Reading and signing event to be held in Springfield on Monday, Oct. 16 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD – Leslie Lawrence, a retired marketing strategist in the region, has released her memoir, “I’m a lucky woman: A Photographic Memoir of a Breast Cancer Survivor,” and will host an event Monday, Oct. 16 at the East Forest Park branch of the Springfield libraries from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Lawrence was a product manager for Milton Bradley early on in her career and later founded and led an ad agency for 20 years in Springfield called TSM Design. TSM served clients such as Milton Bradley, Friendly’s, Random House, and Apple, in its early years. She retired early to enjoy her family and continue her passion for volunteering and moved from Longmeadow to Dartmouth in 2013.

Lawrence will read and sign her book, a memoir told through deftly crafted stories and amplified with meaningful haikus, humor and photographs that are revealing, raw, and real. The book shines a light on Lawrence’s experiences, including her clinical treatment, which is painstakingly documented, and her creative musings on her emotional journey.

“The book is an offering of hope,” she said.

For most of her life, Lawrence expected a cancer diagnosis as her mother and two aunts also battled the disease. Lawrence’s diagnosis came in 2016, when she was 66. Five years later, she reached the cancer-free milestone. To celebrate, she penned her memoir to give hope to other women experiencing the same diagnosis.

“I’m a lucky woman,” a cancer story unlike any other, can be purchased at leslielawrenceauthor.com, where details of her events schedule and more information about the book can also be found.

Lawrence and her husband, Ron Weingartner, live in Dartmouth, and have one son. For more information, visit leslielawrenceauthor.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

The post Breast Cancer Survivor Launches Unique Photographic Memoir on Her Cancer Journey appeared first on Beetle Press.

Nick Grabbe was a longtime editor of the Amherst Bulletin, a weekly paper that covered Amherst, Massachusetts, and was owned by the DeRose brothers, who also were the publishers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette. 

I met Nick in the late 1990s, when I was working for the Gazette as special sections editor; it was my job to assign, edit, and lay out the stories in 52 sections the paper put out each year, from its Wedding Showcase to Spring Home & Garden to First Snow.

Nick worked in Amherst most of the time, but when he was producing pages for the Bulletin—laying them out and walking them through the process of getting plated and readied for the press—he worked in the Northampton office. He and I often were readying pages at the same time.

Nick is roughly a decade older and wiser than me. Back then, he kept to himself, yet his reputation spoke volumes. He was known as a tireless advocate and defender for the Bulletin, a hard worker, and a particular editor. I was a bit intimidated by him for all of these reasons. I don’t remember that we spoke much, aside from idle chitchat in the break room.

I left the newspaper in 1998 to start my business, Beetle Press, and Nick was still plugging away for the Bulletin. I didn’t hear from him or of him until late in 2019, when he contacted me because he had written a book and was looking for an editor.

In true Nick character, he had a healthy list of questions for me to answer about my editing style and approach, and wanted to know what other clients I had engaged. He sought permission to speak to a recent client and ask some questions, and I was happy to agree.

Nick’s questions for my client were good ones. First posed by Nick to author Judith Kelliher, these queries continue to be put to use when I complete a project and seek client feedback. They tend to get at the heart of each client’s work with me.

A Q&A with Nick, which also makes use of his questions, will post in the coming weeks.

Even better, Nick’s book will be available soon.

Called “Print and Privilege: Newspaper writer tells his own story,” the memoir is about Nick’s life, beginning with his privileged childhood, growing up in Washington, DC, in a family with a Russian count in its family tree.

“Print and Privilege” tells the story of Nick’s forty years as a newspaper editor and writer, taking readers from the age of manual typewriters to the decline of print journalism. He shows how he survived an elitist childhood, struggled through his erratic twenties, somehow found fulfillment in career and marriage, and became an advocate for simple living. 

Nick also describes pioneering as a man at a traditionally women’s college, raising a son with Down Syndrome, and taking part in a campaign to change a local form of government. Through it all, Nick discovered his own meaning of “privilege.”

