Poignant…Humorous…Brutally Honest!
A collection of personal reflections guaranteed to keep you inspired and entertained on that journey we all travel together: The Journey of Aging
With a blend of grace, dignity, warmth and humor, women and men from 60 to 90 and from all walks of life candidly share the blessings and pitfalls of aging – from keeping dreams alive and keeping sex lives active to dealing with retirement, loss of independence and a growing sense of mortality.
A BOOK ABOUT LIVING EVERY MOMENT OF LIFE!
Available On Amazon
STILL ME…
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
THE INTERVIEW WITH L.D. MASTERSON
1) If you were pitching this book idea to a publisher what would that pitch be?
One of the lovely parts of contributing to an anthology is someone else does all that difficult “back cover” writing, and they did a wonderful job. So let me answer for just my story.
The hardest part of aging is diminishing possibilities. “On Dreams, Appetites and Possibilities” is one woman’s reflection on roads not taken, dreams not pursued, and the sneaky way time has of disappearing. It’s a decade by decade look at a full and happy life, but also at the realization that the menu of life’s possibilities grows steadily smaller with the years.
2) What was your favorite part about writing this story?
Writing this story gave me a chance to do some of my favorite things…reminisce, look through old photos, and re-read old letters and journals. I was amazed at the things I’d forgotten, and the things I remembered.
Being an empty nester, I have a whole bedroom to use as my office. This is a good thing because I’m a very messy writer. While writing “On Dreams…”, I had papers and photos scattered everywhere. The one spot that’s off limits to my mess is the dog bed next to my chair where Sophie, my Jack Russell terrier, likes to sleep while I work.
3) How much research did you do and what type? Include most interesting or most unusual or most fun or all three.
As I mentioned before, most of the research for this story came from strolls down memory lane, with side trips into old photo albums or family files. It was fun but also bittersweet. Few lives have only good memories. I also came across some dreams–no longer possible—that I’d forgotten I had. But there were many that had “come true” and this gave me the chance to enjoy them all over again.
4) What is your take on aging and what would you those entering the half century mark?
Well, I’ll mention the obvious first – getting older is a lot better than the alternative.
But I have to laugh at your use of the half-century mark as the beginning of old age. I loved my fifties. The freedom of menopause, the arrival of grandchildren. I starting running for the first time in my fifties and did a mini-marathon with my son. Fifty may look old when you’re looking up but looking back, it was great.
The sixties have been harder. Retirement. The loss of my parents. The grandkids leaving home. Hearing my doctor begin every conversation with “at your age, you have to expect…” But I can offer these words of wisdom: Every age has its possibilities. Discover them. Pursue them. Don’t ever stop. It’s not the diminishing possibilities that make us old, it’s when we stop seeing the ones that are still there.
STILL ME…
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
This is a charming, funny, and enlightening collection of essays about aging. In addition, Karen is offering a tour-wide giveaway featuring two (2) print copies (U.S. entries only) of STILL ME and two (2) eBook copies of STILL ME (International entries). See how you can enter to win below.
◊ STILL ME…AFTER ALL THESE YEARS: 24 Authors Reflect on Aging
◊ By Karen Helene Walker
◊ Genre: Biographies, Memoirs, Nonfiction
◊ Publication Date: April 4, 2017
◊ ASIN: BO6WWRK82K
Poignant…Humorous…Brutally Honest!
A collection of personal reflections guaranteed to keep you inspired and entertained on that journey we all travel together: The Journey of Aging.
With a blend of grace, dignity, warmth and humor, women and men from 60 to 90 and from all walks of life candidly share the blessings and pitfalls of aging – from keeping dreams alive and keeping sex lives active to dealing with retirement, loss of independence and a growing sense of mortality.
A BOOK ABOUT LIVING EVERY MOMENT OF LIFE!
Rev. Clara Alexander is an ordained New Thought minister who creates and performs sacred ceremonies, including unique weddings, funerals, memorial services, baby blessings and house blessings. She is also a popular speaker, inspiring groups with her talks on how we cling to our grudges, how we overuse the phrase “I’m sorry” and how we can live the life we love.
