I write articles for regional parenting publications for love and money. And one of my favorite topics is how to take better care of mom, whether that means mom taking care of herself or family members appreciating mom as they rightly should.

Here’s a guided tour of some of my more mom-centric work:

The Art of Making Time for Yourself
Published in MetroParent, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Moving Beyond Mommy Burnout
Our Kids San Antonio, Texas

150 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas!
Red River Family, Lawton, Oklahoma

10 Unique Ways To Say “I Love You” This Mother’s Day
Neapolitan Family, Naples, Florida

Happy Mother’s Day 2012, moms!

Today, May 5th, is the fifth discussion question for the Beyond Busy Global Monthly Book Club. We just finished Anne Lamott’s Some Assembly Required, A Journal of My Son’s First Son and now we will spend seven days discussing it. Anyone who has read the book can participate by commenting.

Our next book selection is the hot-off-the-presses Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel. You can join our public BBGMBC Facebook group, if you would like to join us in reading one excellent quality book per month and then discussing it here.

Some Assembly Required, A Journal of My Son’s First Son is written by Anne Lamott with Sam Lamott and published by Riverhead in 2012.

This question was suggested by Mary Lou Gomes. Thanks, Mary Lou!

How does your age and life circumstances impact how you respond to this book?

Whether you are an older parent with adult children and grandchildren or a young mom with young children, how does your life experience change how you feel about this book?

Please describe yourself and your life circumstances in your comment.

Every once in a while, good things happen to good people. And whenever this happens, I think it’s a cause for celebration. And, I don’t know about you, but I kinda feel the urge to grab my drum and join the circle.

You may have noticed that I used Cheryl Strayed as an example of tech-savvy writer in my recent post on how to be become a tech-savvy writer for #AWP12.

That’s because she planned the big reveal of her identity as “Dear Sugar” from the Rumpus’s Dear Sugar column just before the launch of her forthcoming book, Wild (publication March 20, 2012 from Knopf).

I thought this was a very smart move on Cheryl’s part. And I’m not going to take that back. It was incredibly smart. I want her to have full credit.

But let’s not forget about the power of traditional media. I have said this before and this seems like a good time to say it again.

While flying back and forth to Chicago, it seemed like I could not crack open a magazine (I cracked open many, it’s what I do when I’m flying) without seeing plugs for Cheryl’s new book splashed, Wild, across the pages in full color.

Was I envious?

A tiny bit. Who wouldn’t be? I think it’s only natural. But that little pang passed quickly. I got over it about two minutes after I saw her spread in The Oregonian, before I’d even left home for the conference.

After my two minutes of self-pity were up, I felt jubilant for Cheryl and for her family. I was pumping my fist in the air chanting, “Go, Cheryl!”

I gave Cheryl a big high ten in the lobby of the Hilton when I saw her at AWP. I am excited not just for her, but because traditional publishing still manages to work despite all the odds against it. This feels like something of a miracle. Especially when it works for someone you know. Especially when it works for someone who is also a mom. Especially when there is no trace of ego.

Cheryl is  a mom, and when a mom writer wins, that’s a win for the whole tribe.

So, go mom writers! Go, Cheryl. Rock those bestseller lists!

I predict that Cheryl's book is going to become the Eat. Pray. Love. of 2012. Mark my words.

I predict that Cheryl’s book is going to become the Eat. Pray. Love. of 2012.

Mark my words.

I could not be more thrilled for Cheryl. I am full of hope for her and all of us.

I hope her book is big. I hope it’s huge. I hope it blows the roof off all the bestseller lists.

I hope you will stop whatever you are doing and pre-order it right now.

There is power in the sisterhood of mothers. We may not always feel the power or act on it.

But when someone is worthy and hardworking, like Cheryl, we have the ability to add our vote to a mom’s rise to success.

Cheryl is very humble and deserving. She won’t be changed by the success. I hope you will jump on board on help me cheer her on.

Here are all the ways you can order.

Thank you for adding Wild to your pile of must-reads.

My latest article for Writer's Digest appears in the Writer's Yearbook 2012 on stands and available from WD.com now!

