Naked and Hungry Returns to Asheboro!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Join us at the Asheboro branch of the Randolph County Library for the return of Naked and Hungry!

When: Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 7 p.m.

Where: Randolph County Public Library, 201 Worth Street, Asheboro, N.C., 27203

At this special event, which is sponsored by Friends of the Library, I’ll read a short passage from Naked and Hungry, talk about the connection between cooking and the literary life, and reveal one of my top secrets for turning real life into fiction. As always, we’ll give away a crepe pan to one of the lucky attendees. Hope to see you there!

Read more about it.

When is Teacher Appreciation Day? Every Day!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Upon of learning of the 80th birthday of one of my favorite junior high school teachers, I was curious to learn if there is a national Teacher Appreciation Day. After all, the breadth and depth of national holidays astounds: Sweet Potato Day, Umbrella Day, Hug a G.I. day, there’s even a Peanut Butter Day. To my relief, (please excuse my ignorance), there is indeed a day of celebration for teachers; this year it will be May 8. 

But as I reflect, I wonder if one day is enough? I firmly believe that the teachers I know—my own, my friends and my colleagues at UNC-Chapel Hill—should be honored every day. The gifts they give are the most enduring because of their ability to see the potential in young people and to spark within us a lifelong path of learning. My soon to-be-80 language arts-social studies teacher is special because of his passion for ideas.

Yes, we memorized facts; yes, we diagrammed sentences (ugh); and yes, we wrote papers (thank you), but the knowledge I retained was more profound than that. In his classroom, we were free to talk about ideas previously reserved for adults: politics, death, love, betrayal, even teen pregnancy and addiction. In fact, the examination of ideas was required. Our reading list was edgy, especially for the times: Death be Not Proud, Flowers for Algernon, and Watership Down. But my teacher was brave and he knew that the value of exposing young people to ideas far outweighed the risk.

To be clear, teachers aren’t perfect; they would be the first to decry such a label. They are human and within that scope lies the full range of virtues and foibles. But because of their life’s work, the best of them have a nobility that no other profession can match. I think of another great educator, a man for whom I was fortunate enough to write a speech or two for in my time, the teacher-governor, James B. Hunt. He was fond of quoting that old axiom that goes: “You never stand so high as when you stoop to help a child.”

So here is to my beloved junior high teacher and all the great ones who followed him. Without their influence, and with no disrespect to farmers and truckers, it is safe to say that a great many of us would indeed be sitting at home naked and hungry.

Naked in Hungary

Posted on by Ashley Harris

This morning I caught Nando on my laptop surfing the internet. Not surprisingly, his search history included terms such as “rawhide,”  “how to catch squirrels,” and “how to cope with a neurotic owner.” All innocent fun but suppose he had been there a minute longer? He did look a little guilty so I hesitate to ponder what other frontiers exist in the canine mind.

As for humans, there are no surprises. WordPress gives bloggers a handy little report that lists all the terms that internet surfers use to stumble upon our blogs. Needless to say, with a novel titled Naked and Hungry, one must be prepared for the tone and scope of search terms you will see. It’s also fair to say that these surfers were not always looking for what I had to offer.

However, I do find quite a bit of amusement in the terms that bring surfers to my blog. One of my favorites has been “Naked in Hungary” which has appeared far too frequently for it to be a mistyping of “Naked and Hungry.” It certainly brings a bit of adventure to the idea of traveling in Eastern Europe and may explain why it’s such a popular tourist destination nowadays. Other gems have been “naked celebrates” which appears so often that I’m thinking it’s probably a mistyping of “naked celebrities.” So if any of my writer friends are seeking a sure-fire title that would bring a steady stream of traffic, I’m offering this term up for your use.

I try not to ponder too long on the kind of person who would enter “caroline I would love to see you naked” in the search engines, but instead I find joy in knowing that so many people share my love of authors William Trevor (“william trevor favorite author”) and Flannery O’Connor (“conflict in a good man is hard to find”). I only hope that these kindred spirits will stay long enough to read a posting or two or perhaps even comment.

