Blog Posts for Mary Lynn I. Archibald

Country Living is Neighbor Intensive

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:07:31 -0700

Wherever we have lived, we have always had great luck with neighbors.Our current gang is no exception. We live on a very short lane, so there are only six other families besides us, and we're all pretty busy and self-absorbed most of the time, but occasionally someone has a barbecue (we just attended a pig and wine affair next door that was fabulous—a whole roast pig and the neighbors' own ...

San Francisco Revisited

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:54:46 -0700

Hey, check out my essay, "Miss Beauty Queen," in this month's SoMa Literary Review. It deals with the San Francisco of my youth (as a good friend would say, "...right after the Earth's crust cooled..."). Here's the link: http://somalit.com/Miss_Beauty.htmlIf that doesn't work, go to somalit.com and search for Mary Lynn Archibald. There's lots of great stuff at SoMaLit. It's ...

Are My Chickens Coming Home to Roost—Again?

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:55:27 -0700

Well, as we all know, a writer's life has seldom been either easy or lucrative. When money is tight, we can turn to commercial hackdom (or return to it, in my case). That is, we could until now.

But with newspapers and magazines failing right and left as noted in the California Writers Club Newsletter this month, even these jobs are harder to come by. Even as my books sell steadily if not in ...

By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:11:03 -0700

Okay. So I've been out here on the coast for nearly two weeks, if you don't count an overnight trip home to water the garden—my husband calls this "the tyranny of plants"—and have experienced a variety of weather (the significance of this is that during the time we were out here, the temperature back home on the other side of the mountain averaged around 104! I wilt in such heat, so ...

Your Opinion, Please

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:05:43 -0700

The moment of truth is here for me. I am now down to 193 books at the warehouse, which means I've sold nearly 1,000, and of course, given many to potential reviewers. The book sells slowly but steadily.As a self-publisher, I now need to decide what my next step should be: should I have another 1,000 printed, or should I save my money for the next book, due out next spring?If you have ever ...

What Does the Birdie Say?

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:40:35 -0700

I've been away for awhile, on both Twitter and Facebook, neither of which I planned to visit on a regular basis, but one does get hooked. If you're similarly afflicted, you might be interested in a couple of blog entries I noticed. One is regarding Twitter, and is worth reading if you like human motivations and statistics (or were ever skeptical of either), and the other is directed toward ...

Back to my Country Roots

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:23:49 -0700

Okay. I'm through with ranting. Ready to fully enjoy spring in the country. There's nothing like blooming fruit trees and daffodils to put me in a better mood. I know this is heresy, but I don't envy New Yorkers their cold weather and snow and ice (but Christmas in New York City is hard to beat), especially when we have great warm days in February and March, with the flowering quince in bloom and ...

Time to Head for the Hills!

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:45:34 -0800

I've been trying not to clench my teeth. I find myself doing it again. My therapist called it "generalized anxiety," and gave me a little pill. It helps. Some.At first, I was only worrying about getting my book published. But now I worry about the war in Afghanistan, the imminent collapse of Pakistan, which has nuclear weapons, Iran, which will have nuclear weapons soon (and nobody does anything ...

Isn't Technology Wonderful?!!

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:13:47 -0800

I need a 10-year-old kid! Anybody ever done battle with a so-called "universal remote?" I have just done at least fifteen rounds with one over the last three days, and I finally gave up and called the tech support arm of Logitech, in Toronto, Canada. They were so helpful. Everyone was polite and spoke unaccented, perfect English. Now it works fine.Maybe it's my artistic temperament that ...

How Are Your E-Books Doing?

Mary Lynn I. Archibald — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:10:20 -0800

Yes, I promise to write more often, but still can't fathom the problems with posting. Very slow, too. Maybe it's the new version of the RedRoom.com software? Book sales of Accidental Cowgirl are going slowly but steadily. And yes, I'm gearing up for a podcast. Soon. Too many irons in the fire. Ciao, ML