If you have read any of my new book, you know that it focuses on putting your writing at the center of your writing career, and allowing everything else to follow from there.

Yes, you need to learn more skills than ever to succeed at a professional writing career, but the writing must come first and as writers we must return to the writing over and over as we grow our careers.

I have been working with writers for over a decade now and here is what I’ve noticed: a writing writer is a happy writer. And a writer who is doing everything else besides writing, when writing is what they’d really rather be doing, is an unhappy writer.

If you are a writer, everything you are emerges from the writing you actually do. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than that.

Enter 2012. We now have more tools available to produce our own success than ever. But this brings a new dilemma—which tools do we use and when? How do we know what to do? How can we do what we do with excellence? And how can we create consistently positive results?

Well, just as the writing would not happen without a writer’s full engagement, writing success won’t happen on its own or maintain itself without your thoughtful, focused attention. It also helps to have a great mentor and be surrounded by other who behave like professionals.

A challenge for me, as a writer and writing coach, has been how can I clone myself? How can I help thousands of writers without becoming personally drained, emotionally exhausted, and creatively spent on a daily basis?

How do I get my hard-won knowledge about helping writers create writing career success to writers and still take care of my own professional and personal responsibilities?

Well, I’ve worked long and hard to solve this dilemma. And I feel I have finally resolved it. Here’s how you can work with me if you would like to:

I write books and workbooks for a global audience of writers. You may know what books I am talking about (Writer Mama, Get Known, Author Mama, and The Writer’s Workout). I have one workbook out so far, with more to roll out in 2012 (so far, Build Your Author Platform goes with Get Known.) If you want to know what I know, read my books. If you read my books and liked them, I would appreciate your word-of-mouth support any time you want to give it. I especially appreciate book reviews.

I write articles for a global audience of writers. I don’t have to ask people to read my articles, they are widely read and widely appreciated by writers. But hey, if you want to forward links to your favorites or tweet them or post them on Facebook, I am all for it. If you want more depth on subtopics of what I know, please read my articles.

I write articles on topics I enjoy writing about for regional audiences of women, moms and parents. I don’t tend to buzz these much because I sell and resell them year after year. Some day, I’ll put them all in a collection, but not yet. Chances are very good that your regional parenting magazine editor is already on my regular contact list.

I audio coach wide audiences of writers. This is new. I learned how to do this in the “flash class” to celebrate the launch of The Writer’s Workout and it went so unbelievably well that I decided to do more in 2012. In the meantime, my newsletter subscribers have first dibs on the first audio coaching session this year.

I speak to large groups of writers. I give keynotes, presentations, workshops, and I moderate panels. My objective whenever I speak is always to inspire writers to wake up and seize the opportunities that are right in front of us. Listeners tell me they are inspired into action by this focus. If you have heard me speak, feel free to get in touch and let me know what you thought.

I teach small groups of writers on a six-week basis. I have been teaching groups of writers consistently for ten years. My writing classes launch writing careers. I teach five sessions of small classes a year. My students learn skills that they can immediately apply to their writing, selling, self-promotion, specializing, and micro-publishing repertoire.

I train small groups of former students on a half-year basis. I have been doing this for two years and I absolutely love it. Via my five-month training groups, my former students get more support from me, I get to encourage them as a group, and the members encourage each other. The results are so powerful they sometimes bring me to tears.

I produce my own success while simultaneously partnering with trust-worthy others. Don’t skip over the “trust-worthy” part. If I feel that if someone is no longer an excellent resource, I will simply stop recommending them. I don’t just partner with anyone for the sake of cronyism. I am selective, conscientious, and a good judge of character.

I am a writer, a writing career coach, a speaker, and a teacher. I keep writing at the center of everything I do. And I encourage every other writer on the planet to do the same thing.

I help writers get from however they feel today to personally and professionally satisfied with their writing life. There is no reason to wait. Success is not “out there.” It’s right here and it’s always waiting for us to wake up and get back to work.

Writing career success never happens overnight. The job is never done. But you’d better believe that it happens. And it can happen for you in 2012. I hope that it does. And I hope that my work is helpful.

Do you know any moms who are involved with mother-daughter book clubs?

Cindy, where did the idea for mom-daughter book club planning guides come from?

