MUSKOKA ROAD END TO END: How Not to Take Pictures

ByLee Ann

Geoff and I just returned from another venture along the Muskoka Road, this time to take pictures of me on the road. Amazingly, after all this time, I had no pictures of me on the road. 

Lee Ann at the start of the MCR (Washago)

 We also took the opportunity to take some “today” shots of the main streets of six Muskoka-Parry Sound towns, matching today’s view with that of historical photos I have in the book. A very cool comparison, especially when some buildings are still standing!

Washago 1903

One thing of note, though, is that 19th century photographers invariably stood in the middle of the road when taking “main street” pictures. Not a good idea with today’s traffic. We had to take turns standing guard for each other, when trying to get the same vantage point.

Washago 2012

Oh – a word of advice for those of you considering a venture where you drive 370 kilometres to Muskoka, then a further 170+ kms from one end of a road to the other, through at least six towns over two days, taking 63 photos. Check the settings on your camera.

Yes! Imagine my horror when I uploaded 63 very blue pictures to my computer. That’s what you get when the camera is set for incandescent light.

O.M.G. Somehow they did not look blue on the camera screen .

Luckily all my photos will be black and white in the book, so I am saved.

Onwards!

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BABY BOOMER IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: Book Marketing in the 21st Century

ByLee Ann

I’m about to take a giant leap forward in the online world.

My friends and family will LOL about this, knowing that I have only very recently got a smart phone and I don’t even have email on it. Queen of the Baby Steps, that’s me.

When it comes to Muskoka’s Main Street, though, I paid close attention to what the Writers’ Union of Canada’s recent webinar advised about the opportunities in the land of the Internet. Of course I have a website. I even have a blog – not bad for a baby-boomer! What I want to do next is to extend my reach a bit, and use the Internet to make the book as interesting and as visible as possible.

My friend Lynn is my technical guru and hand-holder in this process. She builds websites that are “smooth, elegant, bright and beautiful” – what more could anyone want? I already love the new look she’s put together for me. Stay tuned for the launch of the revamped look!

Beyond the flash will be lots of substance, including:

  • An interactive map of the Muskoka Road,
  • ‘Share’ buttons for Facebook and Twitter users, although I am not a big Facebook user myself and I do not tweet,
  • A ‘pinnable’ book cover icon for Pinterest users. 

But wait, there’s more! I will create a Facebook page for the book, beef up my LinkedIn information, and research book bloggers to see if it makes sense to approach any of them.

And you thought all a writer had to do was write.

Media and Presentations

ByLee Ann

Watch this blog for upcoming information on a flurry of personal appearances to promote the new book. If you’d like to set up a presentation or interview regarding Muskoka’s Main Street, please contact me directly.

In the meantime, here’s a summary of my past public presentations.

Dialogue With Diversity Radio Program, October 13, 2010

Dr. Qais Ghanem, host of this weekly program on CHIN-FM radio, attended one of my workshops and then invited me to speak about my Hungarian ancestors’ immigration experiences.

Perth Writers Guild, May 20, 2010

I was invited to speak at the Guild’s monthly meeting, where I presented a customized version of my workshop, “Prepare to Publish.”

WOT (Women On Top) e-zine, February 2010

I was interviewed for the “Authors in their Own Write” column.

Canadian Authors Association podcast, January 2010

I was interviewed for a podcast, talking about my book, Strength Within: The Granger Chronicles.

Perth Writers Guild, Snowsuit Fundraiser, October 16, 2009

I was a featured author and spoke about “Finding Treasure in Family History and Memoir.”

Lake 88 Radio, August 29, 2009

I was the featured guest on the program “All About the House” discussing how to write family history.

Stittsville News, March 26, 2009

A news article, “Family History Leads to Miracles and Secrets” reported on my talk at Goulbourn Historical Society.

Goulbourn Historical Society, March 19, 2009

I was the guest speaker at the monthly meeting, presenting “What You Really Need to Know About Writing Family History”.

Women in The New Century Conference, 2009, 2008, 2007

I presented the workshop, “Writing Family History and Memoir, Even if You’re Not a Writer” for three years at this charity event, organized by Ottawa’s WEBB (Women’s Educational Business Breakfast).

Stories and Articles

ByLee Ann

2012: “A Lasting Gift for Years to Come,” about writing memoir, was published in the January-Feburary issue of Fifty-Five Plus Magazine.