As a journalist in Western Mass, I found the book to be fascinating. I enjoyed reading about Nick’s roots and his early entry into the local scene. I also recognized some of the characters Nick worked with and was impressed by the methodical, thorough way in which Nick led the Amherst Bulletin, the creative stories he assigned, and the meticulous notes he kept about his work and ideas.

In reading Nick’s book as I made my edits, I also enjoyed Nick’s own introspective look at himself as he matured into a husband, professional, and father of two.

When we started working together, Nick asked me to read his book and offer my feedback and suggestions. These ranged from starting the book with a broader look at his world to providing readers with a deeper look at his parents, sister, and wife, Betsy Krogh. Nick accepted almost all of my recommendations, and I enjoyed the easy way in which we interacted.

As we neared the design phase, it was exciting to enter into email conversations with Nick about particular words, phrases, sentences. I don’t often have this level of engagement with clients, as many of them are not longtime writers, as Nick is. Nick and I kept each other on our toes, and together, we did our best work.

Whether you live in Western Mass or read the local papers here, you will enjoy Nick’s book. It is an honest look at a life in which things didn’t always run smoothly. “Print and Privilege” also provides seasoned journalists and those with little knowledge of how a newspaper runs with an inside look at what’s involved, the pressures, the ethics.

“Print and Privilege” is coming soon. Make room on your shelf!

The post Helping a seasoned writer tell his story appeared first on Beetle Press.

Writing a memoir is like painting a landscape or sculpting a jewel-studded necklace. Each work of art starts as a vision, an idea; then, it evolves into a sketch, and slowly, something real and meaningful emerges. 

As the artist applies more heart, soul, truth, reflection, creativity, time, and talent, the richer the piece taking shape.

My second memoir, Willful Evolution, started merely as a reprint of the original blogs I wrote over the past 10 years. Those online posts were the canvas—or the gold chain. They planted the seed of an idea that I thought well-enough conveyed the story I wanted to tell.

But the more I worked on the compilation, the more I realized many of the blogs were written in haste and did not carry a level of detail that would make me proud. Nor did they well lay out the story. They were only a level above a sketch, an uncut stone.

I tinkered, and my fussing added enough dimension, color, and depth that I felt comfortable showing the book to others for feedback. As I received others’ thoughts, the deeper I dove into my own process.

As a result, there is very little left of the original material I mined for the book. It’s been replaced by insights, honesty, and other gemstones I wrenched from my heart, wit, and wisdom as I reflected and dug deeper into my own truth. 

Willful Evolution tells the story of the 10 years that have passed since my late husband, Ed, died from lung cancer—only four days after I was laid off from my full-time job. It’s a painful story, with turns I own and feel pride in, my own Cinderella story, with me as the prince holding the glass slipper.

Just as my inner psyche, confidence, and abilities grew and developed over the past decade, so too has this memoir, which is a sequel to Divine Renovations, the story of meeting Ed, falling in love, and losing him.

Early readers said things like this: “It’s great, and there’s too much of your travels with your daughter Molly in the beginning, but I don’t know what to suggest you cut.” (I didn’t either.)

“There’s so much of Molly, but not much of your daughter Sally.” (I knew that was because the past eight of those ten years were difficult for Sally and me. How to tell that part of the story?)

Others said they wanted to see more of Craig, my housemate for most of this period and also a best friend. 

While I had gobs of time in March and April to work on the book, getting it to the point where I showed friends and colleagues, as soon as I began receiving feedback, I began receiving client work again as well. 

I used the lack of time as an excuse to not really think about how to solve the very real problems and holes people had poked in the manuscript. Then, as often happens when I am working on a long body of work, the inspirations started to come. 

I focused on the images that showed my vulnerabilities and the ways in which I began to conquer them, and that led me to know which of the travel scenes with Molly to release from the book. 

I followed my heart, and that showed me what to include in terms of the evolution of my relationship with my daughter Sally. And my heart helped me have the conversation with her about the material.

It was easiest to add scenes featuring Craig. Some are amusing, some are sweet; some bittersweet. 

Including Craig also pointed me toward the real beginning of the story—the two women I hosted when they were students at the International Language Institute. It was welcoming them into my home for a month at a time each that helped me know I wanted to find someone to live with me permanently.