I often hear from moms and librarians who lead book clubs, asking me for ideas of what to do at their meetings. I know from my own experience that planning a book club gathering can be a challenge. It takes time to figure out how you’ll lead the discussion, what kind of activities you want to pull together and what food to serve. The guides I have created put all these ideas into one document along with a book review and an interview with the author to make planning a meeting easy.

It sounds like you have a depth of knowledge about the inner life of mother-daughter book clubs, how did you become such an expert?

It all started when I created my first mother-daughter book club with my oldest daughter ten years ago. I started another with my youngest daughter three years later. A few years after that, I developed MotherDaughterBookClub.com to provide a resource for moms, librarians and others who were in groups of their own, and I have learned even more from readers who write in to ask my advice or tell me of their success stories.

What are the benefits of mother-daughter book clubs for those readers who might be considering starting one with their daughter or daughters?

There are so many benefits I could go on and on, but if I had to narrow it down to just a few, these are the ones I think are most important.

1. Mother-daughter book clubs help you stay closer to you daughter as she grows.
2. They help you connect with the broader community around you, such as other moms and daughters, librarians, teachers, and more.
3. They keep moms and daughters reading for fun, which has proven to be one of the most effective ways to promote overall literacy throughout your life.

How do your meeting planner guides make a mom’s job easier when she’s hosting a mom-daughter book club at her house?

I’ve included way more ideas than can be used for one meeting, so a mom can choose the ones that will work best for her group. The activities and recipes in the guides include options that are easy as well as those that are more complicated, so she can pick what works with the time she has available as well.

Are there other ways to use these meeting planner guides that might not be immediately apparent?

When moms buy the collection, the whole group benefits from easy planning for six meetings. For some groups, that’s a year’s worth of book clubs. And of course, if you like the recipes you can use them even when you’re not planning a book club meeting.

One of your daughters has gone off to college and now off for a year abroad, do you credit the mom-daughter bookclub you started together for keeping you close today?

Absolutely! Being in book club kept us talking through the most difficult teen years, and reading the same books that she did gave me insight into issues that were important in her life.

Which part of being an expert on mother-daughter book clubs is your favorite part?

I truly believe mother-daughter book clubs change lives, and if I can help even one more get started by doing what I do, that makes me very happy.

You can learn more about Cindy, Mother-Daughter Book Clubs, Cindy’s Guidebook, and her new collection of Meeting Planner Guides at her website.

Thanks for helping me support Cindy’s Meeting Planner collection launch. I appreciate your help spreading the word!

I’m starting to get really excited about the launch party for The Writer’s Workout.

Just so everyone knows, there are going to be TWO official launch parties, and I’m book-ending them around my 45th birthday.

I mean if you are going to have a mid-life crisis, you should really have it in between two parties, don’t you think?

One party is going to be live, here in Wilsonville, as part of the Northwest Author Series on December 4th from 3:30 – 5:30 in the Oak Room at the Wilsonville Public Library.

This is my fifth season as creator and host of this home-town author series that celebrates Northwest Authors. I will be presenting on the topic of The Writer’s Workout: Whip Your Literary Ambitions Into Shape.

Space will be somewhat limited, so please arrive early. And save room for cake!

Since I don’t think everyone can make it to the live event, and I know and admire writers from all over the world, the OTHER launch is going to be virtual, right here in my blog, in both the front of the house (the part everyone can experience) and in the back of the house (the part only certain people can experience).

I know that it’s one thing to read content in a book, and it’s quite another to hear it from the author, so I’m going to share five pep talks for writers that highlight key points from the book in a virtual coaching room on my blog on the day of the launch. Everyone who pre-orders The Writer’s Workout by December 6th is welcome to come on back and hear what I have to say.

My goal is to raise all writing career boats to a whole new level through my teaching and books between now and the end of 2011.

You’ve heard of a Flash Mob?

This is going to be kind of like a Flash Class.

And as far as I know, no one has ever done this. So be there or be square.

To be invited “backstage,” all you have to do is send me your pre-order receipt to: katz christina at comcast dot net. (That’s my e-mail address in anti-spammer speak.)

