How I Try to Beat Writer’s Block

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” Author John Steinbeck penned these words, and I keep them prominently displayed on a whiteboard that sits next to my writing space. They fully and succinctly define the philosophy that helped me overcome writer’s block once and for all.

Many of us writer folks are perfectionists in nature, and all of us secretly harbor dreams of writing the great American novel or becoming the next Stephen King. However, even if we never reach the level of fame many desire, we nevertheless can earn a healthy living doing what we love — if we can get out of our way first. Here’s how I managed to beat my writer’s block, and how you can, too.

Why Does Writer’s Block Strike?

Writer’s block can stem from many reasons. Often, such blocks strike when we put too much pressure on ourselves to perform at our best. It’s healthy to be competitive and to want to do well. However, when we demand perfection of ourselves, we often — to steal a term from the novel “Watership Down” — go tharn, frozen like a rabbit in headlights.

“But wait a second,” you might be thinking, “won’t literary agents and magazine editors immediately toss my submission into the circular file if there’s so much as a single typo in my work?” Yes and no. While it’s true submitting work replete with misspellings and grammatical errors can kill your chances of publishing a particular piece, I’ve caught plenty of errors when reading articles online, and even in full novels.

Grammatical rules exist in a constant state of flux, and they do change with time. Plus, depending upon the culture of the organization you pitch to, they may prefer hip, up-to-date lingo over stodgy conventions that ring of yesteryear. If your writing is of good quality, the occasional typo or unorthodox turn of phrase won’t destroy your career.

What will destroy your writing dreams? Never submitting your work anywhere due to insecurity over perfection. Do your best, but once you’ve reviewed everything two or three times, hit send.

Learn How to Take Rejection

Another reason we writers struggle with block is we take rejection personally. We allow one or several people’s critiques to shatter our self-worth and make us think we don’t have what it takes to compete in the industry.

Draw inspiration from what famous writers have to say about rejection. For example, Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” remains one of the most enduring American classics in high school and college curricula. However, when you read what Moberly Luger of publisher Peacock and Peacock had to say about the novel, you’ll consider rejections such as “Your work doesn’t fit the tone of our publication” with a grain of salt.

Stop Isolating Yourself

Writing is a lonely endeavor, which is something many of us enjoy, as we tend to be an introverted tribe. However, keeping our projects under wraps invites procrastination — after all, if no one knows we’re writing a book, no one can hold us accountable by asking how work on it is proceeding. Plus, teamwork can help you see things in a new light and inspire you to finish when you get stuck.

This suggestion is, admittedly, nerve-wracking, but put yourself out there. Let friends on social media and IRL in on your projects and plans, and welcome their input. As frightening as it can be to scream what you’re doing from the mountaintops, it helps you bust through writer’s block like nothing else — using this technique helped me meet a critical self-imposed deadline, and also allowed me to find a collaborator for a work of nonfiction I wanted help with.

Eliminate Distractions During Scheduled Writing Hours

Many of us find ourselves complaining there aren’t enough hours in the day to get to the writing we wish to complete. However, when was the last time you analyzed how many hours during the day you spend on fluff tasks such as checking email and social media instead of getting real work completed?

The 80/20 rule tells us 80% of our results stem from 20% of our efforts. While you’ll most often hear the term used in investing lingo, it applies to productivity as well.

In short, nothing but writing is going to get your book finished or your website launched. Not checking your email, not writing clever tweets on Twitter and not puttering around the house dusting when you should be dedicating at least as much time to your craft. Learn to shut out distractions for at least 30 to 60 minutes daily to do nothing but focus on the blank screen before you.

Yes, You Can Be a Good Writer — and Yes, That Can Be Enough

Many people dream of the writing lifestyle, but allow fear of rejection, insistence on perfectionism, reliance on distractions and isolation from others to hold them back. By changing these habits, you, too, can achieve the life of your dreams. You may not become the next J.K. Rowling — though who knows, right? — but you can make a comfortable living doing what you love once you kick writer’s block to the curb.

About Jennifer Landis

Jennifer Landis is a mom, wife, and healthy living blogger at Mindfulness Mama. She loves yoga, distance running, peanut butter, and spending the small amount of free time she has watching Netflix with her husband.

Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferELandis.

How to Plan Your Writing Schedule for the Summertime

Summer is nearly here, and that means school is ending for the year and all the kids will be home for three months, driving their parents crazy.

No? Just me?

As a writer, I have the option to work from home, which is a lifesaver — especially when you consider the cost of childcare — but it presents a whole new slew of challenges when my little pre-K student is home and wants to spend all her time with her mommy. During the school year, I cram all of my work in during her school hours — or occasionally after bedtime if my workload is particularly heavy. During the summer, I’m ashamed to admit I’ve dropped my 5-year-old in front of the electronic babysitter for hours at a time in an attempt to get some work done.

This summer, I’m not going to spend the entire school vacation running around like a headless chicken trying to keep up with work and an endlessly energetic 5-year-old. I’m planning my writing schedule down to the minute. Here are some of the tips I’ve found along the way.

1. Know Your Work Schedule

For me, this is easy. My work schedule doesn’t change much, regardless of the time of year, but I know that’s not the case for every writer on the internet. Take the time to figure out your regular work schedule for the week. If it varies, figure out the amount of time you spend during your busiest weeks and use that as a baseline to create your schedule.

2. Write Everything Down

If you’re trying to keep up with one or more energetic children during the summer, don’t trust yourself to remember every work day, doctor’s appointment and event. Write everything down, and I do mean everything. If you’re planning on going to the park a couple of times a week, add it to your to-do list. Grocery shopping once a week? Write it down. Working out three times a week? I think you get the point by now.

Heck, I write down the days where I need to take the trash to the curb for pickup, because I know I’d forget otherwise. Which brings us to our next point.

3. Use the Calendar

If you have a smartphone, you have a calendar in your pocket. Take advantage of it, as well as a planner and a monthly dry-erase calendar to keep track of everything. It’s easy to ignore one calendar, but if you’ve got three different sources, plus Google or Apple sending you alerts to remind you of everything, it gets harder to ignore.

If you’re putting together a summer writing schedule, whether you’re working as a freelancer or working toward summer college credits, a calendar is your best friend. I’m serious here. I’ve even got a separate calendar for tracking my workouts.

4. Create a Daily Schedule

Making a schedule is probably the most challenging part of this system, but it’s worth it in the long run. Now that you’ve got your calendars, planners, daily schedule and list of things to do, it’s time to use all this information to create a regular schedule. You’ll need to account for everything, from the time it takes you to get up and get your morning influx of magic bean juice to how long it takes you to put your little ones to bed at night.

My daily schedule includes everything from brushing my teeth to cooking meals and making snacks during the day, so I can be sure I get all my writing done on time without neglecting my other duties as mom and wife. We’ve got park trips scheduled in nearly every morning when my daughter has the most energy, and I dedicate my afternoons to working when she’s napping or at least slowed down a little bit.

This practice isn’t just good to keep me on track — it also helps prepare my older daughter for the sort of schedule she’ll be looking at when she heads to kindergarten this fall.

5. Be Flexible

While a strict schedule might work well for me, my husband and my older daughter, I have an infant to take care of, too. If you’ve ever tried to get a baby on a schedule, you know it’s an exercise in futility. That brings me to my penultimate point: Be flexible.