Focusing more on Craig also brought another a-ha. I met Craig in a business networking group called Business Network International. BNI played an enormous role in my personal growth, and in my ability to secure my own future. Of course it belonged in the book, along with several other of my colleagues, and the work I did to grow my business.

A discovery of my grandmother’s writing last fall has also been woven into the prologue. 

Each addition brought new and finer brush strokes, more painstaking cutting and polishing of the gemstones.

This week, I will begin designing the inside pages of Willful Evolution, and I expect I will have the book out in print in the first quarter of 2021. That brings me to the “overcoming fear” part of the process—the part where you have angst over hanging the work in a gallery for others to gawk at and evaluate. 

I’m working on that part! 

One moment at a time.

The post Weaving in the Gemstones appeared first on Beetle Press.

There are 10 authors featured in Mixed Words: A collection of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, a book I’ve created as a fundraiser for a nonprofit that supports children and families. They are from Western Massachusetts, the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, and one from Canada.

Here is a closer look at each one and the books their work was excerpted from:

Thomas Zink, Seasoned: A Memoir of Grief and Grace, 2017 

Tom Zink’s memoir tells the story of his unwitting grief journey of five decades that began when his older brother Steve was hit by a car and killed while on the paper route the two boys shared. But this is not merely a story of grief and recovery; it is also a poignant and, at times, humorous look at laughter and lightheartedness, winning and losing, and doubt and faith. 

Vincent “Vinny” Valetutti, If I Were President: 29 alternative ideas for solving global problems, 2020 

Over the years, Vincent “Vinny” Valetutti has conceived of many ideas and social solutions to global problems, but he has kept them mainly to himself. Thanks to Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish environmental activist, he was motivated to write his book. Vinny has no set agenda aside from bringing peace and unity. He is not a Democrat, Republican, or an Independent. He is a realist, and readers will find that his ideas fall to the left, right, and center. In If I Were President, Vinny presents twenty-nine concepts in these eight categories: Invitation to All World Leaders, Military, Constitutional Amendments, Capitalism, Social Issues, Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection, Health Care, and Patents. 

Charlene Moses, A Soul in Bondage is Saved, a work in progress 

Charlene Moses grew up in Massachusetts and Maine and experienced many traumas—as well as a constant series of moves—before she graduated from high school. She was lonely, shy, and insecure. As a private first class in the United States Marines, she was browbeaten by superiors and placed in an impossible situation. Her lack of self-esteem led her to make a decision she deeply regrets to this day. Her memoir tells the story of her childhood and the events for which she seeks forgiveness. She hopes her book will help others. 

Judith A. Lundh, Last of the Matriarchs, 2019 

The Last of the Matriarchs is a book Judi A. Lundh wrote to honor her mother, Virginia, on Virginia’s ninetieth birthday in 2019. The story begins with Virginia meeting the man she would marry in the early 1940s and offers glimpses of special moments in Virginia’s life as a wife and mother—raising three daughters, working hard, spending time with her dear friend Eleanor. The book ends with a poem Judi penned, called “Sonnet of Love.” 

Judith Kelliher, A Wartime PH.D.: One Soldier’s Story of Vietnam and Learning to Live Again, 2020 

This book is based on interviews Judy Kelliher led with her brother Bobby, and it tells the story of Bobby’s two, back-to-back tours in Vietnam and his life after the war. Back at home, like so many veterans of the war, Bobby was anguished yet vacant, unable to feel or acknowledge his brokenness. Re-entry into marriage, children, and career became unmanageable as Bobby could not escape the horrors of his service. It would take the constant love of family and friends, and the support and guidance of strangers, to make him whole again. 

Claire Hebert-Dow, Saving Mama, a work in progress 

Claire Hebert-Dow is at work on a memoir that offers a recap of her life adventures, told in part from multiple perspectives, including those of several beloved pets. 

Janice Beetle, Divine Renovations: A Carpenter, His Soul Mate, and Their Story of Love and Loss, 2013 

This is a personal story of love, loss, and faith. During a kitchen renovation, Janice Beetle unexpectedly met her soul mate, only to lose him eight years later to cancer. Divine Renovations offers a glimpse at the profound devastation grief causes, but it is also a story of hope. 