Have any search engine stories of your own? Share them here and at the very least, we’ll have a good laugh. As for Nando, I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on him.

A Valentine for the Artists Among Us

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. —Kurt Vonnegut

This quote comes courtesy of good friend John Graham and it’s my valentine to all of my friends, who are artists in their own way. You make the world a better place.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Welcome to Blurb Boot Camp!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

I had a serious wake-up call last May when my editor asked me if I had any promotional blurbs to print on the outside of Naked and Hungry. You’ve heard of blurbs, right? Those jazzy little snippets kindly provided by more successful writers. Oh, and we had about a month to get these. Gulp!

The good news is that I didn’t have time to panic. So I reached out to friends and other writers, some whom I knew and some who were referred to me by dear friends such as the inimitable John Graham, literary muse and more to hundreds. To be fair, some folks said no but most, surprisingly, said yes. This yielded three blurbs as well as three more proofreaders, all of whom generously pointed out errors in my manuscript that I had missed.

Next, I reached out to a publisher who declined to publish my book but hired me as a copyeditor for his own books. And since every “no” may hide a “yes,” I reached out to an editor who denied my short story (too long for his publication) but had offered to review my novel in his literary journal. And last, I reached out to the editor of my hometown newspaper and a local environmentalist  (another friend’s referral) since my book had an environmental theme. Fini!

Now that I passed basic training for writing publicity (albeit barely, whew!), I thought I’d share these hints as well as my blueprint for the next time. For my second book, I plan a bolder and slightly savvier approach First, I’m starting much, much earlier and reaching a little wider. I plan to reach out to the same kind of writers who inspired me. What do I have to lose? I also plan to reach out to more area journalists and local booksellers whom I’ve met as I’ve promoted my first book.

I also plan to submit more of my writing such as shorter pieces or publication and to contests. Hopefully, this will not only yield more exposure it will introduce me to more influence leaders who might be willing to lend their name to my second book. Worst case, I’ll make even more friends!

Because I’m still learning, I’d be remiss if I didn’t reach out to all of you and ask your thoughts. Referrals, ideas and thoughts are welcome!

What Are You Wearing to the Comedy Festival?

Posted on by Ashley Harris

My son Dashiel is carrying the family creative torch by opening the South’s largest comedy festival  in Chapel Hill on Thursday night. It’s been his dream to make it as a stand-up comedian and his dad and I are so proud of his drive and dedication.

“So Dash,” I said over the phone today, “Can I help you out with your performance on Thursday? You know, buy you some new clothes or something?”

Here is a long pause, followed by the clatter of dishes and other noise. In between pursuing his dream, Dashiel works as a server at a local chain restaurant and he is at work today. But it feels like we’re back in elementary school and I’m trying to talk him into wearing that new little suit that I bought him.

“No Mom. I’m fine. It’s not like I have to dress up or anything. I’m just wearing some basic college clothes.”

“Can I get you some shoes?”

“Mom, it will be FINE. I’m wearing a pressed shirt, okay?”

I won’t ask him who pressed it. I’ll just trust him. And I’ll try not to cheer too loudly at the show.

Eleven years in the running, the N.C. Comedy Arts Festival was created in 2001 to showcase the art of comedic improvisation to Southern improv students and Carolina audiences. The 2012 festival will feature standup, sketch and improv acts from all over North Carolina performing in 7 local venues during the month of February. Hope to see you there. Read more about Dashiel. 

Book Club + Crepes = Good Times!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Last Thursday I had the honor of speaking to about two dozen members of a book club (a day time group and a nighttime group) in the lovely neighborhood of Chapel Ridge in Pittsboro. I was invited by a dear lady named Beti Ann, with whom I share another good friend and hairstylist, Tonya. In fact, it was through Tonya that the invitation came about, for she has been plugging my book for almost a year to all of her patrons!

