“And we are put on this earth a little space
that we might learn to bear the beams of love.”
~ William Blake
I want to shout to the world my vast sense of gratitude.
Thank you, thank you, and a million times thank you to all the people—friends, family, colleagues—who have reached out to offer me encouragement, help, and support as I traveled along this book writing path. Hiking tall mountains is hard, but writing a book was harder. It starts out as simple storytelling, but it evolves into craft and critique, revision, and polishing, packaging, and promoting. At each new stage of that creative process, I had much to learn and found new mentors and cheerleaders. I am deeply grateful to all the people in my life who have aimed their laser “beams of love” in my direction.
Book Release Date for Force of Nature - Thurs, Sept 28
That means my adventure memoir is officially available for sale!
You can go to my website where you’ll find buttons that will take you directly to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or BookShop to purchase your copy.
If you prefer to purchase your books at your local bookstore, rather than online, you can do that. My own local bookstore, The Book Seller on Mill Street in Grass Valley, will be stocking Force of Nature beginning next week! I’ll be going in and autographing their copies of my book.
You Are Invited to Celebrate With Me!
For more information on any of the events listed below, go to my website or email me at joangriff@gmail.com
October 3 – OLLI Travel Tuesday Zoom Talk
“Hike the John Muir Trail” at 3:30pm
October 13 – OLLI Brown Bag Series Zoom Talk
Discussion with Joan & her two JMT hiking partners, Caroline (Cappy) Hickson and Jane Riedel at 12noon
October 21 – Book Launch Event #1
Canyon View Community Center, 471 Maidu Drive in Auburn at 2-4pm
Food, contests & prizes, author reading, book sales & signing
November 5 – Book Launch Event #2
Wild Eye Pub, 535 Mill Street in Grass Valley at 2-4pm
Music by Los Liberators, author reading, book sales & signing,
no-host menu of food & beverages, small cover, reservations recommended
Playing with Storytelling
I rarely get a chance to dabble in writing fiction—to make stuff up! So, I found it particularly fun to try my hand with a writing prompt during last weekend’s superb Elk Grove Writers Conference. What follows is something I wrote off-the-cuff. I hope you find it fun! The prompt: Create two characters with distinctive characteristics, put them in a bookstore to attend a planning meeting for a protest of some kind.
The bell tinkled as the door to the bookstore flew open. Alex strode down the aisle, past colorful piles, shelves, and displays of books with nary a glance to either side, so intent was he on getting to the meeting in store’s backroom. He was four minutes late, so his anxiety was kicking in big time.
Ahead of him, moving at half his pace, was a little gray-haired woman, one hand maneuvering a cane, the other reaching out for the meeting room’s door knob. Alex stretched out one of his long slender arms over her head to push the heavy door open and usher her through ahead of himself.
Instead of speeding her entry as he intended, the petite pink-pantsuit-clad woman paused to follow with her eyes this long overhead arm to its source. What she saw was a lanky, serious-faced young man, who might have been a pale version of her youngest grandson.
“Thank you, Honey!” She smiled, showing her bright white teeth, her amber-colored eyes magnified to twice their actual size behind her carnation-pink glasses.
His forward movement came to an abrupt halt, lest he bowl her over and they both tumble into the meeting room. Alex smiled in response to her greeting and dipped his head to signal a silent “Hello.” His anxiety at being tardy to the meeting vanished when he observed the room was packed with people gathered in small groups and engaged in earnest conversations.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” came the call from the front of the room. Tap-tap-tap. “Our guest of honor has arrived! Please find your seats quickly, so we can get started!”
What do you think they might be preparing to protest? Since I’m making this up as I go along, it hasn’t been decided yet. I figure the meeting attendees will let me know what they decide to do… unless you give me a better idea!
Playing at Working
Just two weeks earlier, I had the opportunity to travel to the beautiful city of San Antonio, Texas, to attend Black Rose Writing’s AuthorFest. I thrilled to meet scores of authors who share my publisher BRW. In addition to a full day of informative talks by BRW staff, we writers shared hours of conversation (read networking) during two dinners, one lunch, and time in the lounge while being serenaded by mariachis! I learned valuable information and heard brilliant ideas from those far more experienced than me, and I am determined to try them out for myself. Our Hotel Contessa stood perched beside San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk. My roommate, editor-coach-friend, Rebecca Inch-Partridge, and I indulged in a delightful tour boat ride and many a casual stroll around the picturesque Riverwalk loop and savored several tasty Tex-Mex meals. I flew home tired, but filled with ideas for my up-coming book launch events and beyond.
Flashback:
I have a vivid old memory of my very first visit to San Antonio. I was ten, my sister six, and our family had embarked on a monthlong road trip around the US in our new blue Buick station wagon. It was a very hot August night during the tumultuous year of 1964. Mom and Dad, tired of our backseat squabbling and eager for a fine dining experience, settled themselves at a restaurant table beside the river and pointed us girls towards a little yellow rental pedal-boat in the water. I think they were ready to let us pedal ourselves out of sight and out of earshot, but the waiter insisted that the riverside was too dangerous after dark for two little girls on their own. There were unsavory characters lurking in the dark under the bridges, he said, insisting we float no farther than the closest bridges in either direction.
These days, the Riverwalk is pristine, festively lit, and crowded with visitors. Music eminates from restaurants, tour boats pass by every few seconds, and neither pedal-boat nor unsavory characters could be found under any of the scores of footbridges.
Author Interview
My first ever interview as an author was with the incomparable Karen E. Osborne on her video podcast, “What Are You Reading? What Are You Writing?” I was really nervous going into it, but she made me feel so comfortable, that by the end of our fun time together, I felt like I’d made a new friend! We talked about books from both sides, as readers and as authors. And I got to tell her about the Sierra Nevada, California’s stunningly beautiful mountain range, and The Three Women’s adventures while hiking the John Muir Trail. I invite you to take a listen. It’s a pretty fun conversation! Sending a deep bow of gratitude to Karen! The interview first aired on September 19 and is available to watch on Karen’s YouTube channel.