Janice Beetle, Willful Evolution: Because healing the heart takes strength, a work in progress 

Willful Evolution: Because healing the heart takes strength is a memoir that continues where Divine Renovations left off. Willful Evolution tells the story of the past ten years. After Janice Beetle was laid off from her job, and her beloved husband died four days later, she had to reinvent herself and grow up in many ways. This work of nonfiction will take you to places far away—such as the Marshall Islands, where Janice spent a month in 2015—and it looks at the importance of family, and that which is most important: loving yourself. 

Peter Cichon, Flight of Integrity, 2019 

Decades ago, Peter Cichon spent countless hours daydreaming about leaving his trucking job behind to transition into a career at an airline. He worked sixty-five hours a week, living in his car on weekends, to make the transition in the early 1990s. His new career as a ramp agent exhilarated Peter and made him proud. He became a leader at his airline, where sexual harassment and racism were rampant. In addition to doing his job, Peter became a defender for colleagues who were beleaguered victims of a trio of aggressors. Standing against them was ultimately a major sacrifice. Flight of Integrity is a true story, based on fact. 

JM Charles Merida, The 151, a work in progress 

JM Charles Merida calls himself Chaz and describes himself this way on his Twitter page: “Published Writer, YouTubist, Actor, MBA, echnoGeek, F/Vlogger, Father, Brother, and Jedi Knight of the Order of Starfleet.” Charles had a dream in 2015 that inspired a trilogy of books. This excerpt is from the first book, called The 151. 

In the poetry section at the end of the book, Charlene Moses and I both have samples. Some of Charlene’s are intended for adults and others for children.

All of my poems were written for children and were featured in Poem Pods. 

The post A Look at the Authors Featured in Mixed Words appeared first on Beetle Press.

As I considered a name for my first book, I went through a process that was methodical but not very productive in terms of getting me to a name I loved. 

After months of thinking and brainstorming words and combinations, I still had nothing that rocked me. Then, I passed by a religious compound in the Berkshires with “Divine” in its name on a walk with my friend Judith Kelliher and her brother Bill. And it came: Divine Renovations. A perfect name for a spiritual-leaning book about a carpenter, a home renovation, and a life renovation.

I went through a similar process in naming my second book. With friends, colleagues, and interns, I brainstormed words and word phrases, and dreamed up titles and subtitles. Nothing felt quite right, but I landed on Core Strength: Because healing the heart begins in the center.

While that name said it all, the people counseling me and I thought potential readers might think the memoir is about physical fitness when in fact it’s about personal growth and transformation. 

Also, “Core Strength” is a common phrase. I wanted a zinger.

One week, over the course of a few days, I was relentless in bringing the book title topic up with my husband, Steve. He’d listen to me, offer suggestions, and listen some more. Still, nothing popped.

Then, I started designing the book’s front and back covers. I sent design options to Steve, my daughters, my interns, and my thought-leader friends. I got big rejection stickers over the images I was choosing, which were from travels only mentioned in the book but which said nothing about the book’s purpose.

My daughter Sally suggested a photo of water—like from the river I boat on in Western Mass, the Connecticut. I played with that idea in designs, using photos that showed an entire landscape—water, trees, the river’s edge. It still felt wrong. 

“Ask one of your designer friends,” my daughter Molly said.

So, I took the whole title-design problem to Maureen Scanlon, who has partnered with me on some client books, such as Seasoned and Hand, Horse, and Motor. In a fifteen-minute phone call, Maureen steered my focus away from Core Strength and random images by suggesting that this second book be marketed as a sequel to Divine Renovations, which indeed it is. The first book tells the story of the death of my late husband, Ed, and the second, the story of the next decade.

Further, Maureen suggested that the image could be parallel to that on the cover of Divine Renovations: something meaningful that also has great detail. I knew it had to be a water shot, as Sally suggested, and then I knew it could be close-up, showing movement, since the book is about getting from one place to another, in my spirit.

I went back to the name-drawing board with poor Steve. Every time a new combination came to me, I’d throw it out, interrupting normal conversation. Then, I threw out Willful Evolution: Because healing the heart takes strength.