2011: “Family Treasure: Five Best Reasons for Writing a Family History,” was published in the September issue of Fifty-Five Plus Magazine.

2010: “Project Planning: Researching Family History” was published in the September/October 2010 issue of Family Chronicle magazine. See your local bookseller or the Family Chronicle website to get your copy.

2010: “Plan and Passion: Writing a Family History, ” was published in the Perth Courier newspaper March 4, 2010.

2010: “Muskoka’s Main Street: The Muskoka Colonization Road” – the article that started it all! – was published in the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of The Country Connection magazine, a magazine focussed on Ontario history, arts and the environment. See your local bookseller or The Country Connection website to get your copy.

2009: “How to Bring Your Family History Alive,” article published in the October edition of the Ottawa Valley’s Humm newspaper.

2006: Two short stories were published in Written In Stone, an anthology published by the Kanata Writers Group, with all profits donated to local literacy programs.

2004: “A Rough Game,” short story published in the Richmond-Munster Minor Hockey newsletter.

1999: “The Teddy Bear Warriors,” winner of the Chapters Eastern Ontario short story contest. Re-titled “Playing by the Rules,” this story was subsequently published in Storyteller Magazine.

BOOK MARKETING, Part 1: WRITERS AS PUBLICISTS

ByLee Ann

Muskoka’s Main Street is expected to hit the market in late spring of this year. Although I’m still busy editing the manuscript, it’s not too early to start thinking about how I will help the book find its readers.

Books do not find their way into the hands of readers on their own, or by magic, or just through the efforts of publishers and bookstores. Writers must be very active in promoting their books. This goes for all writers, self-published or not. And the book market is a complex world these days, traditional and electronic, filled with as many opportunities as you can create for yourself.  

I recently attended my first ever webinar – a seminar presented over the web – run by the Writers Union of Canada. Called “How to Be Your Own Publicist,” it offered ideas both traditional and electronic, and spurred my thinking about what would suit my book, my potential readers and my personality.

The big question is: who are my readers? I’ve already done some thinking about that. “Are You My Reader?”

Second question: Where can I find my readers? At the bookstore, yes, and I will certainly help my publisher’s efforts by approaching  bookstores, particularly those in the Ottawa area that are known to support local authors. Bookstores are not the only place to sell books, though. For me there’s also:

  • Writers’ festivals in Muskoka, Parry Sound, Nipissing and Ottawa
  • Book clubs, both physical and virtual
  • Historical societies and libraries, and even
  • Magazines, where I can write articles related to the topics and themes of the book.

Publishers don’t usually do book launches any more; instead of one big splash they tend to organize several smaller events and readings. I expect to participate in many of these, and to host some of my own in Ottawa and Muskoka.

Over the next couple of months, my publisher and I will come up with a promotion plan for Main Street. Meanwhile, I’m looking into the online world for other opportunities to spread the news about this exciting new book! More on that next time.

The Substantive Edit OR How I Learned to Write an Em Dash

ByLee Ann

I have a great respect for editors. They not only provide a fresh set of eyes on a manuscript, they provide a skilled set of eyes. An editor ferrets out inconsistencies in everything from style to punctuation; highlights places where clarity is lacking and confusion reigns; and just generally cleans up all manner of grammatical and narrative messes.

Muskoka Books’s Senior Editor Dominic edited Muskoka’s Main Street with a light touch. Mind you, this is a manuscript that has already had the scrutiny of five other people, two of them historians, two of them accomplished writers.

Even so, Dominic marked every page with corrections or suggested changes. For the most part, these had to do with punctuation or grammar, but he also pointed out places where I need to rewrite for clarity. All of his comments were helpful and will put the final polish to my words.

One thing for sure: I need to learn how to make an “em dash” properly in MS Word. I use em dashes a lot, and Dominic had to reformat every one. Did you know that there are three kinds of dashes? An em dash – a long dash – is used for an emphatic, explanatory or abrupt break in a sentence, like I used in this one. An “en dash” – short dash – is used to join inclusive numbers, like in all my chapter headings. “Chapter 1: The Road to Nowhere (1853-1859).” A hyphen (really short dash) is used in countless situations including compound words (snow-capped) but not – as I have learned because Dominic corrected me repeatedly in the manuscript – for compass points consisting of only two points (northwest).

Apologies to Dominic; I’m sure he’s been cursing me.