Things won’t always work out the way you want them to, even if you have them scheduled down to the minute. A morning rainstorm might ruin your trip to the beach or the park, or an injury might leave one of your family members sidelined from summer activities.

Stick to your schedule as much as possible, but be prepared to be flexible if something changes unexpectedly. Plan some rainy-day activities you can hold in reserve in case a summer storm throws a wrench into your carefully designed schedule.

6. Enjoy the Vacation

The final thing you need to do is sit back and enjoy your kids’ summer vacation. I love spending time with my two girls outside when the weather is warm — especially since we spend so much time trapped inside during the cold Pennsylvania winter. You can do it all — it just takes some careful planning.

About Jennifer Landis

Jennifer Landis is a mom, wife, and healthy living blogger at Mindfulness Mama. She loves yoga, distance running, peanut butter, and spending the small amount of free time she has watching Netflix with her husband.

Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferELandis.

Enjoy this slideshow of Mindy’s fun fact answers!

This is a scene from chapter Nine, the end of Part One. Jody has just made a major mistake and is out for a walk trying to settle her head. She runs into an ex-lover who hurt her a decade back. They’re on the street, where she and her dog, Ringo, have encountered flirty, annoying Brad, a few minutes before:

I raised my spine as tall as possible and pulled my shoulders back in a stance I’d learned in dog training class to command control. “Brad, you’re the last person I will ever share anything with.” I turned to go, but he grabbed my arm again.

“Jo, all I ever meant to do was love you. I fucked up. I still think of you, you’re the woman I let get away. Two divorces and I still think of you. You married?”

I yanked away from his grip. “You and your damn lies; you’re at it now, telling me you’re here in town to see me. Damn it, I deserve better than lies and bullshit!”

“Okay, okay, calm down. I meant what I said about you, really. You were always sweet and kind, and sexy I might add, but I didn’t think I deserved you. I was a prick. I know that now. I’m here for a meeting with a client. He asked me to come to his office this morning to discuss his retirement plans.” He pointed across the street at the dental office sign. “But I was early, and I saw you. Hoped you’d still find me sexxx-y.” He winked.

“No! I unequivocally do not!” I kicked at the curb. “Sling your shit at someone else. And, fuck you, Brad, just fuck you!” I tugged at Ringo’s collar and ran off. I imagined Brad standing there with his jaw ajar, used to getting whatever he wanted.

“Thanks, Ruthie,” I said in my head. “I guess I took the intensive ‘Fuck You Factor’ course myself!” Although my body was trembling, I felt carefree. Around the bend, I tied Ringo to a pole at a Shell station. I desperately needed water…and maybe a soothing brownie. As I walked into the convenience section, the headlines of The Boston Globe caught my eye, showing the President at yet another press conference about the mess heating up again with “that White House intern.” I knew Uncle Nathan was probably standing two paces away, just off camera. I wished he could fix my love mess right now, too. I should have stayed away from Stewart’s temptations just as Monica should have stayed away from Clinton. Poor Hillary.

Poor Sam.

“Two twenty-five, please.” I paid and turned to leave when something peculiar caught my eye. A sign next to a display of laundry detergent must have once had a sign “biodegradable,” but the “bio” had faded. I walked away, sucking down the water. Then I opened the brownie wrapper and repeated the word I had seen on the sign. Degradable. Damn it, I’ve felt degraded long enough from those who supposedly love me. At that moment I had an epiphany: I had been stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place for way too long; unless I could let go of the past, try to accept, or at least tolerate, all the narcissists who had hurt me, and choose my own path without needing their approval, I would remain stuck forever!

I guzzled more water and tossed the brownie, still in its wrapper, into the trash. The hell with all of them. No more walking over Jody! I entered the phone booth at the far side of the gas station, popped in a quarter, then punched in my mother’s business number. Ida wouldn’t be in the office until later. She’d hear the message then.

“Hello, this is Jody,” I said in a professional tone. “I got your message, Mother. I will make a donation to your cause, but I will not be attending. I will be on vacation in California with a new and wonderful boyfriend whom you probably won’t approve of because—horrors!—he isn’t Jewish, nor a doctor or lawyer. I’ve actually been seeing him for a while and kept it from you so I didn’t have to hear your insults. And you’re probably shaking your head right now, and once again disappointed in me, but you’ll excuse me while I get on with my life instead of the one you’ve continually planned out for me. Oh, and Hallie is all set while I’m away,” I lied. “Please do not think I’ll need you to babysit, not that you have ever offered. And, do not call to discuss this. I can assure you I will not answer.”

I hung up without saying goodbye and prayed my sister-in-law could watch Hallie and Ringo while I traveled. I was relieved not to attend yet another annual benefactor dinner in the massive Great Room my mother had built the year after Uncle Harry and Aunt Bernice had moved into their Westchester County mansion. This year, I could breathe in fresh La Jolla air and love of a kind man, instead of rivalry and self-importance.

Next I called my divorce attorney’s office. She took Mondays and Fridays off to be with her kids, but she’d check her messages.

“Beatrice, it’s me. You said I’d know when I was ready to push harder, and you were right. I’m ready. Go ahead and subpoena him for those documents he’s sitting on, and let’s focus mostly on the custody stuff. I’ll call you soon and explain what’s going on.”

Another phone call, to Stewart’s answering machine. I knew he’d have either left for work meetings or still be asleep, curled up with Brooke and not answering the phone. After I heard the familiar short message, I unleashed my fury. “If I wasn’t totally clear before that you are continuing to fuck with me, now I know for certain. Get the fucking documents filed NOW or you’ll be hearing from my attorney really soon!” I slammed down the receiver just as I heard someone pick up.

One final phone call. No quarters left, so I punched in my credit card number.

“Hi, sweetheart. I hope you check your home messages soon. I’m so sorry I haven’t answered your recent romantic emails. I wasn’t feeling well, sort of sick to my stomach; didn’t want to worry you about it. The good news is I’m fine now, truly fine. It was just something yucky I guess I hadn’t fully digested. Call me. By the way, I want you to meet Hallie as soon as possible, and then my grandmother, too, and, when, exactly, do we leave for California?”

Then to myself I said, “The sex will come; love this man his way—now.”

Mindy Pollack-Fusi is an award-winning, lifelong writer, former public relations professional, and veteran journalist and essayist for The Boston Globe. She founded The Place for Words in 2009 to teach creative writing to adults and coach students on college application essays. She is the editor of “The Ice Cream Stand, Stories & Poems” by 21 Writers, published in part by a Bedford Cultural Council Grant. She holds a B.S. in Magazine Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and an M.S. in Public Relations from Boston University’s School of Public Communications. Mindy lives in Bedford, Mass. with her husband and rescue dog, Doogie Howser, The Doctor of Love! This is Mindy’s first novel, published by her indie imprint, The Place for Words Press. (The photo is with Mindy’s late great cocker spaniel, Gilligan, whose fictional persona plays a major role in The Narcissist’s Daughter.

Can love and intimacy guide Jody’s exodus from her controlling mother, or is the grip of the past too powerful to overcome?

Jody Horowitz grew up in a tony community outside Boston with her narcissistic mother, her passive father, and her snooty older sister. Breaking any of Mother’s multiple rules meant enduring verbal lashings and comparisons to her “perfect” sister. Jody acquiesces in practice, if not in spirit, starting with Rule # 1: Marry a Well-Off Jewish Man. Have his baby. Which she does.

