Blisscraft Life With Christina Katz

And the winner of Mama Insider: Laughing (And Sometimes Crying) All The Way Through Pregnancy, Birth and the First Three Months by Abigail Green is…

Heidi Smith Luedtke!

Heidi’s response was:

There are certainly days when the writing life doesn’t feel as creative as I thought it would. I think writing has a romantic mystique about it. And that idealized image isn’t a good match for my reality. Much of the time I am in project management mode, rather than creative mode. I break away from the computer and write first drafts longhand in order to free up some creative energies. The keyboard and screen seem to put me in editing, tracking and tweaking mode, and that makes it hard to let my creative energies flow.

Congratulations, Heidi!

If you missed the drawing for Mama Insider: Laughing (And Sometimes Crying) All The Way Through Pregnancy, Birth and the First Three Months by Abigail Green, you can read all about it here.

Important, winners: I need you to send me an e-mail with your mailing address so that I can send it on to the author and she can send you your signed book! Please include a phone number, as well.

Please send your address in an e-mail to “christina at christina katz dot com.”

Please put “Book Winner” in the subject line.

And thank you for supporting the giveaway and my work!

Thanks for participating. This is just day 25 of The Writer Mama Every Day In May Book Giveaway. We have 6 more days and winners to go! I hope you will spread the word.

Today is anthology day! So I will introduce each writer by bio, then share each writer’s interview, describe the anthology, and then move right on to the next writer.

Comment for your chance to win one of three great anthologies. We’ll select three winners!

About Lela Davidson

Lela Davidson has built a writing career on everyday humor and candid observations. Lela is an award-winning author and essayist (Blacklisted from the PTA, 2011), a journalist (the TODAY Show Moms blog), and a columnist for Brooke Burke’s Modern Mom. She is an entertaining professional speaker, who charms audiences on topics ranging from marketing and social media to family life, marriage, and the challenges of being over-40 in a Botox world. Lela appears regularly on television and serves as Associate Editor of Peekaboo magazine. Her humorous, inspirational essays have appeared in family and parenting magazines throughout North America, as well as in Chicken Soup for the Soul: New Moms. Her book marketing advice has been featured in Writer’s Digest.

When did you know for sure that you were a writer and that writing would be a major energy focus in your life?

I started writing in 2003, and I started suddenly, filling spiral notebooks with eager responses to the teachings and prompts of Natalie Goldberg and Julie Cameron. That is when the writer part of me knew, but the rational me wasn’t sure until she got external validation. That really came in 2006 when I started getting my work out there and people told me they enjoyed it. That’s when I decided to figure out a way to “make a writing life.”

Who has always been behind your writing career and who helped pull you up the ladder of success?

My family is incredible supportive, especially considering they are the topic of much of my writing! I will always be grateful to a wonderful writer friend I knew at the time started writing. She made it okay to write. I still thought that for me, it was probably a silly waste of time that would amount to nothing, but her encouragement allowed me to try. The writers group I joined soon after I started writing was invaluable. There I learned many elements of craft and discipline. I’m a book learner, so I have a full home library of amazing instruction. Which brings me to Writer Mama. When I met Christina Katz at a conference I knew I wanted to learn more from her than what was on the pages in her books. I kick and scream through every class, but they have made all the difference in my success.

What is the most frequent comment you hear about your book (or books) from readers? Tell us a little story about the response to your work.

People respond to my writing because it’s what they’re thinking, only funnier. Whenever people talk to me or each other about the stories I tell, they inevitably start telling stories of their own. That’s all I ever wanted to do–sit around on my driveway drinking wine and laughing.

Lela will give away a copy of Women Writing on Family, Tips on Writing, Teaching and Publishing. This book provides guidance and insight for women who write about family. Award-winning women writers from all walks of life share their experiences in planning, composing, editing, publishing, teaching, and promoting work in a variety of writing genres. Readers will learn to tackle sensitive family issues and avoid pitfalls in memoir writing, poetry, fiction, and others. Filled with tips, exercises, and anecdotes, this anthology is appropriate for both well-seasoned writers and those just beginning.

About Lorraine Wilde

Lorraine Wilde is a freelance journalist, environmental scientist, and mother of twin eight-year old boys. She’s published over 50 articles in respected publications including Parents Magazine, Ithaca Child, Ohio Valley Parent, and Nashville Parent, and she blogs regularly at My Wilde World  (www.lorrainewilde.com) and easytolovebut.com.

