Help This Mother Publish Her Books!

I call myself this: mother.writer, as in "mother dot writer." I've been a solo warrior writer for many years. I've fit my writing into a very full work and family life, rising at the crack of dawn, or after the kids go to sleep. 

I write because that's how I navigate our difficult world. I write because I want to remember. I write because I'm a mother. But every mother needs some help sometime, and that's why I've created this GoFundMe Campaign. 

The goals of my GoFundMe are two-fold: 

1. Tangled Chimes: Four years ago, I was visited in my dreams by my deceased relatives, who pleaded and not so gently nudged me, as only a Jewish family can do, to tell their stories. There was an urgency to their dream visits, which I took seriously. The result of that urgency is "Tangled Chimes," a young adult multi-generational magical realism novel.

Fast forward to now. Three drafts later, I've been given a great opportunity to have some dedicated time to work on that novel in a concentrated and supported way. In January 2017, I'll be starting with the wonderful folks at the Highlights Foundation and master teacher/author Sarah Aronson, as well as a number of other kick-ass authors over the next few months to take my book to the next level toward getting published. I've received a certain level of financial support from the Highlights Foundation, but am seeking more to pay for the balance of the workshop, as well as to help cover travel expenses to their retreat center in Pennsylvania in April 2017. 

My goal with "Tangled Chimes" is to expand the present and somewhat limited narrative of the American Jewish Experience, especially as it is presented in children's and young adult literature. As a first generation Jewish American and as the granddaughter of Yiddish actors who travelled much of the world, I know firsthand that there are many, many untold and unlikely stories waiting to be given life. "Tangled Chimes" explores one of these unlikely stories, both in a personal and historical way. 

Your support of my participation in this workshop and retreat will benefit not only this mother.writer, but will support my goal to activate the imagination of younger readers toward the notion that all of us contain a multitude of stories worth sharing. 

Read an excerpt from "Tangled Chimes."

2. Boobies and Other Bodily Functions. When I was a new, late-in-life mother at home with three children under the age of three, including twins, my beloved mother-in-law ordered me to write because she knew that it was the only thing that would keep me sane. Today, I'm blessed to have three feisty teen age daughters call me "mama," and I think it is safe to say that we have survived (fingers crossed) these very intense and blessed years. The blessing is messy, funny, and through it all, I've written. Through breastfeeding and diapers. Through weaning and starting school. Through middle school and menopause and beyond. 

"Boobies and Other Bodily Functions" is my gift back to my daughters, an homage to motherhood and to other mothers, whose wise, loving, and funny voices are so needed in our fractured world. A collection of performance essays, the book is divided into three sections, with each piece capturing segments of my mothering life -- the moments that are gone all too quickly and that we're usually too exhausted to remember.  

See an excerpt from "Boobies."

Selections of this book have appeared in various publications: Kveller, the University of Denver Magazine, and most recently, in the gorgeous anthology, So Glad They Told Me , published by the HerStories Project . I've also performed an excerpt of one of the pieces in the 2014 Listen to Your Mother Boulder performance. My other publishing chops include Salon.com , MindBodyGreen , Saturday Evening Post's 2015 Great American Fiction Contest (finalist) and more.  

I've been fortunate to find a kick-ass editor who will help me whip these essays into publishing shape. This campaign will help pay for her loving expertise, as well as to fund the design of the e-book, (with limited print editions) which is scheduled for e-publishing in time for Mother's Day 2017. 

My timeline is to get started with the editor in January, with moving toward the goal of engaging the design team in March. Yes, that means two writing projects at once, but I'm a mother, so frankly, that is easier than most of my regular days. 

A portion of future sales of "Boobies" will go to benefit A Woman's Work , a non-profit organization based in Longmont, Colorado dedicated to providing financial support and career skill building for women in need.  

Your support of these project supports the work of this "mother.writer"; it also supports the world of writing mothers everywhere, as I believe I'm a part of something much larger than my own two hands can ever create. I'm just doing my part to make the world a kinder, funnier, and more loving place. 

My goal is to have 75% of the fundraising met by early to mid-February. 

Thank you in advance for your support. 

With love and appreciation, 

Lisa