Like I saw on the dating app, Bumble, when I was matched to Steve over two years ago, there it was: Boom. Just in my mind and not on my phone screen. We both knew that was the name.

That night, Steve and I went out on the boat, and we both took dozens of photos of just the water—nothing on the landscape. I got the one that appears on the cover at dusk. The engine was running, creating the rings and bubbles in the foreground, and a boat had just passed, creating the waves. 

In the design, I drew out the pink in the water with a magenta screen, and I used the same parallel design from Divine Renovations, which was developed by my friend Lisa Stowe.

Love it.

This book is coming soon. I’m guessing October or November. I was delayed by my move to a new home later this month. 

Soon, I’ll offer an excerpt.

The post The Evolution of a Book Name and Cover Design appeared first on Beetle Press.

Recently, I had the pleasure of conducting a Discovery Session through Janice Beetle Books with Charlene Moses of Laconia, New Hampshire. She is working on a memoir about painful events that occurred in her family when she was growing up.

Charlene has taken some correspondence courses in writing for children and teenagers, but she has not had formal training or experience, and as she worked on her manuscript, that fact concerned her. She sought me out to serve as a resource and an objective voice. I told her to keep writing. She is well on the right track.

“I’ve always had the urge to want to write,” she says. “It just never really happened. I’ve written songs or poems in the past, but this book is my first biggie.” 

Indeed, it is.

I am grateful that Charlene took the time to answer the below questions about our Discovery Session. 

What are you working on as a writer at this time?

I am working on my life story as a child and young adult. The dramatic experiences I went through.

What prompted you to have Janice review your memoir-in-progress?

I knew I would need help because of my inexperience. When I saw Janice’s ad in the Laconia Daily Sun, it caught my attention. Her picture indicated to me that there was something special about Janice. She had a spiritual look and honesty in her eyes. My instincts were right on.

What were you hoping to achieve in the session?

I was hoping to feel a sense of accomplishment and to hear that I did have the ability and compassion to continue my journey. The session taught me just that. I received the encouragement I needed to proceed.

What did you learn that was helpful?

I received some wonderful critiques that could help make my story come more alive and exciting for the readers.

Any other specific tidbits that will help you to self-edit your work?

The suggestions that were given were so helpful that I can’t wait to go back and review my work and make it even better.

Did you feel you made a connection with Janice? If yes, in what way?

I definitely felt a connection with Janice. I felt as though we have known each other for a long time. I felt she could actually feel my experiences with me and knew where I wanted to go with my story. Her sensitivity showed she cared about who I am and that she wanted to help me in every way possible.

Anything else that might be helpful feedback for Janice or someone thinking about working with her?

Janice is a very knowledgeable and professional person. She is also very caring and compassionate. She makes you feel right at home and makes you feel that you can accomplish anything your heart desires. Even though I have not had a lot of experience in writing, she made me feel that I was already a successful writer and could reach beyond what I ever hoped for. I can see why other people have asked for her help, and I am so glad that I found her. I wouldn’t have gotten even this far without her. Anyone else would be blessed to work with her.

The post Coaching a Writer in Progress appeared first on Beetle Press.

About a year and a half ago, I asked my intern from Westfield State University to review all the blogs I’ve written over the past decade and compile her favorites. I intended to publish a “Best of the Blogs” book, but I never got to it. I was too busy to spend time on a heart project.

About six months ago, I set two other interns to the same task, and again, their work sat in a “Hold” folder in my inbox.

Then, along came COVID-19, and I had some time on my hands for the first time in many years. I went through each interns’ suggestions and began to make some decisions of my own on which of their selections to keep, and which to discard.

Slowly, as I put these blogs into a certain order, I realized that what I actually had was a second memoir.

“Core Strength: Because healing the heart starts in the center” continues where “Divine Renovations” left off. It tells the story of the past ten years. After I was laid off from a beloved job, and my husband died four days later, I had to reinvent myself and grow up in many ways. 

This new work will take you to places far away—such as the Marshall Islands, where I spent a month several years ago with my younger daughter, who was teaching on the island of Majuro. The book also looks at the importance of family and letting go of fear, so you can have some fun. Tales of online dating will make you laugh, and poignant moments might make you cry.  