When did you know for sure that you were a writer and that writing would be a major energy focus in your life?

I knew for sure that I was a writer in 1998 when I was working as a scientific consultant from my home office. I had less than a week to complete a solid 25,000 word report for the U.S. EPA based on others research and data and my boss had no time to help or edit. I worked in pajamas most days. When I sent it off on Friday afternoon, two hours before the deadline, I felt inspired and proud, without stress or exhaustion. In that moment I knew I could be a writer and actually enjoy the process.

Who has always been behind your writing career and who helped pull you up the ladder of success?

My husband Mike has always been supportive of my writing career, whether I’m earning money or not, jumping a hurdle, trying something new, or frustrated to death, he’s always there.

With the training and advice of Writer Mama, Get Known, and Christina’s WPSS class, I have been pulling myself up the success ladder. The support of Christina, the other writers from her classes, and fellow authors I’ve met at writers conferences have given me the tools and courage to make it happen.

What is the most frequent comment you hear about your book (or books) from readers? Tell us a little story about the response to your work.

The most frequent comment I hear about Easy to Love… is, “I was so comforted by the stories of what other parents had gone through with their child with ‘invisible’ special needs. What they experienced is exactly what I’m going through and knowing I’m not alone has lessened the panic and confusion. I am so thankful.”

And the winner of Keepsake, A Novel by Kristina Riggle is…

Lisa S.!

Lisa’s response was:

I don’t think there is anything “abnormal” about writer mamas, but then I’m one of them and I don’t necessarily see myself as not normal. But I think that is because with age and acceptance I’ve realized I’m a writer and I’m going to write whether or not people think that is normal or not, because at this point in my life I really don’t care. However, I don’t like to talk about being a writer or my writing with people who don’t write because often times they just don’t get it. I think people would consider me very normal in everyday life, however I have written one short story that is very bizarre, (and it was sooo much fun to write!) I think it is fun to experiment and be abnormal in my writing.

Congratulations, Lisa!

If you missed the drawing for Keepsake by Kristina Riggle, you can read all about it here.

Important, winners: I need you to send me an e-mail with your mailing address so that I can send it on to the author and she can send you your signed book! Please include a phone number, as well.

Please send your address in an e-mail to “christina at christina katz dot com.”

Please put “Book Winner” in the subject line.

And thank you for supporting the giveaway and my work!

Thanks for participating. This is just day 24 of The Writer Mama Every Day In May Book Giveaway. We have 7 more days and winners to go! I hope you will spread the word.

I have known Abigail Green since I was working on Writer Mama. In fact, I remember that Abby was instrumental in helping me write one of the chapters for the book, when I just couldn’t seem to nail it myself. The specific, helpful advice she gave has become typical of the kind of insight her students rely on in essay-writing classes she has been teaching for years. And of course, she would not be teaching essay-writing if she was not a seasoned, successful essay writer and journalist herself.

If you would like a taste of Abby’s sassy take on new motherhood, you must check out her new e-book, Mama Insider: Laughing (And Sometimes Crying) All The Way Through Pregnancy, Birth and the First Three Months. I think the title pretty much says it all! Please help me welcome Abby!

About Abigail Green

Abigail Green has been a freelance writer for more than 15 years. She has published over 200 articles and essays in such places as American Baby, Health, and Smithsonian magazine, as well as A Cup of Comfort for New Mothers, Babble.com, and TheBump.com. She also teaches online classes for writers of all levels on how to write and publish personal essays. You can find out more about Abby at http://www.AbigailGreen.com or on her blog, http://www.AbbyOfftheRecord.com, where she writes about parenting, publishing, and life in Baltimore with her husband and two insanely active young boys.

About Mama Insider

I really thought I was prepared to have my first baby. I’d read the books and blogs, seen the movies and reality shows. In my 15+ years as a journalist, I’d even written articles on pregnancy symptoms, babymoons, and co-sleeping. And heaven knows I’d been to enough baby showers. Yet I was still surprised by so much of what I experienced during pregnancy, birth, and my first 3 months as a new mom.

