blogpage

Islanders Write, Resources for Debut Authors

Aug 01, 2022 by Alice C. Early
Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of leading a workshop entitled "Debut Authors, a Survival Guide" at Islanders Write. It's so good to have this annual conference back and in-person. As I mentioned during the workship, I put together a brief guide to onlineresources for the debut novelist. This is by no means exhaustive, as there are many excellent resources for writers at all stages of their careers or book publishing journeys. I've listed a few resources that have been particularly helpful to me and hope this is useful to others.

My thanks to all who attended the workshop and my warmest wishes for every success in completing your works, finding representation, choosing a publisher, and launching your books. Please feel free to email me if you have additional questions.

Happy Book Birthday, MOON!

Happy Book Birthday, MOON!
Apr 21, 2022 by Alice C. Early
Please join me in celebrating MOON's second book birthday today. A anniversaries can be times for reflection. the whole month of April has reminded me what an enlightening and enriching two years MOON has given me.

Memories of "Disneyland Trees" Help Break A Writing Log Jam

Memories of "Disneyland Trees" Help Break A Writing Log Jam
Jan 07, 2022 by Alice C. Early
I've been silent for too long and I apologize, If the muse has returned, or the block has broken, I'm both grateful and off to a good start on my hopes for 2022.

Making "Momories"

Making "Momories"
May 08, 2021 by Alice C. Early
A memorable Mother's Day that ended an era.

On Turning Corners

On Turning Corners
Mar 28, 2021 by Alice C. Early
The Vernal Equinox has come and gone. It's officially spring,. Sometimes you'd hardly know it, but there really IS somethign in the air.

Snow Moon and Snowdrops: Harbingers of Spring

Snow Moon and Snowdrops: Harbingers of Spring
Mar 04, 2021 by Alice C. Early
Every year since 1996, my husband and I have spent part of the winter in the Caribbean on Nevis and/or Anguilla. Our aim has been to avoid the dreariest time here on Martha’s Vineyard, that stretch of raw grayness that turns us inward, huddling near the woodstove. COVID made this year’s escape impossible (and impressively upped the huddling). With no hope of a tropical writing retreat this year, I realized I’d better turn WFH (winter-from-home) into a different kind of creative time.

Milestone Holidays

Milestone Holidays
Dec 25, 2020 by Alice C. Early
Holidays can be milestones, in books and in life, a chance to note and compare where we are to where we’ve been. Christmas occurs three times in MOON and each finds the protagonist Els Gordon in an entirely different mindset, if not a different place altogether.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice
Dec 21, 2020 by Alice C. Early
As I write this, darkness is falling on the darkest day of the year. Even though the coldest days are still ahead of us, I always feel a surge of hope when we start gaining a few minutes of light each day from now until June.

 

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!
Dec 03, 2020 by Alice C. Early
It's been a whirlwind year! Here's a brief roundup of MOON's December events.

Happy Halloween to My Six-Month Old Baby

Happy Halloween to My Six-Month Old Baby
Oct 30, 2020 by Alice C. Early
It's been six months since MOON launched. Just a few things have happened....

One Month and Counting

One Month and Counting
May 27, 2020 by Alice C. Early


The Moon Always Rising made her debut five weeks ago. Whatever I imagined my book’s launch might be, this was different in just about every way.

 

The Super Flower Moon

The Super Flower Moon
May 06, 2020 by Alice C. Early


Tomorrow, May 7, was to have been my celebration with Martha’s Vineyard friends of the launch of The Moon Always Rising. I imagined a night of Caribbean food, flowing rum, music, tropical shirts, and dancing. For the ritual book launch cake, we would have feasted on a coconut confection. It would be similar to the legendary cake my character Vivian Freeman served to her husband Finney’s separatist and revolutionary compatriots who dangerously congregated in their Nevis home. Our Caribbean chef, Deon Thomas, knew just the recipe to use. His grandmother’s.

TODAY IS PUB DAY!

TODAY IS PUB DAY!
Apr 21, 2020 by Alice C. Early
The Moon Always Rising releases today!

Spring When We Need It Most

Spring When We Need It Most
Apr 09, 2020 by Alice C. Early


It’s been mostly raw and rainy on Martha’s Vineyard during the last weeks of March and April so far. By about now, we’re desperate for spring, but a warm, sunny day is often only a tease. April isn’t called “the cruelest month” for nothing.

Since it will be a little longer before The Moon Always Rising can sweep you away to tropical Nevis, awash in color and wafted by balmy breezes, I wanted to share a few images of what you might find there. 

Sneak Peek!

Sneak Peek!
Apr 07, 2020 by Alice C. Early


Today, it's two weeks and counting toward the April 21, release date for The Moon Always Rising. But, like everything else in these ever-changing times, deliveries of all sorts have become unpredictable. If you pre-ordered MOON from an on-line vendor (thank you!), or from your local bookstore (thank you even more!), you might receive a copy more or less on time, or you may have received it already. Or you might have to wait. 

Tips for Surviving Social Isolation and Cramped Quarters

Tips for Surviving Social Isolation and Cramped Quarters
Mar 30, 2020 by Alice C. Early


In 1999, when I gave up my career as a global executive recruiter to move to my man’s cottage down a two-mile dirt road on an island, I exchanged a view of the New York City skyline for vistas of woods, meadows, dunes, and the Atlantic Ocean. Sound idyllic? For many, only during vacation, and only if it’s sunny. Give them a week of rain where I live and they’d go stir-crazy, even if not under house arrest. I love it, solitude and all. Or maybe solitude above all. But I had to come to terms with it. Here are some tips about living, working and cooking in a small space with no neighbors in sight.

Time to Pre-Order

Time to Pre-Order
Mar 20, 2020 by Alice C. Early
The Moon Always Rising releases one month from today!

No doubt you've noticed that nearly every particle of news is somehow connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. This one is, too, but only tangentially. I was always planning to send this message now about how to pre-order The Moon Always Rising, because so many of you have asked that question. The short answer is go to THE BOOK tab on this site and click on the vendor you favor. Please consider clicking on Indiebound. For more FAQ about ordering and why it's important to support indie bookstores, please read on.

How does this relate to COVID-19? While MOON will come into the world as planned, much as the moon herself is dependable, my launch plans have to change. Stay tuned for how. Also, even since I drafted this message a few days ago, accommodations to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to change. If you choose to buy through your local bookseller, please check with the shop about how to order through them. Some shops are delivering ordered books to customers' cars—drive-by bookselling! Whatever you do, stay safe. And keep reading!

Sea Monsters and Boat Races

Sea Monsters and Boat Races
Mar 06, 2020 by Alice C. Early


This has been a week of sights beautiful and strange. Two of them brought to mind characters in The Moon Always Rising—Curly, the pet iguana kept by Liz, the charter captain who befriends (and more) the main character, Els Gordon, and Finney, the fisherman who was a boat designer, builder and racer in his native Anguilla before moving to Nevis.

Happy New Year, all you readers!

Happy New Year, all you readers!
Dec 31, 2019 by Alice C. Early


In the New Year and new decade, let's celebrate readers. 

Happy Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice
Dec 21, 2019 by Alice C. Early


FAQ: How long did it take you to write your novel?

A: Two decades or one, depending on when you start counting