But Jody, now 33, with a one-year-old daughter, learns that her “well-off-enough Jewish man” has been screwing a shiksa, and Mother suggests that in order to fix her marriage, Jody “wear more lingerie.” Instead, Jody kicks the cheater out, recovers her life with her work, her daughter and their cocker spaniel….and, despite Rule #1, falls for a kind Italian Catholic widow. Their love affair leads her to expedite her divorce, despite the risk of losing not only the only family she has ever known, but future shares of the family’s fortune. Is this worth it, to be with a partner who has a big heart—but a thin wallet?

Her new man seems well worth it, and Jody seems truly happy for the first time in a long time…despite the secret she must keep from him, and the secret she discovers about him. As she grapples with her heart, Mother re-surfaces with more mishegas, instituting Rule # 2—Keep Secrets When Necessary. She declares the divorce and goyim guy to be hush-hush and insists that Jody bring her estranged husband to the annual family reunion in upscale Westchester County, NY. That request pushes Jody over the edge. With her loving Bubbe’s support, she resolves to finally emerge from her mother’s narcissism—and shatter all rules so she can be true to herself, her daughter, and her new man.

This decision unravels her soul and leads to a dramatic personal breakdown that stretches from Boston to California to Maine, which even her best friend Ruthie can’t fix for Jody this time. By the start of the highly-charged family reunion, Jody must summon the courage to proclaim her allegiance to her man, not be a pawn to her family, and be a positive role-model for her daughter. To everyone’s surprise, a third choice, amid a tumultuous night of secret-revealing, comes to light.

Will Jody remain mired in Mother’s manipulation or freed from a lifetime of controlling, narcissistic influences? And how will her young daughter fare from the family mishegas that threatens to consume them? Can love and intimacy guide Jody’s exodus, or is the grip of the past too powerful to overcome?

With suspense, humor, romance, a compelling plot, and a Yiddish glossary, this novel grips the reader from start to finish—whether or not they understand the enormous challenges that the daughter of a narcissistic mother must overcome in order to become her own person. Those who do understand, or have lived with a self-absorbed or narcissistic mother, will see themselves in Jody—and cheer her on all the way to her final decision.

The Narcissist’s Daughter is also available for ordering for indie bookstores, B&N on demand, and libraries on Ingram. The ISBN is 9780983739777.

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What inspired you to write this book?

Did you create any sort of visual aid to keep yourself inspired?

Oh, yeah! When the story shifted away from its focus on the family reunions to a conflicted love-interest (based minimally on my current husband’s family background, corny poetry, and sayings!), I clipped out a photograph of a honey of a male model from some magazine. Now and then I’d visit his photo and go back to bringing him to life in my story! Other than that visual, I found that writing the book and attending workshops was so rewarding I kept going!

What do you feel is the most important takeaway?

While the storyline may feel like mostly a romance, it is FAR from it. It is full of life metaphors and symbols—I’m a wannabe philosopher and therapist! The book is a reminder to women that we need to live our lives our own way—within ethical and legal limits, preferably! The power of our core mother-daughter relationship often shapes who we become, and it deserves serious re-evaluation if it clashes with one’s inner soul, values, choices.

What one book club question do you hope readers ask or discuss?

I want readers to talk about their ego and dreams vs empathy and individuality for their children; sticking to family beliefs vs allowing self-development that differs from the family’s plans.

When I was age 13, I wrote a short story about two boys on a beach. One had a great family life; one had self-absorbed parents. In the end, each boy’s reaction to being called off the beach at dusk—one happy; one sunburned, lonely and sticky with sand—reflects not only on their self-esteem, but on the world—using the symbol of “littering the beach” or not. I still have that story. Who knew way back then that I was bursting with feeling, philosophy, analysis of personality differences and their effect on the next generation?! My mother loved my story and helped me try to publish it (didn’t), but it wasn’t until decades later I wondered why neither of us questioned why I wrote that? My life seemed totally whole, good family etc. Today, I have clear interpretations.

What single best piece of advice would you give yourself as you prepare to publish?

As I release my art and my messages into the world, I must accept some will like it, some will love it, some will think it is the most f’d up thing to have spent 18 years working on. Despite my strong proclivity to being a people pleaser, that’s OKAY.

After Jody, who is your favorite character? Why?

Ruthie, Jody’s bestie, for sure. Before, and during, the writing of this book, I wrote a memoir which incorporated real friends going through life changes—not yet published, never tried, maybe it’s my next book, who knows? I discovered, then, that despite my being a rather serious-minded person, humor explodes from me when I write.

As you were writing, did you take any wrong turns you later corrected? Why was it wrong? How did you correct it?

Oh my, if you could see how many drafts have hit the recycle bin! I’ve probably put some kids through college in China (where the US used to send much of its recycling). As I learned more (and more, and more) about novel structure, I added, then changed, then totally rewrote the prologue, first chapters, and removed stuff in the beginning that was written for ME but not needed for the READER.

Which character was most fun to write? Why?

We’re probably back to Ruthie again. Although the character that is most real, yet totally made up, is Sam’s mother, Stella. Writing that chapter in one day was a totally mystical experience where someone from the way beyond came back to create co-jointly with me. The only true story in there is Father Claude’s comments to Stella, and I’ll leave it at that…

Which character was most difficult? Why? How did you work through difficulties?

Definitely Shelley’s mother, Debra. Shelley is Sam’s former wife who died. I thought I had her “okay-enough” until a dear friend whose wonderful daughter died a few years ago read my novel with such heart, that she found wonderful changes, and delights. She tenderly told me that she found it too unrealistic how Debra responded to meeting Jody. I shared how I reworked it with Anne, my friend, and she said it was much better. I also consulted a late friend’s husband to ask if the re-dating sections for Sam were realistic, as he tries to find love again after such a tragic loss. These were both a case of writing what you don’t know but can be open to learning about!

What’s your favorite scene? Why?

“What’s happened? I kicked out a man who screwed another woman and you’re asking what’s wrong with me instead of, maybe, helping cook some meals for us or offer to babysit once in a while, or even just show me some, God forbid, emotional support? And you expect me to bring him to our already messed up family reunion filled with forty-eight hours of determining who’s most successful? Sorry, Uncle Nathan wins that one. And Aunt Bernice will always have more kindness, class and expensive designer everything than you. Give it up, Ma.” I exhaled and let go of Ida’s arm, motioning to the waitress.

For the first time I could remember, my mother stood motionless until the waitress approached. Ida maneuvered around her, moving her short legs so quickly she resembled a furry black Pomeranian dog trying to act fierce.

“I’ll be dining alone this morning,” I said. “Sorry for any inconvenience. Two Eggs Benedict, one to go, sauce on the side on both. And black coffee please.” I stood and switched seats, facing out. I couldn’t wait to call Ruthie, tell her Ida had flunked, and I had won, sort of. And to come to the house to get her Eggs Benedict soon. And, oh yeah, please advise me on what the heck* to do next.

*(I originally had what the f, but changed it just before my mother was going to read it!)

Which one specific scene or piece of dialogue could your book not do without? Why?