For instance, no one told me that I might get pregnant and not realize it till I was already on my way to a booze-fueled girls’ weekend. Or that there are other insidious symptoms besides morning sickness, such as the dreaded Pregnancy Butt. Or that birthing classes can involve chanting and colorful hand-knit models of the placenta. (Or was that just mine?)

If you want the real scoop on pregnancy, birth, and the first 3 months of motherhood – the good, the bad, and the funny – from one (formerly) new mom to another, you’ve come to the right place. For the past 5+ years, I’ve been chronicling the joy and the craziness on my blog, and have heard from tons of other new moms about what’s on their sleep-deprived minds. I’m here to reassure you that you are not alone. You are not crazy. And you are going to do just fine as a mom. The proof that other people have been through it and survived is in this e-book.

You’ll find out:

• Why you shouldn’t be concerned by the size of your unborn baby’s nose
• What happens when you’re 10 days overdue and your doula goes on vacation
• New moms’ Frequently Asked Questions on such topics as cankles and clueless husbands
• The differences between Nervous Moms and Mellow Moms
• What “me time” looks like once you’re a mom
• How real moms lose the baby weight (hint: it’s not salad and Pilates)

Each of the 23 chapters in this 50-page e-book is short and easy to read while you’re feeding the baby, waiting for the pediatrician, or reheating your cup of coffee for the third time because you’re running on 3 hours sleep and are constantly being interrupted to pump, change diapers, start a load of laundry, or search under the couch for missing pacifiers.

The Very Short Interview

When did you know for sure that you were a writer and that writing would be a major energy focus in your life?

I’ve known I was a writer since I was a little girl writing mystery stories and comic strips on my bedroom floor. But it wasn’t until an internship at a newspaper in college that I started to think I could write for a living. There have been plenty of times I pulled away from freelance writing in frustration and despair, but I always end up coming back to writing. I know I’m a writer at heart, because I can’t NOT write.

Who has always been behind your writing career and who helped pull you up the ladder of success?

That’s easy: my parents. They are both teachers, and inspired in me a love of reading and writing early on. Over the years I have also found support from all sorts of different sources – writers’ groups, writing classes, conferences. I guess the most surprising source of support has been other writers I’ve connected with online, some of whom I’ve never met in person. It’s encouraging and awe-inspiring to me that strangers all over the world will reach out to others with no ulterior motive at all, simply to help out a fellow writer.

What is the most frequent comment you hear about your book (or books) from readers? Tell us a little story about the response to your work.

I get a lot of “you’re such a funny writer” and “I’m so glad I’m not alone.” I don’t get a big head about it because real life — at least mine — is SO much funnier and crazier than anything I could make up. I also love when readers say, “I really appreciate your honesty. You’ve put into words exactly what I feel.” One reader told me that before reading the book she was not enjoying her pregnancy much because she didn’t feel the way she thought a new mom was “supposed to” feel. The book made her laugh and realize her feelings were perfectly normal and nothing to be ashamed of.

And Now, Your Turn

Now it’s your turn. You remember how this works right?

I ask you a question. You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books). Please read the complete rules at least once!

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway! I hope to see you here every day this month. Bring your friends!

Is there some aspect of the writing life that doesn’t feel the way you thought it was supposed to feel? Is it normal to feel uncomfortable sometimes? How important is it to be able to embrace the ups and downs of the writing life without letting either the highs or the lows throw you off course?

Ready, set, comment!

And the winner of Build Your Author Platform by Christina Katz is…

Mar Junge!

Mar Junge’s response was:

I’ll more than likely self-publish before going the traditional publishing route, as I agree with Christina: “In five years, you won’t be able to find an author who is not traditionally published and self-published.” Hopefully, I’ll self-publish the historical fiction novel, but if not, then at least my memoirs and a collection of short stories. Barb’s self-assessment questions are great. Be sure you know WHY you want to make a significant investment of time and money to self-publish, understanding that there will be no or very little financial return on investment. What a difference a couple of years makes. Self publishing used to be the ugly sister. Now it looks like her time to shine at the ball has finally come – as long as we’re willing to pay the piper.

Congratulations, Mar!

If you missed the drawing for Build Your Author Platform by Christina Katz, you can read all about it here.

Important, winners: I need you to send me an e-mail with your mailing address so that I can send it on to the author and she can send you your signed book! Please include a phone number, as well.