You can even send your receipt on the day of the party, but of course, the earlier the better. And don’t you want to be one of the first to come back stage for the festivities on December 6th? (You do. Because there will be door-buster prizes.)

Besides I’m going to give you ideas that you can apply to your writing career growth immediately and before the New Year arrives. I’m going to help every writer I reach better compete in the new economy in 2012.

I cannot promise you “cake” at the virtual party necessarily.

But I can promise you an educational, inspirational time that will help you get mentally prepared and emotionally psyched for the year ahead.

So place your pre-order now for The Writer’s Workout, so that you won’t miss out on all any of the festivities.

Also don’t forget that I’m offering incentives each month for folks to pre-order.

This month, every person who pre-orders will receive a complimentary copy of my e-book, Author Mama, How I Became A Published Author & How You Can Too. (Read how much others love it here.)

Join us! We’re going to have fun learning and stretching and growing together on December 6th right here.

We did it!

And when I say “we,” I mean there is a long list of folks, who helped me get from wanting to publish my first e-book to actually having published it.

I will tell you the whole story with all the steps I took and how you can take them too, soon. It’s a good story and I want to share it. But first, I have several more e-book formats to tackle for Author Mama and it’s not like I can just snap my fingers and it is done.

In the meantime, Author Mama is available on Kindle! Woo-hoo! And I am very pleased. You can check it out here. You can also read Author Mama as a PDF doc.

Special thanks to Rob Siders, who did the e-book formatting, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, who did the cover art, and Cindy Hudson, who did the final edit.

Thanks for helping me spread the word.

Number of cups of coffee: 3

Number of trips taxi driving back and forth to school: 2

Number of blog posts written: 3 (including this one)

Number of times dogs taken out: 3

Loads of laundry washed: 0

Number of chapters written for book: 3.5 (not nearly enough)

Number of time husband nagged: Only a couple

Number of cups of tea: 1

Number of emails responded to: Couple dozen

Dishes washed: 0

Number of family members notified about Samantha’s part as young Cosette in “Les Mis”: 18

Number of e-zine issues sent out: 1

Number of cats patted: 2

Number of minutes spent throughout day on Facebook: 15

Number of cats scolded: 2

Number of times microwave used: Too shameful to divulge

Number of editor requests responded to: 5

Number of times asking daughter if she is “listening to my words”: More than I care to share

Number of lunches rescheduled: 1

Number of minutes spent throughout day on Twitter: 10

Number of invoices sent: 1

Number of hours creating article database: 3

Number of kisses, hugs and “I love yous”: Plenty to go around

Number of rejections: 1

Number of writer mom friends called: 1

Number of interruptions to phone call: About 5

Number of checks in the P.O. Box…I’m off to find out.

Have a great week!

~ Photo by Stewf

I launched Author Mama in beta (trial) version in March and then in alpha (final) version in May. Coming soon, the Kindle version. And then shortly thereafter, I’ll launch the POD version.

In the meantime, I’ve rounded up the initial feedback on Author Mama. Check out what the first round of readers had to say:

This book couldn’t have come at a better time! Christina Katz’s insightful Author Mama joins my copy of Writer Mama as I move from freelancing to nonfiction books. This is a reference I will use over and over; the chapters are well written and in an easy, conversational tone that make this insider’s guide to publishing a gem. ~ Stacey Graham

Christina Katz does it again! Author Mama is a well-balanced tightly written e-book that provides insight, wisdom and advice for writers looking to publish. Christina shares precious nuggets from her personal experiences of how she became a published author and delivers all of it with her signature thoughtfulness and wry humor. This is another “must have” that writers should have on their resource shelves. ~ Judy M. Miller

Author Mama has it all! Christina Katz has done an amazing job putting everything an author mama needs from getting started writing a book all the way through to publication. She has left no topic untouched from celebrating each step completed in the book writing process to the changes taking place in traditional publishing. Especially unique in this e-book are the sections on paying attention to physical and mental health needs during the book-writing process. This is a book you will definitely want to have on your desk for reference as you begin the process of pitching and then writing your first book! ~ Sarah Joyce Bryant