Your question immediately takes me to the scene where Jody and Sam finally, shall we say, ‘consummate’ their union. Every reader will feel that Sam is WAY too perfect throughout this book. I know that, no one has to tell me that :). I spent 18 months creating and playing with him, he had to be amazing! A straight male friend even teased that he’d marry Sam if he’s that good!

In response to a reader asking how much of his book was autobiographical, a writer I knew once said: Less than you think and more than you know. What part/s or aspect/s of the book is/are most unlike you, yet in your opinion, most likely to be mistaken for true? How would you respond to a reader who asked?

I love this question, because it is what has kept me from “birthing” it sooner: I’m worried people will think Jody’s breakdowns were mine (NO, NO, NO!); worried people will think my ex was a monster and only had visitation rights with our real-life daughter (NO, NO, NO-joint custody); worried people will think my mother is an outright narcissist (NO, but she had a sad upbringing and self-protective traits; she and I both have narcissistic traits, for sure). I also HATE the thought that people may think that my ex and I had that “fool-around scene”! NO NO NO. Nor did he beg to take me back. Puhlease!

If your book were made into a movie, who would play Jody? Mom? Other main characters?

If one thing comes out of this book, other than people enjoying it and maybe making changes in their own lives, I want this to be a Hollywood movie! It would star the “Mrs. Maisel” and “Suzy” actresses playing Jody and Ruthie. Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein. Oh, please, let me keep going: I need Michael Zegan, who plays Joel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, to play Stewart. And I’d sell my dog (ok, a deceased one) to have every woman’s dream boy, Bradley Cooper, play Sam—though when I started this I wanted Pierce Brosnan. That’s so back in the day now! And there’s only one actress who could truly do Ida, the Mother, perfectly: Bette Midler. Ok, I could keep going, but I’ll leave it at that.

How long did it take you to write this book?

On and off 18 years. NO KIDDING. Thank God I waited until now—Edit #24fgzxx—to release it. It was never quite ready for the world until about one month ago. Truth.

Was the editing process painful or fun? Why?

Did you ever feel like giving up? What motivated you to keep going?

Two years ago. 89-year-old Irwin who went trash picking in his own house. Ha.

How do you prepare for writing? Any special times of day, writing spots, or rituals?

Actually, in the beginning, I wrote at local libraries, trying to be disciplined, but I had a 10 and 15-year-old; moms who think that it’s easier to get things done when kids are in the teen years: No way. That’s when I discovered writing trips to workshops, weekends away, and in my empty nest years, longer writing trips to my favorite place, La Jolla, Calif. Or just, alone, to our Cape Cod home.

Did you start the book with a plan or ending in mind? Did you stick to it? Why or why not?

What, for you, are the easiest and hardest parts of writing a novel?

All of it is easy. All of it is difficult. Editing makes me OCD. Anyone who sends me a typo in my novel had better send me a package of Kleenex, too. Or valium, though I’m anti-drugs!

How is your work in journalism and PR different from, yet similar to writing a novel?

You know, all of these questions have been fun. This one involves an analysis I never stopped to consider. I think I do not compare them at all. Sure, they’re both writing forms, but polar opposite—facts vs creativity, even though each has a bit of both, of course. I will say that my journalism interviewing skills helped me when I needed to research the scene with Ruthie’s medical emergency. Two friends were brilliant with their responses to my questions. I also use my interviewing skills, which are also my intuitive skills, to learn more about people I interview and the 17-year-olds I coach on their college application essays. If anyone thinks journalism is just the facts, they don’t realize how much a good reporter must see what is not being said. Same with characters, I guess. Thanks, Terri, never thought of that comparison!

Mindy Pollack-Fusi is an award-winning, lifelong writer, former public relations professional, and veteran journalist and essayist for The Boston Globe. She founded The Place for Words in 2009 to teach creative writing to adults and coach students on college application essays. She is the editor of “The Ice Cream Stand, Stories & Poems” by 21 Writers, published in part by a Bedford Cultural Council Grant. She holds a B.S. in Magazine Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and an M.S. in Public Relations from Boston University’s School of Public Communications. Mindy lives in Bedford, Mass. with her husband and rescue dog, Doogie Howser, The Doctor of Love! This is Mindy’s first novel, published by her indie imprint, The Place for Words Press. (The photo is with Mindy’s late great cocker spaniel, Gilligan, whose fictional persona plays a major role in The Narcissist’s Daughter.

Can love and intimacy guide Jody’s exodus from her controlling mother, or is the grip of the past too powerful to overcome?

Jody Horowitz grew up in a tony community outside Boston with her narcissistic mother, her passive father, and her snooty older sister. Breaking any of Mother’s multiple rules meant enduring verbal lashings and comparisons to her “perfect” sister. Jody acquiesces in practice, if not in spirit, starting with Rule # 1: Marry a Well-Off Jewish Man. Have his baby. Which she does.

But Jody, now 33, with a one-year-old daughter, learns that her “well-off-enough Jewish man” has been screwing a shiksa, and Mother suggests that in order to fix her marriage, Jody “wear more lingerie.” Instead, Jody kicks the cheater out, recovers her life with her work, her daughter and their cocker spaniel….and, despite Rule #1, falls for a kind Italian Catholic widow. Their love affair leads her to expedite her divorce, despite the risk of losing not only the only family she has ever known, but future shares of the family’s fortune. Is this worth it, to be with a partner who has a big heart—but a thin wallet?

Her new man seems well worth it, and Jody seems truly happy for the first time in a long time…despite the secret she must keep from him, and the secret she discovers about him. As she grapples with her heart, Mother re-surfaces with more mishegas, instituting Rule # 2—Keep Secrets When Necessary. She declares the divorce and goyim guy to be hush-hush and insists that Jody bring her estranged husband to the annual family reunion in upscale Westchester County, NY. That request pushes Jody over the edge. With her loving Bubbe’s support, she resolves to finally emerge from her mother’s narcissism—and shatter all rules so she can be true to herself, her daughter, and her new man.

This decision unravels her soul and leads to a dramatic personal breakdown that stretches from Boston to California to Maine, which even her best friend Ruthie can’t fix for Jody this time. By the start of the highly-charged family reunion, Jody must summon the courage to proclaim her allegiance to her man, not be a pawn to her family, and be a positive role-model for her daughter. To everyone’s surprise, a third choice, amid a tumultuous night of secret-revealing, comes to light.

Will Jody remain mired in Mother’s manipulation or freed from a lifetime of controlling, narcissistic influences? And how will her young daughter fare from the family mishegas that threatens to consume them? Can love and intimacy guide Jody’s exodus, or is the grip of the past too powerful to overcome?

With suspense, humor, romance, a compelling plot, and a Yiddish glossary, this novel grips the reader from start to finish—whether or not they understand the enormous challenges that the daughter of a narcissistic mother must overcome in order to become her own person. Those who do understand, or have lived with a self-absorbed or narcissistic mother, will see themselves in Jody—and cheer her on all the way to her final decision.

The Narcissist’s Daughter is also available for ordering for indie bookstores, B&N on demand, and libraries on Ingram. The ISBN is 9780983739777.

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At first glance, my book seems to be a flighty, comic, sexy interfaith love story that includes a graphic infidelity scene and a nasty mother as antagonist. Pure, unadulterated, chick lit. Well, um, yes, it is all of that, but oh, it is so, so much more.