Please send your address in an e-mail to “christina at christina katz dot com.”

Please put “Book Winner” in the subject line.

And thank you for supporting the giveaway and my work!

Thanks for participating. This is just day 23 of The Writer Mama Every Day In May Book Giveaway. We have 8 more days and winners to go! I hope you will spread the word.

I first crossed paths with Kristina Riggle at the AWP Conference in Chicago in 2009. She was there with a whole bunch of the Literary Mama gang, who are currently led by Caroline Grant.

In fact, if I’m remembering correctly, that was the time of the passing of the torch from former editor and co-founder, Amy Huddock to Caroline Grant. But don’t quote me on that.

Since then, Kristina Riggle has been busy writing novel after novel. In fact, she has come out with a novel a year for the past four years! Her fourth novel, Keepsake, comes out in June and Kristina was generous enough to offer a copy to one of our participants. Thank you for helping me welcome her!

About Kristina Riggle

Kristina Riggle lives and writes in West Michigan. Her debut novel, Real Life & Liars, was a Target “Breakout” pick and a “Great Lakes, Great Reads” selection by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. The Life You’ve Imagined was honored by independent booksellers as an IndieNext “Notable” book. Things We Didn’t Say was named a Midwest Connections pick of the Midwest Booksellers Association.

Kristina has published short stories in the Cimarron Review, Literary Mama, Espresso Fiction, and elsewhere, and she works as co-editor for fiction at Literary Mama. Kristina was a full-time newspaper reporter before turning her attention to creative writing. As well as writing, she enjoys reading, yoga, dabbling in (very) amateur musical theatre, and spending lots of time with her husband, two kids and dog.

Her latest novel, Keepsake, is about a compulsive hoarder and her estranged sister reluctantly joining forces to clean out the hoarded home when Child Protective Services comes calling, and much more than junk is uncovered. Learn more at http://www.kristinariggle.net.

About Keepsake, A Novel

From the critically acclaimed author of Real Life & Liars and Things We Didn’t Say comes a timely and provocative novel that asks, What happens when the things we own become more important than the people we love?

Trish isn’t perfect. She’s divorced, raising two kids — so of course her house isn’t pristine. But she’s got all the important things right and she’s convinced herself she has it all under control. That is, until the day her son gets hurt and Child Protective Services comes calling. It’s at that moment Trish is forced to consider the one thing she’s always hoped wasn’t true: that she’s living out her mother’s life as a compulsive hoarder.

The last person Trish ever wanted to turn to for help is her sister Mary — meticulous, perfect Mary whose house is always spotless … and who moved away from their mother to live somewhere else, just like Trish’s oldest child has done now. But now, working together to get Trish’s disaster of a home into livable shape, two very different sisters are about to uncover more than just piles of junk , as years of secrets, resentments, obsessions, and pain are finally brought into the light.

The Very Short Interview

When did you know for sure that you were a writer and that writing would be a major energy focus in your life?

I’ve always felt like a writer since I could read. My first career path was as a journalist, though the creative writing and fiction were always what I felt most passionate about. The birth of my first child upended everything I thought I wanted out of a career, so that marks the time I started trying to write fiction seriously, for publication.

Who has always been behind your writing career and who helped pull you up the ladder of success?

My husband has gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting me, in every way possible. He has never, not once, complained, nor begrudged me a single sacrifice or expense for my writing career, even years before I’d ever earned a dime from my fiction. It’s astonishing, really.

What is the most frequent comment you hear about your book (or books) from readers? Tell us a little story about the response to your work.

This is a common comment and one of my favorites: “Your characters are so crazy, but you are so normal!” (One direct quote was “whackadoodle.”)

My response: “Maybe I only SEEM normal….”

And Now, Your Turn

Now it’s your turn. You remember how this works right?

I ask you a question. You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books). Please read the complete rules at least once!

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway! I hope to see you here every day this month. Bring your friends!

Kristina brings up a very interesting word: normal. Does being a writer ever make you feel like you are not “normal”? Do you think other people are “normal”? How about other writers? Is “normal” a word that is typically used to describe writer mamas or is there something “abnormal” about us?

Ready, set, comment!

And the winner of Shout Her Lovely Name by Natalie Serber is…

Mary Lou Gomes!