The essence of “Core Strength,” though, is found in a concept that emerged for me over the past ten years: We can’t really love others well until we love ourselves, and we can’t make good decisions on a life partner until we know who we are, what we want, and what we deserve.

“Core Strength” tells the story of how I learned those very important things.

At this time, I have shared the memoir with interns, friends who are writers, my husband, Steve, and my daughters. I’ve gotten essential feedback that continues to shape my work and make it stronger. 

Soon, I will design the book’s jacket and inside pages. And after that, well, we print!

I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with you. My hope is that it will help others to reinvent themselves and see all of who they are when they look in the mirror.

The post New Memoir, “Core Strength,” to be Released Soon! appeared first on Beetle Press.

I’ve known Bobby Kelliher for over three decades. He is one of my favorite people.

Bobby is the kind of person who does not specialize in one-word answers. A story about a thing that happened to him might take twenty minutes, but it is sure to make you bust a gut laughing. Because Bobby speaks his own language. A computer, or a cell phone, for instance, would be referred to as “The Machine.” Google isn’t just Google. It’s The Google. 

The Bobby I know is loving and affectionate. He calls me Buglet and makes me feel special, noticed, understood, valuable. He calls himself Roooooberto. That makes him feel special.

Bobby is my dear friend Judy Kelliher’s older brother. Recently, I helped Judy finalize the manuscript for the book she wrote about Bobby and his two tours in Vietnam. I got to read the book several times, and I learned about a whole new Bobby—the Bobby who was torn apart by war—and with the help of others—put himself back together again.

It nearly broke my heart to know and understand what my sweet, funny friend has endured—and survived.

Judy’s book, “A Wartime PH.D.: One Soldier’s Story of Vietnam and Learning to Live Again,” takes a close look at Bobby’s life, growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts, and his young adulthood—hanging out with friends and his girlfriend, Margaret, and spending a semester in college in Florida before his father, unimpressed with his grades, “invited him home.”

Bobby decides to enlist in the U.S. Army, and it’s then that his hell begins. 

Judy well describes scenes from Bobby’s two tours of duty—including one that most devastated Bobby. I must say, though, that the moments in the book that I found most profoundly sad all occurred after Bobby has returned home and doesn’t know how to live with himself, with the images in his head.

His parents must comfort him when he awakens from nightmares, screaming in the middle of the night.

His marriage to Margaret becomes troubled because he is devastated and doesn’t know how to express, even to his wife, the ghosts that haunt him.

His children don’t fully know him.

In a pivotal moment of crisis, Bobby’s sister Mary connects him to help at the Veterans Affairs Center in Leeds, Massachusetts, and the road up—to a PTSD diagnosis, still so new in that era, and to peace and acceptance—begins there. 

While I saw glimmers of the Bobby I know today during the war—in his dedication to his men, his bravery, his modesty, his humor—it is in this second part of the book that I begin to recognize the Bobby I know today.

The Bobby who works at the bank and has tremendous compassion for people who are falling behind in their mortgage payments.

The Bobby who works at the jail and brings humor and empathy to the inmates, who bond with him and miss him when Bobby retires.

The Bobby who works with young people with disabilities.

The Bobby who drives seniors to their appointments.

Although a minor character in the book, Margaret shined out for me. I know Margaret somewhat, having met her at Kelliher family gatherings over the years. I had no idea what grace, tenacity, and steadfast love she brought to her marriage and to Bobby’s healing. I am so grateful to her.

I admire her, and Bobby, too. 

I am so proud of Bobby for sharing his story; of Margaret for giving permission; and of Judy, for capturing it all so well. Writing a book based on someone else’s life and experiences is a tremendous undertaking. It’s time-consuming and all-encompassing, and Judy handled the process with grace, as she handles all difficult matters.

When the project was tough for her, she persevered. 

When she worried she wouldn’t be able to finish, she kept going.

I will be honored to feature “A Wartime Ph.D.” in my NEW! section on the Janice Beetle Books Home page very soon, and in Clients’ Books. In addition to copy editing, I also designed the book’s cover and inside pages. 

As it was for Judy, it was, for me, a labor of love.

The post A Book About Healing That Broke My Heart appeared first on Beetle Press.