Not only did the group serve delicious appetizer crepes (cream cheese with sweet-hot jelly), it was a joy to learn that many of them had already read Naked and Hungry. This led to an insightful discussion about not just the book, but the writing process, which is a favorite topic among book clubs. My heartfelt thanks to Beti Ann, Mary, Sherry, Katherine, Cary, Julie and all the new friends I made.

This is the second book club I have spoken to, third if you count a long-distance relationship with a club in Florida that is dear to my heart. In fact it was the Happy Bookers of Lakeland, Fla., that inspired the creation of a special Naked and Hungry Q & A just for book clubs. And my first book club appearance was arranged through another childhood friend from my hometown of Asheboro.

Lesson learned? For all of my writer friends, as you seek connections with local book clubs, don’t rule out your childhood friends and especially your hairstylist! As for the latter, not only does she or he know all your secrets, they also know everyone else’s!

Easy Reading is Damn Hard Writing…

Posted on by Ashley Harris

The title of this post came from American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, in what I’m sure was one of a random sequence of quotes from Mother WordPress meant to inspire us bloggers. The timing turned out to be serendipitous because these words magically appeared in the same week that I’m diving into the revision of Born Again, Dead Again.

As you can see from the flagged copy of my most recent version, much work still lies ahead. The good news is that childhood friend and muse Tonya (the orange tags) and fellow writer and colleague Melissa (yellow tags) have generously contributed their time and energy into a careful review of the book to-date. Another thanks goes to a more recent muse who kindly reviewed Julio’s Spanish for me (¡Hay Dios mio!). All of this feedback is balanced with the gentle counsel of my editor and friend, Judy Geary, whose belief in my work and these characters has been my compass throughout.

Back to Nathaniel’s words. It is indeed amazing how hard the writing process can be, even for those of us who adore it. I can’t tell you how many hours have been spent on a single paragraph, and the number of revisions that a single sentence has endured.

I will say that a recent ally has been an old article in Writer’s Digest (above) by James Scott Bell on the subject of revision. There are many gems in “The Geyser Approach to Revision,” but most notably the following: “In shaping your manuscript…embrace the ebb and flow of a revision process that maximizes both creative surges and quiet analysis.” As many of you know, I have always prided myself on the ability to separate my writer self from the critical reader. I insisted that this was necessary. However, I’m beginning to rethink this belief, thanks to Bell. He reminds us that during revision, you don’t have to deprive yourself of the creativity that inspired you to write in the first place.

Bell’s advice has been liberating and frankly, a bit joyous. Don’t be afraid to overwrite, he says, deepen those details, and draw upon the evocative power of music. These words have helped tremendously, especially when sifting through the comments my friends have so generously contributed. And to Tonya, Melissa, Judy and other friends, I will again concur with the words of Hawthorne. As he said of his own friend’s advice: “I care more for your good opinion than for that of a host of critics.”

Cheers!

 

Naked and Hungry Hits the Road in 2012!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Thanks to the support of fans like you, Naked and Hungry had a great year in 2011, with invitations to speak at two bookstores, three Rotary clubs, Spa at Bell House, Coffee and Crepes, The State of Things, and the crowning event, being the guest of the Happy Bookers Club at the Asheboro Library last month.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve got an exciting line-up for Spring 2012, as Naked and Hungry hits the road again, with stops in Pittsboro, Colfax, Asheboro, and Cary.

If any of these events are near you, I hope that you’ll find the time to attend. As always, I’ll be reading from the book, discussing the joys of fiction….and giving away a crepe pan from Williams-Sonoma!

The highlights are listed below, but there is much more to come (including area bookstores), so please stay tuned to the Events Calendar throughout 2012. All events are free and open to the public.

Thursday, January 26 at 7 p.m. – Chapel Ridge Book Club, Chapel Ridge Community Center, Pittsboro, NC

Tuesday, February 21  at 7 p.m – River Landing Retirement Community, Colfax, N.C.

Thursday, March 22 at 7 p.m.- Friends of the Library Adult Program, Asheboro Public Library at 7.p.m.

Wednesday, March 28  at 7 p.m – Glenaire Retirement Community, Cary, N.C.

Hope to see you soon!