I have been asked to teach a workshop, along with my friend and designer, Bert Compton, about self publishing. This will take place next Saturday, September 20th . All of the information is available through the following link. http://www.writersatwork.org/wp/?page_id=1653 Come if you can. I know the price may be unattractive to some, but if you ever have hopes or plans to self-publish, I promise you this workshop will save you thousands of dollars and loads of headache. Hope to see you there.

Article in The Deseret News

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865600412/The-potters-hands-Utah-artist

I was contacted a few weeks ago by a writer for The Deseret News, Morgan Jacobsen, who asked for an interview. His wife and mother-in-law had reportedly gotten into my books and suggested to Morgan that I might have an interesting story. I hope it was. I feel like he did a great job.

I am just finishing up some rewrites and plowing forward with three new stories, while trying to get some pots made for my Mother's Day Open House, May 8,9, 10. More information will follow, but I wanted to get this posted for anyone who might be interested.

Cheers

I Want To Move To Niederbipp

For the last two months, I have been visiting Niederbipp most everyday as I have been editing the first book again and working on a new Niederbippp book. It has been a great place to visit. Maybe I need to do this once a year.

I thought I was done with Niederbipp when I finished Becoming Isaac 2 1/2 years ago, but there is a certain matchmaker who lives on the outskirts of Niederbipp who had been whispering in my ear for many months now. I am making no promises when that story will be written, but it may turn out to be sooner than later.

I turned down an offer to participate in Art and Soup this year so I could focus on writing. I planned on applying to the Utah Arts Festival which I have participated in for many years, but on Friday when I went to apply, I found out I was too late. I missed the deadline to apply by less than 24 hours! So, I didn't plan on it, but that just opened up a whole bunch of time as I usually spend a good six weeks or more getting ready for that. I would have normally freaked out about this, but I have been praying for years to have more time to write, and I can't be too upset when the universe conspires to help me make that time.

I have entertained a few book clubs here at our home lately, and I would like to just remind folks that we do that from time to time. If you are interested, give me a call. 801-883-0146. I am also speaking to book clubs and other groups at least once a week in other people's homes and events. (Last week I spoke three times.) This really works out best for me if I can bring my pots and books and make them available for purchase. I don't charge for most visits, but making my wares available helps to cover my time and travel costs. I have also been presenting a power point about creativity and the inspiration that turned into my newest book, Put A Cherry On Top. Let me know if you would like to hear more.

Niederbipp Revisited

First off, Happy New Year! I am excited for 2014.
I have never been a goal setter, mainly because I fear failure, but also because I fear missing out on the random bits of magic that happen on the trail that may be missed if I am too focused on a distant goal. So, my alternative has long been to make sure I am anxiously engaged in a good cause, all the time, and then everything just seems to fall into place, where and when it is supposed to. I have found that if I will Proceed as the way opens, things always work out.
I mentioned last year that I have found a literary agent who wants to represent me with the Niederbipp Books. She felt like the first book lagged a little and could be polished up, so I got started last September with cleaning it up in an effort to speed it up. I hoped to be able to do that, finish Put a Cherry On Top, make pots for my open house, and have time to sleep. I hate to admit it, but I was completely delusional. Something had to give. So, worried about making pots and having a book for people at Christmas, and I set aside my editing for a while. The day after Christmas, I picked it back up and have been working on it, here and there, through the Holidays/School break. The kids went back to school today and I buckled down.
It's interesting to me, reading through Remembering Isaac now, nearly five years since it was first printed. I have learned a lot about writing and punctuation and feel like I have found my voice, where before I was trying to fake it, or at least figure it out. I shake my head at some of the sentence structure and wonder what the heck I was thinking. And then I remember what I was thinking—that it had been 11 years since I had started writing and I had written it a least a dozen times, and that I was trying to hold onto pet sentences that really should have been tossed. I loved the story back then, and now, after working and reworking some of the chapters, I love it even more. Like my agent said, "The other books read so much faster, but in Remembering, I see Ben Behunin learning how to write." She nailed it of course. I wasn't a writer. I am becoming a writer. I'm not sure you can be a writer without  the journey to get there. And even then you may forever be embarrassed with what you put out there—that baby of yours  may in fact be a very ugly baby.
But I am enjoying this process of revisiting Niederbipp. I have come upon several spots already that I have had to remember the inspiration that came to me to write what I did, when I did, not knowing that it would be important two books and a thousand pages later. It has made me grateful I was humble enough to listen, and has left me hoping I am humble enough to keep listening.
And so I don't have any goals for 2014, but I'm busy, trying to keep anxiously engaged in a good cause; trying to be ready to proceed as the way opens. I have faith it will, and am ready to admit that it may not be in any direction I have previously considered. In the meantime, I will work and wait, and be happy.
I received an anonymous gift for Christmas. Some nice reader, upon hearing in my annual newsletter that I suffer from seasonal depression, sent me a SunTorch, light therapy. I used it for the first time today after feeling like the gray of January was ganging up on me. I am not sure how much different I feel after one session, but I will keep on keepin' on. If you are reading this and are the anonymous giver of this gift, thank you. I appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness. I will keep you posted.
Cheers to 2014. Viva Niederbipp!