Wendy Brown recently retired from a career in wildlife biology, where she studied sandhill cranes and whooping cranes as they migrated from Idaho to New Mexico. Wendy eventually found a permanent home in Albuquerque, where she and her husband enjoy the sounds of sandhill cranes from their deck. Since retiring from state government in 2014.
Valerie Capps has bypassed the porch rocking chair to pursue her life-long passion for writing, thereby proving that in today’s world, life can begin again at 65! Valerie lives in Nashville with her husband and their spoiled-rotten Welsh Corgi. www.amazon.com/Valerie-Capps/e/B016VD9V72
Mary W. Clark retired from her law practice in 2007 and transferred her observation and composition skills to travel writing. She is currently working on a book about her father’s World War II experience flying “the Hump” from India to China over the Himalayas. Mary lives in Paris, Texas. www.maryclarktraveler.com
Fran Fischer: “I was born at a very young age and that happened 82 years ago, so I don’t remember much about it. I’ve crammed as much living into my life as possible, and I’m not through yet. I’ve traveled extensively and I even flew in the same zero-gravity plane that the astronauts trained in. I live in California with my first (and only) husband, and we celebrated our 62nd anniversary this year.”
Pat Garcia (Patricia Anne Pierce-Garcia Schaack) is an American expatriate living in Europe. An accomplished musician as well as a writer, she has been writing (and reading) since childhood.
Mark David Gerson is the author of more than a dozen books, including critically acclaimed titles for writers, award-winning fiction, and compelling memoirs. Known as “The Birthing Your Book Guru,” Mark David works with an international roster of clients as coach and consultant, helping them get their stories onto the page and into the world with ease. www.markdavidgerson.com
Holly Deuel Gilster plays “make believe” for a living. In other words, she is a professional actress and musician. Holly also loves painting with words as an accomplished poet, an award-winning short-story writer and a book reviewer for The Or Echo.
Aaron Gordon is a retired social sciences community college professor. He and his wife, Ellie, have been married for 65 years and have three children and grandchildren.
Ellie Gordon is a retired public school teacher who spent the best 20 years of her life in the classroom. A Chicago native, she now lives in New Mexico.
Karla “Rosie” Harper recently retired from teaching elementary school, freeing her to return to her early love of dancing. Today, when not helping out with her grandchildren, Rosie is taking dance lessons, spinning on a dance floor or performing in senior centers and retirement communities with Albuquerque’s Sugartime, as a singer as well as a dancer.
Linda Hoye is the author of Two Hearts: An Adoptee’s Journey Through Grief to Gratitude, available through major online retailers. A native of Saskatchewan, Linda currently lives in British Columbia (by way of Washington State) with her husband and doted-upon Yorkshire Terrier. www.lindahoye.com
E.V. Legters hasn’t so much retired as she has exchanged one life for another — from rewarding years with career and children (while pursuing the arts on the fly) to a life with the arts at its center. She is the author of Vanishing Point and Connected Underneath and is currently hard at work on her third novel. www.evlegters.com
LD Masterson lived on both coasts before becoming landlocked in Ohio. After twenty years managing computers for the American Red Cross, she now divides her time between writing, volunteer work and enjoying her grandchildren. Her short stories have been published in several magazines and anthologies, and she is currently working on a new novel. www.ldmasterson.com
Kathleen Messmer not only runs a film production company with offices in the UK and the US, she is an avid photographer and wildlife advocate. In the unlikely event that she ever retires, Kathleen plans to live on a ranch with draft horses and pygmy goats and vineyards and fruit orchards, somewhere near the water. Oh, and a cowboy…maybe. www.kathleenmessmer.com
Karen Norstad has worked as cashier/gift wrapper, secretary, boutique seamstress, administrative assistant, manager of employee stock options, executive assistant, and budget analyst. Now retired, Karen’s life revolves around lounging about, wearing PJs until four in the afternoon, obsessing over the news, reading, fusing and slumping glass, practicing piano, keeping a small balcony garden and cooking.
Matt Nyman’s nonlinear career path has included working in the geological sciences, teaching high school, stay-at-home parenting and, currently, training tomorrow’s teachers. Poetry eloquently resides near the surface of his existence, occasionally erupting onto paper.