My whole life I have been told I should be a therapist. Well, my mother told me I should GO TO ONE when I was only about 13, when I asked her to please be more supportive of me—before I knew that she just didn’t have it in her, from her own pained background. So, instead, I became an armchair therapist by studying the people in my own childhood home, and later in my friend group, particularly as the writer in me emerged and observing “characters” became part of my very soul.

So, without truly being aware of this, each of my characters underwent therapy in my mind for the 18 years I have on-and-off worked on this novel. After 18 years, most of them are doing quite well in their lives by now, I hope.

For those willing to look more deeply into my storyline, this book is also about personal demons. Every one of us has them. After you read the book, make a list of what each character’s flaws, if not demons, are. Also find the metaphors throughout the book that hint toward how we each can heal. The book depicts sex-addicts, narcissists galore, empaths, egotists, and, thank God for them, a handful of well-adjusted humans. And a fabulous canine, of course. (Sorry, cat lovers, no cats in this story. For a fee/donation to a writing cause I support, I’ll write one in for you for the eventual Audible version! PM me!)

So here are a few conversations you might enjoy. I, the creator of these characters, will channel the therapists I consulted in creating some of my characters, or in understanding them after I created them!!

Below is “dialogue” from the book. I will describe each character by his or her connection to Jody, the protagonist in the story, share a quote and I will reply as Dr. Mindy. (It is kind of like going to a cocktail party where you know no one, so the host makes everyone wear a nametag with their name and biggest flaw, and then sits them down with a shrink, one at a time. Hmm, sounds like an interesting movie for contemplative sorts, like me!)

Enjoy:

Mindy Pollack-Fusi is an award-winning, lifelong writer, former public relations professional, and veteran journalist and essayist for The Boston Globe. She founded The Place for Words in 2009 to teach creative writing to adults and coach students on college application essays. She is the editor of “The Ice Cream Stand, Stories & Poems” by 21 Writers, published in part by a Bedford Cultural Council Grant. She holds a B.S. in Magazine Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and an M.S. in Public Relations from Boston University’s School of Public Communications. Mindy lives in Bedford, Mass. with her husband and rescue dog, Doogie Howser, The Doctor of Love! This is Mindy’s first novel, published by her indie imprint, The Place for Words Press. (The photo is with Mindy’s late great cocker spaniel, Gilligan, whose fictional persona plays a major role in The Narcissist’s Daughter.

Can love and intimacy guide Jody’s exodus from her controlling mother, or is the grip of the past too powerful to overcome?

Jody Horowitz grew up in a tony community outside Boston with her narcissistic mother, her passive father, and her snooty older sister. Breaking any of Mother’s multiple rules meant enduring verbal lashings and comparisons to her “perfect” sister. Jody acquiesces in practice, if not in spirit, starting with Rule # 1: Marry a Well-Off Jewish Man. Have his baby. Which she does.

But Jody, now 33, with a one-year-old daughter, learns that her “well-off-enough Jewish man” has been screwing a shiksa, and Mother suggests that in order to fix her marriage, Jody “wear more lingerie.” Instead, Jody kicks the cheater out, recovers her life with her work, her daughter and their cocker spaniel….and, despite Rule #1, falls for a kind Italian Catholic widow. Their love affair leads her to expedite her divorce, despite the risk of losing not only the only family she has ever known, but future shares of the family’s fortune. Is this worth it, to be with a partner who has a big heart—but a thin wallet?

Her new man seems well worth it, and Jody seems truly happy for the first time in a long time…despite the secret she must keep from him, and the secret she discovers about him. As she grapples with her heart, Mother re-surfaces with more mishegas, instituting Rule # 2—Keep Secrets When Necessary. She declares the divorce and goyim guy to be hush-hush and insists that Jody bring her estranged husband to the annual family reunion in upscale Westchester County, NY. That request pushes Jody over the edge. With her loving Bubbe’s support, she resolves to finally emerge from her mother’s narcissism—and shatter all rules so she can be true to herself, her daughter, and her new man.

This decision unravels her soul and leads to a dramatic personal breakdown that stretches from Boston to California to Maine, which even her best friend Ruthie can’t fix for Jody this time. By the start of the highly-charged family reunion, Jody must summon the courage to proclaim her allegiance to her man, not be a pawn to her family, and be a positive role-model for her daughter. To everyone’s surprise, a third choice, amid a tumultuous night of secret-revealing, comes to light.

Will Jody remain mired in Mother’s manipulation or freed from a lifetime of controlling, narcissistic influences? And how will her young daughter fare from the family mishegas that threatens to consume them? Can love and intimacy guide Jody’s exodus, or is the grip of the past too powerful to overcome?

With suspense, humor, romance, a compelling plot, and a Yiddish glossary, this novel grips the reader from start to finish—whether or not they understand the enormous challenges that the daughter of a narcissistic mother must overcome in order to become her own person. Those who do understand, or have lived with a self-absorbed or narcissistic mother, will see themselves in Jody—and cheer her on all the way to her final decision.

The Narcissist’s Daughter is also available for ordering for indie bookstores, B&N on demand, and libraries on Ingram. The ISBN is 9780983739777.

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How to Beat SAD and Get Your Creative Mojo Back

Once the excitement of the holiday season abates, many of us find the winter seems to drone on in an endless monologue of gray skies, slushy sidewalks and slippery-slow commutes to the office. Even making a run to the grocery store drains our energy when it requires bundling up and facing bitterly cold temperatures. Most people tend to feel a bit down as Old Man Winter starts to overstay his welcome, but for those suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), winter depression impacts all areas of life, including the workday.

SAD impacts those affected much the same way major depressive disorder does, but only occurs during certain months of the year. Symptoms of SAD include feeling depressed or listless most every day, losing interest in previously pleasurable activities, sleeping too much or developing insomnia, having lower energy levels and experiencing difficulty concentrating. For those of us in the creative and publishing industries, SAD often presents an additional frustrating symptom — writers’ block.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of SAD, try these techniques to revitalize your mojo.

Light Things Up

This go-to treatment prescribed by many psychiatrists busts winter blues by imitating the sunlight available during the months when days stretch longer. Specially designed lights mimic the effect of the sun, boosting moods without medication. You can find these treatment lights available on Amazon for relatively low prices, so pick up one for both home and office if you’re not fortunate enough to telecommute.

If waking up while the sky remains pitch black makes you want to duck back under the covers until April, consider investing in an alarm clock that gently brightens your room while awakening you. Such clocks replicate the natural brightening of the sky in the morning, making you feel as though you’re waking to sunshine and chirping birds instead of snow-laden clouds.

In addition, strive to get outdoors in winter sunlight whenever the weather permits. If your work schedule keeps you chained to your desk during daylight hours, speak with your editor about the need to take regular walk breaks outdoors to soak up the sun. Most employers happily permit this accommodation as it boosts productivity without costing them a dime.

Get a Bit Nutty

When you find yourself staring at a blank computer screen, unable to type a single word, consider taking a snack break and nosh on some nuts. Nuts contain high levels of both omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium, nutrients vital to brain health. Magnesium boosts production of serotonin, one of the neurotransmitters impacting mood. Enjoy your nuts straight up or incorporated into parfaits and other treats.

In addition to nuts, try dining on fatty fish like salmon and mackerel at least twice per week. Fish provide a lean protein source likewise rich in essential fatty acids. Pair it with a nice salad rich in dark, leafy greens for an added nutritional and mood boost.

