First, let me tell you about her book:
Twelve-year-old Ally is the only witness to a bank robbery in her small
town. Unable to block out the memory of the robbers, a notorious gang
known as the Gauze Men, Ally joins her little brother and a bunch of
neighborhood boys digging a hole in her backyard. Only the hole isn't
just a hole - it's a massive set of tunnels snaking beneath the
neighborhood and heading for an abandoned steel mill. Ally is old enough
to know the danger, but she reasons spending time with sixth-grade
heartthrob Paul is more fun than sitting at home with her worries. And
dangerous it is - none of the kids' parents realize the tunnels exist,
but the Gauze Men might.
I've just finished reading the book and it's filled with adventure and excitement... and mud! And every kid loves mud. I know when I was 10 or 11, I would have adored the idea of digging tunnels under the backyard. When I heard the extraordinary story of how and why this book was published (and where the proceeds are going), I bought the book from Amazon to show my support -- if you know me, you may realize how unusual this is, because normally I only support indies! And I welcomed the chance to have Natalie Bahm on my blog.
Take it away, Natalie!
Take it away, Natalie!
* * * * * * * *
Want to Write More?
Get a Critique Partner.
A year ago I was so frustrated with writing I almost quit.
My life was chaotic, thanks mostly to my four little
children. I hadn’t finished a book in
over two years. I felt guilty about not
making time to write.
I decided I needed a real critique partner—someone I could
trade pages with on a daily basis. I
wanted someone who would push me to finish a book. This person was Wen Baragrey.
Wen and I started sharing books about a year ago. Since then, we’ve both written two complete
books and started several more. I’ve
written more pages this year than just about every year before combined.
This is why:
1) For me, being accountable on a daily basis is
CRUCIAL. Before I started working with
Wen, I didn’t write regularly. I needed
to know someone was waiting for the story—someone I didn’t want to
disappoint—before I felt motivated to get my daily writing done.
2) Reading her writing made me want work
harder. Wen is an amazing writer, but
more than that, she’s brilliant at some of the things that I struggle with—like
description and humor. Reading her stuff
makes me push harder when writing my own. I’m a way stronger writer now than I
was a year ago.
3)She is ALWAYS positive about the first
draft. I believe that once a manuscript
is done you need a harsh critique or two… or ten. But during a first draft there’s no such a
thing as too much praise.
Wen has taught me that positive
reinforcement is important. As writers
we’re hard on ourselves. If I had a
dollar for every time I think I should quit writing because I suck and I’ll
never be good enough, I’d be a rich woman.
I’ve realized it’s essential to have a voice in our lives counteracting that
negative self-talk.
Wen is also the biggest reason that my first book, The Secret Underground, is out now. Wen’s grandson, Jayden, has been very ill
since birth and her daughter and son-in-law have struggled to pay the
bills. I felt like I needed to do
something to help them.
I called my agent, Sara Megibow, and asked if we could do a
book for Jayden. She thought it was a
great idea. Wen spent countless hours reading and rereading the book, offering
critiques and advice, and drawing the beautiful interior illustrations.
All profits from sales of The Secret Underground go directly to Jayden’s family. You can read
more about the project here.
The paperback version is available on Amazon. The eBook can be purchased just about
anywhere eBooks are sold. The audiobook
is available through iTunes,
Audible, and Amazon. The paperback will be available through more
booksellers soon.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Natalie. Readers, please consider helping Baby Jayden by buying the book!
