I have a new website up and running! https://moconlanwordsandart.com

And I have a new audio edition of my book "The Lost Books-Romance and Adventure in Tudor Times."

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Books-Romance-Adventure-Tudor/dp/1639888004

(You can also listen for free on some sites, including Hoopla.)

I got to this high point with a lot of help from my friends. Author and fellow member of the Monday Morning Writers Group in Cincinnati Richard Hoskin, (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Richard-Hoskin/author/) now in his 90s, still writing with such style and wit, told me: You have to toot your own horn. 

Richard, who was born in Cornwall and came here many years ago to work for Procter & Gamble, knows a thing or two about tooting one’s own horn. His two wonderful books are: “The Miner and the Viscount”, an historical novel set in Cornwall, of which I was one of two chief editors; and “Memoir While Memory Lasts” ,engaging, often funny stories from a master wordsmith, which I also edited.

Despite Richard’s sound advice, I am not very good at tooting my own horn. I am very good at tooting others’ horns. So, I called my daughter Heather, who also is reluctant to toot her own horn, but as president of Efficiency Marketing, is excellent at tooting others’. EfficiencyMarketingandPublicity.com

We both are superb at tooting horns for each other. 

I took the step to hire her to create this new “rollout” website, and a marketing plan. She is an excellent writer and editor, always willing to read my stuff – to cheer me on, and/or ask good editor’s questions. 

Heather is as devoted to me as much as any mother could wish for – and more. And, ditto, I to her. So, I could have just asked for her help as a daughter. But I decided to hire her for her professional skills, for pay. 

We are a dynamic duo, intuitively in sync. She has wonderful online and other tech skills. The new website she designed for me has just gone live on BookBub (link above). (We recommend BookBub as being relatively low cost, easy to use, and, perhaps best of all, responsive. Responsive by real actual human beings.

Heather, as Chief Marketer, is about to post a story about my book and run ads on Facebook. The main thrust is that we now have an audio version of my story – so well read by voice actor Robin Rappaport. We chose Robin from other candidates because, as Heather said after listening to her demo: “She embodies your story.” 

You may think that with all this effort and fanfare, I am expecting to make a lot of money. Or any. I know that most authors – writers of really good books – rarely make much money. The cards are stacked in favor of “best-seller” authors who continue to churn out books.

I am in the enviable position of not having to make a living from my writing – though I did for 35 years as a working journalist (not big bucks, but priceless). If I do make money, by chance, I will think of some way to give back to the community.

What I’ve learned from living with my published novel (print version) awhile, though, there is other gold to be gotten. The fun and pain of writing, firstly. A sense of pride and accomplishment at finishing a novel. New friends and connections. And this is a big one: the thrill of having readers “get” my story. That is what I mostly am after – readers. (I have done a few guest appearances at book clubs, in person or via Zoom, and that is so fun.)

And, as ever, many thanks to my writing communities – Unmute and Monday Morning Writers Group.