Those following strict vegetarian or vegan diets may consider finding a humane farm and adding in one or two meat meals during the winter months. A Finnish study found that those following vegetarian diets were four times more likely to develop SAD than their carnivorous counterparts. A similar Dutch study likewise demonstrated a link between vegetarianism and SAD.

Take Your Vitamins

Exposure to harsh wintry elements takes a toll on the body and uses up a good amount of nutrition. Replenish your body by investing in a quality daily vitamin and mineral supplement.

Make sure the supplement you select contains a high amount of vitamin D. Humans usually generate vitamin D naturally with exposure to sunlight, and winters’ short days create a deficiency. Those with absorption issues, such as those with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s, may benefit more from sublingual vitamin D drops available at natural health food stores.

Try Scent-sational Mood Boosters

Aromatherapy can break blah moods as well as stimulate your creative juices by helping clear your mind. Just about every grocery store now offers essential oil diffusers and a variety of mood-boosting oil blends.

Some natural food stores contain essential oil blends specially designed to treat certain conditions such as depression. When creating your own unique blend, experiment with citrus scents to energize you and boost your creativity. Spritz a few drops of lavender or chamomile essential oil on your pillow to help you sleep at night, especially if SAD has kept you tossing and turning.

Move Your Body

Exercise naturally boosts moods by releasing endorphins, chemicals in the body that lead to a sense of euphoria. So as tempting as it may seem, avoid skipping the gym.

Should the weather turn too inclement to safely exercise outdoors or drive to a fitness class, simply turn to YouTube and search for free workout videos, or subscribe to a fitness streaming service such as Daily Burn. Alternately, crank up your favorite jams and dance around your living room for a half hour or so.

Short bursts of exercise help you push through the dreaded writer’s block. When the words just won’t flow, get up instead of staring at the screen. Take a short, brisk walk if weather permits, or perform some jumping jacks and squats to get the blood flowing to your brain.

Explore Employee Assistance

When natural methods fail to sufficiently lift your spirits, explore the benefits available through your employer. Many companies offer assistance programs that provide employees with low- or no-cost counseling and mental health services. Those with medical coverage may contact their insurance for a list of psychiatrists in their area, as short-term doses of anti-depressant medications can help alleviate severe forms of SAD.

No one except Frosty really enjoys a seemingly endless winter, but those with SAD can feel like their creativity flew south with the geese. By using a combination of natural approaches and western medicine, writers can alleviate the cold-weather doldrums and bring fresh, new life to their creative endeavors.

About Jennifer Landis

Jennifer Landis is a mom, wife, and healthy living blogger at Mindfulness Mama. She loves yoga, distance running, peanut butter, and spending the small amount of free time she has watching Netflix with her husband.

Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferELandis.

It used to be nearly impossible for authors to get into the international market, requiring a whole network of publishers, distributors, andagents. Nowadays, technological advances have made selling international rights much easier. There are many translation services to choose from, as well as multiple online selling platforms. And because of social media, it’s now possible for writers to engage quickly and easily with readers all across the globe.

Like writing, literary translation is a fine art. Finding a translator who can capture the characters, meaning, and original voice of your work can be daunting. But there are options. If you are ready to take the plunge, this article will explain how to go about finding a translator for your work.

Options: A Professional Freelance Translator or a Translation Agency?

Before we start discussing how to find the best literary translator, let’s talk for a moment about automated translation. Technology like hand-held translation devices and Google translate can be helpful tools for understanding the odd word or phrase, but they are a long way from being able to translate your work correctly.

Even machine translations used by commercial translation companies and universities can’t accurately perform document translation of this nature; They are merely tools used by human translators to assist them in their work. These helpful aids are wonderful, of course, but they cannot discern tone and context, nor achieve the quality of work that a human translator can.

As such, you have two main options for self-publishing your work in another language. You can enlist the help of a translation agency, or hire a freelance translator. Both of these options can work well, provided you know what you’re looking for.

Translating Your Work with a Freelance Translator

Freelance translators usually have low overhead costs because they work from home or a small office. This means that their fees can be lower than those that large translation agencies charge. A top-notch freelance translator won’t come cheap, but they are generally less expensive than using an agency. They may also be able to offer you some value-added services.

If you choose a freelancer to assist you in translating your work, it’s likely you will develop a close professional relationship. This can be important for some writers. It also means that you will be in direct contact with them, so you can share insights and collaborate.  If you are concerned about trying to find a professional freelance translator, don’t be. There are plenty of options available, including:

• Freelance platforms like Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork, and People-For Hire.
• Professional associations for translators, like the ATA or IAPTI, where you can search directories of translation professionals by services, language, and specialty.
• Professional networking sites like Linkedin and even social media sites

What to Look For in a Freelance Translator

Pick a native speaker

Finding a translator who can render your work into their native tongue is usually the best course of action. Native speakers understand the nuances of their languages and can convey the meaning of your writing better.

Ask about specializations

Many translators specialize in a particular subject area. While it might not always be practical, finding a translator who has some background knowledge that is pertinent to the subject matter of your work is ideal.

Ask the translator about their education

A good translator is interested enough in their craft to participate in continuing education. For literary translators, this is particularly important. Ask them about recent courses they have taken either in the target language or the source language. A translator who is invested in their own professional development is one who shows initiative with their work.

Request translation samples

Asking for samples and references is a must. If you are unable to read them, you can always find a friend who is fluent in the target language to look them over for you. There are also many social media groups that specialize in particular languages. And they are usually full of helpful members.

How can you ensure that the translation is good if you don’t speak the language?

This can be tricky, and it’s one reason why it’s important to request samples and references. You should take your time when choosing translation services, and request the same information from each one. Once you have everything together, you may want to hire a short-term editor (fluent in the language, of course) to read them. An editor can advise you which translators have done the best job of conveying the sample piece.

Working with a Translation Agency

If you are planning to have your literary work translated into several languages, a translation agency might be your best choice. While the cost of these services is usually a bit higher, they can take some of the responsibilities of the task off your plate. They typically have a pool of translators, so can choose someone who is well suited to the task of translating your work. They will also often have an editor working on your project. If your work is going to be translated into several languages simultaneously, there will also be a project manager to coordinate the necessary steps.

At the outset, be sure to establish the total cost and how much input you will be able to have in the process. Establish who your dedicated contact person is and be clear on when they will be available to answer any questions you might have. Lastly, carefully read the terms just to make sure you are going to retain full rights to your translation.

Clearly, translating your work is something that requires careful thought and planning. There are many options to consider before taking the plunge. Not all authors have the same needs, so weighing your options and evaluating what will be most effective and most profitable for you over the long run makes good sense.

About the Author

Louise Taylor is the content manager for Tomedes translation services. A writer with a keen interest in languages, she runs the Tomedes translation blog and the company’s business translation center, covering anything and everything relating to the translation sector.

I’ve used all of these exercises many times, so I can vouch for the fact that they’re helpful. When I was developing my first novel, In Leah’s Wake, I was so stuck that I actually tried every last one. Before I’d written a word, I knew the origin and meaning of every character name, what each character ate for breakfast, the things that mattered and didn’t matter to them, the role religion played in their lives, their nicknames, their friends, and a whole assortment of other minutia that (thank goodness!) didn’t make it into the book, but helped me tremendously in figuring out who these people were, what motivated them, and why anybody should care.