Mary Lou’s response was:

This first book takes its title from the heart of the story- beginning middle and end. I have chosen That Man is Not Your Daddy to describe my journey, my struggle to learn the truth from the day I heard that man was not my Daddy. It still continues today.

Congratulations, Mary Lou! (This is Mary Lou’s fourth win…which I take as a lesson in how consistency pays!)

If you missed the drawing for Shout Her Lovely Name by Natalie Serber, you can read all about it here.

Important, winners: I need you to send me an e-mail with your mailing address so that I can send it on to the author and she can send you your signed book! Please include a phone number, as well.

Please send your address in an e-mail to “christina at christina katz dot com.”

Please put “Book Winner” in the subject line.

And thank you for supporting the giveaway and my work!

Thanks for participating. This is just day 21 of The Writer Mama Every Day In May Book Giveaway. We have 10 more days and winners to go! I hope you will spread the word.

Me again! And I’ll be back one more time in the final week.

In my interview responses today, I’ll be talking about my experience choosing to self-publish in addition to continuing to work with traditional publishers.

Build Your Author Platform is a $39.99 value! I’ll give one copy free to one winner!

About Christina Katz

Christina Katz, The Writer Mama, is the author of three books from Writer’s Digest: The Writer’s Workout, Get Known Before the Book Deal, and Writer Mama. Her writing career tips and parenting advice appear regularly in national, regional, and online publications. A “gentle taskmaster” over the past decade to hundreds of writers, Christina’s students go from unpublished to published, build professional writing career skills, and increase their creative confidence over time.

Christina holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA in English from Dartmouth College. A popular speaker on creative career growth, Christina keynotes for writing conferences, literary events, MFA writing programs, and libraries. She lives just across the Willamette River from Wilsonville, Oregon in an old farmhouse with her husband, Jason, her daughter, Samantha, and far too many pets.

Learn more about upcoming classes and training groups with Christina this fall. Scholarships will be available for each session of Writing & Publishing the Short Stuff. The application period is one month prior to the start date of each class right here in this blog.

[Please note: my mailing address is still the same as always: Christina Katz, PO Box 1354, Wilsonville, Oregon  97070]

About Build Your Author Platform

An Eight-chapter Companion Workbook to use in conjunction with Get Known Before The Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow An Author Platform by Christina Katz from Writer’s Digest Books. Available everywhere books are sold. Learn more here.

LEARN THE KEYS TO:

• Uncovering your strengths
• Finding your niche
• Making you and your work visible
• Promoting your work authentically
• Connecting with readers
• Creating a lasting, profitable platform
• Understanding your unique platform dynamic

THIS WORKBOOK CONTAINS:

• Lessons that summarize key platform strategies
• Field trips to explore what others are doing
• Brainstorming exercises to help you consider your options
• Key considerations that will save you time and money
• Reading assignments
• Writing assignments

Finish the workbook in eight weeks, eight days, or eight hours! It’s up to you.

The workbook is meant to be printed and worked on by hand. You can print it and clip it together or print it on three-hole punch paper and put it in a notebook. (It’s about 50 pages and won’t take a lot of ink.)

The Very Short Interview

When did you know for sure that you would self-publish and that self-publishing would be a major energy focus in your life?

I first knew I would self-publish after my first book Writer Mama came out, once I wanted to write about about the journey to publication and the project was not long enough and did not have a large enough audience to justify a traditional book on the topic. Despite these issues, I still found myself wanting to tackle the project. So I did, but as an e-book instead of a traditional book. That e-book was Author Mama.

In five years, you won’t be able to find an author who is not traditionally published and self-published. I’m a little bit ahead of the curve because my work with writers lends itself to crowd-sourcing and the type of reader interaction that leads to self-published projects. I suppose, since I’m a platform development expert, this has also helped me trust that I could jump into the self-publishing waters without disappointing or confusing my readership. Indeed, I now not only self-publish, I also teach self-publishing, mostly to writers who are not yet traditionally published as a way of working their way up to a traditional book deal eventually, if that is still appealing to them by the time they writer their way there.

Who has always been behind your self-publishing and who helped pull you up the ladder of self-publishing success?

