year, in honour of the Festive Season that is fast approaching, I have put together a goal coaching package so I can share my success secrets and help other folks get the knack of developing a dreams-come-true life of their own. My coaching takes place in person, over the phone or via Skype. You’ll find details of my coaching program in an email I’ll be sending out over the next week or two. It includes a number of other seasonal specials I’m offering this year as well. The discounts are huge! And as the year draws to a close, I urge you to take a look at what I’m offering and see if my services might make a difference to your quality of life or that of someone you hold dear. Change is constant. How we respond to it is up to us....
Read MoreOf waves and water, life and dreams
A number of people have asked me why I chose to open my novel, “Shades of Teale” on a rainy beach and I love that question because it brings back such lovely memories for me. The truth of the matter is that at the time I began writing this novel there was a stunning beach located right outside my back door. The beach had become a powerful part of my life and it was exceedingly easy for me to imagine poor sodden Teale sitting cramped and hopeful on the sand just beyond my property line. My husband and I had moved to Port Stanley, Ontario, a few years before I began writing “Teale,” and we were steeped in the wonder of our beachfront home. We had decided to give up on life in the big city and live “The Dream.” And what a dream it was! The house itself was an open concept beauty with four bedrooms and three levels, and huge windows gave us panoramic views of Lake Erie. At the time we had only three children, each of them on access schedules with their other biological parents. We had two big dogs, a Chocolate Lab named “Zeppy” and a German Shepherd we had called “Jedi.” I used to go out every morning and walk the beach with my dogs, treading the snow dunes with them in the cold winter months, and throwing sticks for them to chase the rest of the year. It was a peaceful life, idyllic and comfortable, and it was on those morning walks that Teale’s story began to take shape. After our sandy journey along the edge of the shore, I would head back into my office and start my work day. As a writer focused on PR, corporate communications and marketing work, it was easy to work out of my home and I was always grateful for the balcony that lay just beyond my desk. It was never too much of a distraction as I always had the option of ending my day with another jaunt along the beach — pure luxury! In those years on the beach I discovered how fascinating a beach and its lake can be. The color of the water ranged from steely gray in sour weather to deep cosmic blue on a fine summer day. When I actually started writing Teale’s story I realized that it matched the kind of beach day that is cold and unfriendly, the kind of day that invites a retreat back into the house for a cup of hot tea and a book by the fire. I have wonderful memories of living on the beach and both my husband and I were sad when the time came to move on into a different chapter of our lives. The beach will always live on for me, however, in the pages of the book that got its start in the comforting sand of what is, in my mind, still to this day, a truly Great Lake....
Read MoreGetting Away and Gaining Insight – A Writer Goes to Nepal
I could never have imagined the depth of experience two weeks in Nepal would deliver and I have no doubt that the sights, sounds, smells and memories of Kathmandu and points beyond will stay with me for a very long time. My travels within this small country perched between China and India will no doubt enlighten my writing in surprising ways and I can’t wait to see what bubbles up over the next few years. But describing what I did and saw will be easier than trying to encapsulate the emotional experience of being in a Third World country for the first time. I’ve come home with a renewed sense of how privileged I am to live in a place where electricity, hot water and medical care are always at my fingertips. The 36 hours it took to get to Nepal was like a passage to another time, another world. This is a country where cows roam the streets at will and killing one, even accidentally, is punishable by 20 years in jail. There is a large wild dog population in Nepal and they all seemed to spend their days sleeping comfortably on sidewalks or public monuments. I could hear them howling and barking at night as they did whatever wild dogs do in the dark. Sometimes I wasn’t sure the barking I heard was canine in origin. Sometimes it was a chilling sound. I saw a variety of other types of wildlife in urban settings in Nepal as well — chickens, goats and monkeys seemed to be everywhere and how they all maintained their lives in the relentless stream of traffic was beyond me. In Kathmandu, at least, the streets were filled with all manner of vehicles and drivers seemed to have an intuitive sense of space and impeccable timing that I don’t think I could replicate. I saw many historic sites in Nepal, and some were UNESCO world heritage sites, ancient and steeped in mystery. I also saw the country’s living Goddess, the Kumari, a young girl whose glance is rare and highly prized. Heading into the mountains I was part of a ceremony dedicated to the consecration of land on an organic coffee plantation and I was blessed by the Hindu priest who performed the ceremony. Buddhist monks at a mountain top monastery said prayers for me and my travelling companions, and the hand-made metal singing bowl I purchased at a traditional bowl maker’s shop was blessed by the abbot of another Buddhist monastery. At a book signing in a classical and very beautiful garden, I met Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche, author of “Living Fully,” a book about finding calm and purpose in a modern world. I took a small airplane ride along the spine of the Himalayas and saw Mount Everest from the air. I spoke with a miller’s daughter in a rural village. I witnessed a traditional witch doctor performing channelled healing rituals on people suffering a variety of ailments and I climbed to the sacred Temple of Wishes where people brought goats, chickens and pigeons to be sacrificed in the pursuit of their heart-felt hopes for their lives and those they loved. In short, the kaleidoscope of life that swept past my eyes and heart in Nepal was dizzying and vast. I’m home now and carried away again by the hectic rhythm of work and family, business and life. But part of me is still gazing out over the mountainsides and terraced rice fields of what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries on Earth. The words will...
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