I don’t know about you, but I get bored using the same go-to exercises time and again. That’s why when Findcourses.co.uk sent us these CVs, we knew we had to share them with you.

On the CV graphics, you’ll find resumes for classic characters, including Forrest Gump, Gandalf the White, and Sybill Trelawney. How do you think Gandalf, if pushed, would try to convince a potential employer to hire him? How would Jack Sparrow, Pirate of the Caribbean, explain his employment history? How would Jesse Pinkman reframe his meth-dealing escapades with Walter White to appear above board and legit? Take a look below to find out. Then try your hand at creating CVs for your own characters, peopling your current W-I-P or maybe for a novel that’s still sorting itself out in your head.

Have fun! We hope you enjoy!

Forrest Gump

Gandalf

Jack Sparrow

Jesse Pinkman

Professor Sybill Trelawney

Which exercises do you find most helpful in character development? Do you think you’ll ever create CVs? Why or why not? We’d love for you to share your process with us! Thank you so much for reading! Lots of love, Terri

**At the bottom of this piece you’ll find a giveaway—easily spread the word about Ann’s piece by tweeting or pinning. Connect on social media for more chances to win a $25 Amazon.com gift card!**

“Love. I married Docie for great love. I know now this is so, for I continued to love him years after he had ceased to be romantically in love with me. During the depression your grandfather began a relationship.” Lala shakes her head again. And sips from some ice tea. “Ruth.” She says the name as though she is amazed she can say the word without clouds gathering and lightening striking.

I eat my salmon. It is everywhere, I think.

“It was worse than his gambling. You know, for ten years, I gave myself to him. All of myself. Every corner. Completely and without question. More than I knew I even could or had. Or probably should have. He opened doors in me I did not know were there.” Lala’s eyes fill with tears. “A long time ago. A long, long time ago. God what’s it been? A half a century.”

“Anyway. And then the card playing. He played with our extra money. So,” Lala shrugs. “I did what I had to. Worked. And then Ruth. She was his best friend, he told me. They worked together, he told me. Colleagues at the hospital.” Lala turns to me for an aside. “She was a social worker. The first one there. He talked to her on the phone. At night. They met at the Waldorf for dinner. They walked around Schenley Park. He denied the affair. Denied it.”

Lala’s rolled-down stockings make a soft sausage bulge above her knees. Her hands rest on this bulge now. “I imagined her young. Thin.” She gestures to her stomach. “Imagined that was why he wanted her. She was slim. Beautiful. This woman who had taken him from me, from our family. I went to the hospital to take a look at her. She was fatter than me. Not so young. Younger, but not so young. She was merely Jewish. That’s all.” Lala stops, the fountain gurgles, the bees hum their song. “Men always are little boys. They never grow up. Never. They eventually go home to Mama. One way or the other.”

My grandfather? My Docie. So precise. So cool. Eating his toast with each meal in small bites. His mustache trimmed. Blue veins knot the back of his hands, trace up his arms under translucent skin.

“It was the depression.” Lala stops. Time for a history lesson. Her voice shifts, from the tear-clotted deep register, up several notes. “During the depression, your grandfather had to sell his practice. Pup was fired from the bus company six months before his thirty-years retirement. So Pup and Mum came to live with us. After Cassie died, we had Faith and Penny. Then Docie’s parents and sister came to live with us and your mother came home from Bucknell to work at the DPW. So there were twelve in this house.” The goldfinch finishes his bath and smoothes his bright feathers with his beak. He watches us from the peach tree. “The ladies next door burned all their furniture one winter to stay warm. Couldn’t afford coal and too proud to tell anyone.

“Anyway, all through this ordeal, Docie regularly disappeared with her. For long Sunday afternoons at the Phipps Conservatory, or the Carnegie Museum. He kept saying they were friends. Just friends. She was his best friend. They were not sexually involved. But it didn’t matter. They were always together. I was dismal in my feeling about him, about us. After Cassie’s death, and Docie’s surgery — the stomach operation where it was touch and go for months. And now this. The depression. This affair? I cried at the drop of a hat. I was beside myself with grief. Beside myself. Almost mad, I think, with anguish.” She closes her eyes tight and clenches her fists. “Oh God. Oh God. Still working, taking care of everybody. And Faith and Penny. Then this. What we endure. What we can endure.”

Lala shifts in her chair. Her cheeks are wet. She takes her glasses off and wipes her cheeks with her napkin. Sips some tea. Begins talking again. “Finally, I went to Ruth’s parents. I told them their daughter was involved with my husband. That they were the talk of the hospital. I had been getting warning calls. They were seen having lunch, taking walks. It was damaging both their reputations. My husband was the support of five children, two sets of parents. They had to control their daughter. So they arranged a marriage for Ruth and she left for New York.” Lala spreads a cracker with Stilton cheese. It cracks like fire when she bites it.

I gaze at the pond of grass as though it is a stretching, yawning sea. For a moment we are ladies at a lawn party.

“I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t love him enough. Too busy missing Cassie and taking care of her babies. Maybe I just didn’t love him hard enough.”

“I can’t imagine you not loving enough,” I say.

“It didn’t matter. I mean, she was in New York, but they wrote. She was his friend. We’re going to write.’ He informed me.” Lala punctuates each word with a jerk of her head imitating Docie. “What could I do?” She shrugs. “Nothing. At first those damn letters came every week. Then every month. So every month, for all those years, amongst the mail, I’d see that turquoise spider writing on an envelope. I’d leave it under the chime clock just like all the other mail. He’d pick it up, disappear to his desk and then spend the evening reading. Rereading. Poring over her letter and writing her back. So what did I stop?” She pauses.

“Then on his deathbed, just about the last thing, he says is, Laura, tell Ruth. Please. Tell Ruth. Make sure she knows.’ He held my hand tight as though for dear life and talked about her.”

She thought they were the perfect couple. She authored Keep the Home Fires Burning: How to Have an Affair with Your Spouse and appeared on Oprah, Donahue, and Sally Jessy Raphael as an expert on the joys of sexual monogamy. She was a marriage and family therapist who counseled patients coping with cheating spouses. She believed she had escaped her family legacy of marital infidelity. She was wrong. After thirty years of marriage and three children, Ann Pearlman discovered her husband’s affair with another woman.

In Infidelity, Pearlman tells the true story of the devastating effect of adultery across three generations of American women. An award-winning author, columnist, psychotherapist, marriage and family therapist, Pearlman draws on sociological and anthropological works as well as her own experience to write out her rage, pain, depression, doubts, and, eventually, her journey back to confidence and strength. Originally published by MacAdam/Cage in 2000, Infidelity was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and also served as the inspiration for a Lionsgate film.

Infidelity re-published by Dzanc Books, is available in books stores as of August 14, 2018.