Ironically nobody was ever stopping me from self-publishing although I think I had internalized a lot of the stigma that used to come with self-publishing. So instead of answering this question in a straightforward manner, I would say, before I could self-publish I was the one who had to get out of the way. As I recall, it took me a full year, to stop dragging my feet and self-publish Author Mama, simply because I wasn’t aware that I was being held back by the stigma. Once I realized that’s what was holding me back, I got over it. But it was not easy. My husband Jason was an early editor for Author Mama. He kept telling me how bad it was until I’d worked on it hard enough so that I could share the Beta version. Even with Beta readers, I still employed a proofreader because it was very important to me that “self-published” would not mean lower quality than my traditionally published works. Now I am championing my students to create their own high-quality self-published works.

My second “self-published” project is Build Your Author Platform. BYAP is an e-workbook, rather than strictly an e-book. An e-book is like a book, only in digital form. And an e-workbook is like a workbook, only in digital form. What’s also different about Build Your Author Platform, besides the fact that it’s an interactive e-workbook, is that it was professionally edited. Writer’s Digest published it first and then I got the rights back after they sold it for four months. We had worked this out in advance in the contract, and it’s a stronger e-workbook for it. I am still working on a new cover design for the e-workbook, though, which is why you don’t see a cover in this post.

What is the most frequent comment you hear about your e-books from readers? Tell us a little story about the response to your self-published work.

Well, because my two e-projects are so different, I’ve gotten fairly different responses. Author Mama is somewhat instructional but it’s mostly inspirational. The message is: you can write a traditionally published book if you set yourself up for success, and here’s how to do that.

Build Your Author Platform asks the reader to get to work. You can’t merely read it. I mean, you can. But that’s not what it’s designed for. It’s designed to bring the writer from where they are platform-wise to where they would like to be. Naturally this takes some research, some soul-searching, and some serious effort. You don’t get from where you are not to where you’d like to be by being a spectator or having “conversations.” You get their by digging deep and putting the best of what you have too offer into action.

The most exciting aspect of Build Your Author Platform, for me, was that it was the first time I really got an opportunity to delve into “Platform Dynamic,” which is a term I coined. I had a lot to say about it once I got writing and I’m really happy with the way that portion of the e-workbook turned out. I think that chapter alone makes the product worth the cover price…which, by the way, is discounted for the month of May by ten dollars to $29.99. The price will go back up on June 1st.

And Now, Your Turn

Now it’s your turn. You remember how this works right?

I ask you a question. You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books). Please read the complete rules at least once!

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway! I hope to see you here every day this month. Bring your friends!

Have you thought about self-publishing? Will you? Why or why not? If yes, what do you think you will self-publish first? If you’ve already self-published, will you do it again? Why or why not? Tell us what you have learned about self-publishing.

Ready, set, comment!

And the winner of How To Blog A Book by Nina Amir is…

Cara Holman!

Cara Holman’s response was:

My philosophy for my writing life mirrors my philosophy of life in general. I believe change is the essential ingredient in life, no matter how uncomfortable that thought sometimes feels. To grow as a writer (and indeed, as a person), it is necessary to regularly put oneself outside one’s comfort zone and explore new ways of doing things. It’s too easy to lapse into mediocrity when one only sticks with “tried and true” techniques; the “safe” path is often not much fun. In my own writing life, I apply this philosophy by continually re-examining whether what I’m doing is working for me, and if not, making changes. I started off as a writer of personal essays. I then began to explore poetry. Lately, I’ve switched more of my focus to haiku and related forms, but still like to keep a hand in writing personal essays. I also used to focus almost exclusively on print publications, but now I’m equally open to online journals, because I really like their immediacy, and the opportunity for feedback. And I’ve posted daily on my blog since January 1st of this year. Where will all this lead me? Stay tuned!

Congratulations, Cara!

If you missed the drawing for How To Blog A Book by Nina Amir, you can read all about it here.

Important, winners: I need you to send me an e-mail with your mailing address so that I can send it on to the author and she can send you your signed book! Please include a phone number, as well.

Please send your address in an e-mail to “christina at christina katz dot com.”

Please put “Book Winner” in the subject line.

And thank you for supporting the giveaway and my work!

Thanks for participating. This is just day 21 of The Writer Mama Every Day In May Book Giveaway. We have 10 more days and winners to go! I hope you will spread the word.