I loved reading Christina’s book, Author Mama! With a red pen in one hand and a highlighter in another, I completely devoured the book within a few days. It was so easy to read, and I’m amazed at how much I learned. And, despite the tough love and honesty that Christina uses to teach us about the book writing process, I am not discouraged one bit. I’m actually more excited about the process than before I read Author Mama. I would recommend this book to anyone considering starting the journey of becoming an author, mama or not. ~ Jen Levin

Just like in Writer Mama and Get Known Before the Book Deal, Christina Katz delivers a practical, easy-to-follow guide based on personal experience. This is a must-have resource for those of us writer mamas with aspirations of someday landing our own book deal. ~ Liz Sheffield

Author Mama is a pragmatic, personable read for new and seasoned author mamas alike, offering conversational and comprehensive information in a supportive but realistic tone. I wish this conversational and comprehensive guide had been around when my first book was published! ~ Jenn Crowell

Christina’s writing style is so engaging it’s as if you were discussing author characteristics with her over a cup of coffee. Her enthusiasm for her craft is obvious in her well-organized content and aspiring author action steps. Thanks, Christina, for providing would-be authors with the knowledge and resources necessary to write that first book. ~ Kim Murray

Author Mama takes fear of the unknown out of the book-publishing equation. Christina Katz gives you the essentials you need to get your book written and published, along with additional resources. I feel confident that I, too, can follow these steps. ~ Kathleen McDade

The words of encouragement and direction Christina Katz offers up in Author Mama will point you in the right direction as you navigate the publishing world. ~ Donna M. McDine

What I love about Christina’s books is she takes overwhelming topics and chops them up into manageable segments. Not only is her knowledge comprehensive, it’s a relief to know she learned so much about writing and publishing as a mom. Author Mama presented some new ideas to me and it reminded me of other concepts I’d forgotten about. ~ Heather Mark

Tight writing in an easy-to-read format and exercises you can start today will have you moving towards a book deal at a realistic pace. ~ Mary Jo Campbell

As an aspiring writer mama, I am relishing the information in Author Mama by Christina Katz. I feel closer to the writing world craving more. I appreciate Katz’s honesty, intelligence, and encouragement she radiates for all writer mamas and soon to be author mamas. ~ Kristen R. Murphy

It takes something special to make me buy an ebook. And I think Christina Katz’ work is that kind of special. [Author Mama] goes through the different stages of getting a book published. She shares from her own authoring experiences plus how the current state of publishing changes the experience for current and future authors. Most chapters come with recommendations or activities for readers to try out. ~ Jaymie Dieterle, Bring on the Books blog

For all those who were so inspired by Writer Mama that they decided to write a book, Author Mama is the essential next step.  ~ Karen Banes

Keep reading about Author Mama here.

If you are a writer mama and you think you might like to write a traditionally published book some day, I hope you will give Author Mama a read. By the time you are done, you’ll have a much better idea of what is required in the pitching and writing phases of the first-book process. Here’s what first readers have to say:

Christina’s writing style is so engaging it’s as if you were discussing author characteristics with her over a cup of coffee. Her enthusiasm for her craft is obvious in her well-organized content and aspiring author action steps. Thanks, Christina, for providing would-be authors with the knowledge and resources necessary to write that first book.  ~ Kim Murray

What I love about Christina’s books is she takes overwhelming topics and chops them up into manageable segments. Not only is her knowledge comprehensive, it’s a relief to know she learned so much about writing and publishing as a mom. Author Mama presented some new ideas to me and it reminded me of other concepts I’d forgotten about.  ~ Heather Mark

Author Mama has it all! Christina Katz has done an amazing job putting everything an author mama needs to get started writing a book all the way through to publication. Katz has left no topic untouched from celebrating each step completed in the book writing process to the changes taking place in traditional publishing. Especially unique in this e-book are the sections on paying attention to physical and mental health needs during the book writing/publishing process. This is a book you will definitely want to have next to you on your desk for reference as you begin the process of pitching and then writing your first book!  ~ Sarah Joyce Bryant

For all those who were so inspired by Writer Mama that they decided to write a book, Author Mama is the essential next step.  ~ Karen Banes

Learn more about Author Mama here.