Praise for Infidelity

“An unusually vivid and striking account of the effects of men’s affairs on their wives and daughters—an immediate, personal story of depth and power, as gripping as a good novel.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Outstanding… once you start reading you cannot stop.”
—The Times

“A vivid, thoughtful memoir of a woman’s life, her sexuality, and her growing social, psychic and sexual consciousness…Pearlman tells her story with a lovely control and a deep sense of meditative longing.”
—Elle

Ann Pearlman has won vast critical and commercial success for her fiction and nonfiction books. Keep the Home Fires Burning: How to Have an Affair With Your Spouse garnered the attention of the Oprah Winfrey Show and was featured on many other talk shows. Her memoir, Infidelity, was nominated for National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize, and made into a Lifetime movie by Lionsgate. Inside the Crips, with a foreword by Ice T, took readers into the life of a Crip gang member and the California Prison system. Her first novel, The Christmas Cookie Club, became an international bestseller, spawning cookie exchanges and a follow-up cookbook.  A Gift for My Sister won first place in the Sharp Writ Book Awards, 2013.  She lives in Ann Arbor, MI.

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Getting a Pulitzer Nomination

by Ann Pearlman

I don’t remember which city I was in or which TV show I was about to do. My make up was done, and I waited in the green room ready to be ushered onto the set for the interview. Probably swinging my leg in nervousness.

I was on the book tour for Infidelity composed of hops across the country, a different city every other day, driven by a publisher’s escort from radio station, to TV news program, newspaper interview, radio talk show, book store reading and finally, my hotel.

My phone rang. It was the senior editor of the publishing house. “Ann?”

“Hi, What’s up?”

“Good news. Great news. Infidelity has been officially nominated for a Pulitzer.”

“What?” My voice screeched. “You’re kidding.”

He laughed. “Not at all. You’ve been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Congratulations.”

“Really?” Is this a dream?

The producer for the show entered. “Ms Pearlman, we’re ready for you.”

“I’m going on a live TV show. Right now. I’ll call you the minute I’m finished.”

While the station played an advertisement, I sat down, smoothed the skirt of my dress over my legs. The make up man powdered the host’s face, then mine. I grinned thinking about the Pulitzer while a mike was fastened to my collar.

The Pulitzer? How did that happen? My heart pounded so I couldn’t tell what was excitement about the news and what was nervousness about the live TV show.

The book had received more attention than I anticipated. Especially after months of rejections, I was thrilled it was going to be published. Then, it received surprising applause: a starred review by Publisher’s Weekly, a forced auction for the paperback rights.

And now this.

So the host said, “How are you, Ann?”

He was making small talk before introducing me, but I was way too excited to follow the ritualized procedures.

“Guess what? I still can’t believe it. I just learned that Infidelity has been nominated for a Pulitzer.” My words were as rapid fire as my heart.

“Just now?”

“Thirty seconds ago. In your green room,” I pointed in the direction with my thumb. “From my editor. You’re the first person I’ve been able to tell. First time I said it aloud.”

The host’s eyes widened. “You mean I got a scoop?”

“I guess.”

I don’t remember the interview. He did announce the good news and I’m sure he had a series of questions the producer suggested. I assume I inhaled deeply and became once again the professional who focused on the topic of the moment.

Once home, the Pulitzer nomination seemed like a dream, as unattached to my regular life of being a mother, therapist, writer as the book tour. The Pulitzer nomination was like a jump into a different world. But it was also an invisible change, one of those events like the first time you make love, or land a wonderful job. I was as invisible and anonymous as I had always been. I told my family and close friends. Each time I basked in their excitement and slowly it began to seem real.

Meanwhile, the promotion for Infidelity continued. I appeared on 51 radio programs, 11 Television programs, 24 print media. Some of these were big, some of them fell flat. I was set to appear on Good Morning America. Unfortunately, I burst a blood vessel in my eye doing push ups. Even two weeks later, my daughter told me, with the white of my left eye bright red, I looked like Satan. Once in New York, I was warned that Siamese Twins were just born and may bounce me.

They did. My interview was taped. But, as far as I know, never showed. I continued my tour.
When the tour ended, I resumed my ordinary life. I worked on a novel that I had started, took care of my psychotherapy practice, raised my children.

By December, I had not heard anything further about the Pulitzer. My book was not one of the finalists, I realized as I baked 13 dozen cookies for a Christmas cookie exchange.

By the time the winners were announced, I had incorporated that Infidelity would not be among them. But that did not take away the thrill and sense of honor of the nomination. The sense of accomplishment and pleasure has remained. Along with a Lionsgate movie based on it, the Pulitzer nomination has become part of the WOW factor associated with Infidelity.

Accolades and prizes mingle with the rejections, mixed reviews and unpublished books.

Facebook and Twitter were not in play. Or at least, I wasn’t part of them and publishers were not encouraging authors to be on social media. This was at the turn of the century. Amazon and ereaders were lurking in the future. Since then, and rapidly, publishing changed. When my next books were marketed, the Pulitzer was mentioned in my publicity. Even almost two decades later, the nomination sings loudly that my writing was deemed sufficiently strong to deserve throwing it in such a prestigious ring. But it guarantees little in itself. I still have the same hoops to jump through to get published. Perhaps the gatekeepers pay more attention to my work, but if so, that’s invisible.

And me? We get used to our failures and settle into our achievements carrying them forward as we continue our voyage. Additionally, there are always two tracks in writing. One is the writing and the sense of meaning, thrall and sense it makes of the world. The other is the “success” in the market place. Sometimes the market place supports the writing. But praise and success in one project guarantee little. Meanwhile, we writers will write, be transported, extract meaning and yearn over our work. It’s how I make sense of the world and share that with others.

She thought they were the perfect couple. She authored Keep the Home Fires Burning: How to Have an Affair with Your Spouse and appeared on Oprah, Donahue, and Sally Jessy Raphael as an expert on the joys of sexual monogamy. She was a marriage and family therapist who counseled patients coping with cheating spouses. She believed she had escaped her family legacy of marital infidelity. She was wrong. After thirty years of marriage and three children, Ann Pearlman discovered her husband’s affair with another woman.

In Infidelity, Pearlman tells the true story of the devastating effect of adultery across three generations of American women. An award-winning author, columnist, psychotherapist, marriage and family therapist, Pearlman draws on sociological and anthropological works as well as her own experience to write out her rage, pain, depression, doubts, and, eventually, her journey back to confidence and strength. Originally published by MacAdam/Cage in 2000, Infidelity was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and also served as the inspiration for a Lionsgate film.

Infidelity re-published by Dzanc Books, is available in books stores as of August 14, 2018.

Praise for Infidelity

“An unusually vivid and striking account of the effects of men’s affairs on their wives and daughters—an immediate, personal story of depth and power, as gripping as a good novel.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Outstanding… once you start reading you cannot stop.”
—The Times

“A vivid, thoughtful memoir of a woman’s life, her sexuality, and her growing social, psychic and sexual consciousness…Pearlman tells her story with a lovely control and a deep sense of meditative longing.”
—Elle

Ann Pearlman has won vast critical and commercial success for her fiction and nonfiction books. Keep the Home Fires Burning: How to Have an Affair With Your Spouse garnered the attention of the Oprah Winfrey Show and was featured on many other talk shows. Her memoir, Infidelity, was nominated for National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize, and made into a Lifetime movie by Lionsgate. Inside the Crips, with a foreword by Ice T, took readers into the life of a Crip gang member and the California Prison system. Her first novel, The Christmas Cookie Club, became an international bestseller, spawning cookie exchanges and a follow-up cookbook.  A Gift for My Sister won first place in the Sharp Writ Book Awards, 2013.  She lives in Ann Arbor, MI.

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