Jill Plaman was born and began aging in Milwaukee, but she has lived and worked in Albuquerque since 1977. She holds a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an MSW from the University of Minnesota. Her special interests are travel, international folk dancing, reading, hiking and spending time with family and friends.
Maureen Polikoff is a clinical social worker/ therapist who has always pursued many other creative endeavors, including painting, playing music and, now, writing. A Connecticut native, she lives in New Mexico with her husband, Michael.
MaryFrank Sanborn left Boston 33 years ago, to apprentice with photographer Walter Chappell in Santa Fe. Still in love with the beauty of the Southwest, MaryFrank photographs, writes, hikes, travels, teaches yoga and meditation, makes soups on Sundays, and dreams of the ocean and whales.
Patricia Stoltey is the author of four mystery novels. The most recent is Wishing Caswell Dead. She lives in Northern Colorado with Sassy Dog, Katie Cat and her husband, Bill. www.patriciastolteybooks.com
Susan Swiderski grew up in Dundalk, Maryland, where everybody calls everybody hon and eating steamed crabs is a sacrament. Although she’s happy in her adopted Georgia, part of her heart still lingers on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, explaining the setting for her novel, Hot Flashes and Cold Lemonade. Susan is currently working on a trilogy, proof that this old gal is still a pathological optimist. www.susan-swiderski.blogspot.com
Jan Castle Walker is a retired teacher and an active artist. She lives in Davis, California with her husband, Mack. www.jancastlewalker.com
Karen Helene Walker is a novelist, memoirist and essayist and the author of The Wishing Steps and Following the Whispers. When not writing, Karen is tap dancing, folk dancing or performing with the musical group Sugartime at retirement communities. Karen is currently working on her second memoir. www.karenfollowingthewhispers.blogspot.com
You can follow Karen and the other authors along on their tour by checking out the schedule HERE.
This tour-wide giveaway is for two (2) print copies (U.S. entries only) and two (2) eBook copies of STILL ME … AFTER ALL THESE YEARS: 24 Authors Reflect on Aging. The giveaway will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, April 4.
To enter, click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.
Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to check out this charming book.a Rafflecopter giveaway
Karla “Rosie” Harper recently retired from teaching elementary school, freeing her to return to her early love of dancing. Today, when not helping out with her grandchildren, Rosie is taking dance lessons, spinning on a dance floor or performing in senior centers and retirement communities with Albuquerque’s Sugartime, as a singer as well as a dancer.
It’s true, as time passes life just gets better. Great interviews. I’m here to say being in my 60s is a great time in life. The freedom is indescribable.
What a terrific interview. Thanks so much for supporting the anthology on your blog, Juneta. We all appreciate it.
Great interview!
I wonder to what extent the writing of these pieces acted as a form of catharsis for the contributors…of course, it would vary from one individual to the next.
Awesome topic and, wow, lots of fabulous writers.
Each of these lives will be fascinating to read. I always get so excited when I meet people who are willing to share their experience. Everyone has a unique story.
LD, I can see me spreading memories all over my office, too. Only no spot would be sacred from my cat.
I’m getting here a little late today. My son put his back out and we had to take him to Urgent Care. That’s one of those things that doesn’t change with age – you still drop everything when your child (even one in his 40s) is hurt.
Thank you, Juneta, for this interview and participating in the tour for Still Me…
Looks like an excellent book–and timely.
Glad you left room for your dog.
I’m doing everything I can to enjoy my fifties, including running. Maybe I will try a short marathon.
Wonderful interview. I am enjoying life more the older I get. Can’t wait to read this awesome collection!
I had to laugh at the visit to the doctor where he or she says, Well you know at your age… One tends to cringe because you wonder whether or not they would believe that ones’ life is fuller as one gets older. You don’t stop living. In many ways, a person begins living and that is beautiful. The fear of others and what others think tends to disappear.
Great Interview.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Great interview with LD. I could picture her amidst the photos and journals – and her essay is poignant and funny and wise. Thanks so much for helping with the book tour for the anthology
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Enjoyed the interview. Fun learning about the book came together. Juneta, thanks for being a part of the tour.
Mason
MC Book Tours