| This year is nuts. I have published four books in three different genres. Not to mention two anthologies, one of which I edited. Plus my Childless by Marriage blog and a Substack newsletter called “Can I Do It Alone,” which has gone berserk since I started it on April 1. Too much! At least I can die knowing I have published most of what I had to say. I do have other work brewing, and I’m not planning to die any time soon, but if God says, “Time’s Up,” I can go in peace. If a writer could just bask in the glory while someone else handles publicity, marketing, and schlepping books to the post office, it might be okay. But this is like giving birth to quadruplets. Every one of them needs attention, and if I talk about them too much, it sounds like bragging. Not that I’m complaining. There will never be another year like 2024 (for me or the world), and I am grateful. Here’s the state of publishing here: Out now: * Blue Chip Stamp Guitar (The Poetry Box)—poems about my lifelong love affair with my guitar * Dining Al Fresco with My Dog (MoonPath Press)—poems in which an aging widow and her dog figure out life alone in the woods * Between the Bridges (Blue Hydrangea Productions)–the third novel in my Up Beaver Creek series. PD thinks she finally has her life figured out. Ha! * Thriving (Exsolutas Press), an anthology of prose, poetry and art, which includes two of my poems and will fill you with inspiration. * Poetry for the Dementia Journey (AlzAuthors), which includes three of my poems and for which I did much of the nuts-and-bolts editing Out VERY soon: No Way Out of This: Loving a Partner with Alzheimer’s (She Writes Press). Publication date for the memoir about my Alzheimer’s experience with my late husband is June 25, 2024. You can pre-order it now. I already have copies if you need one before that. This is the biggie. I even have a professional publicist working on it. If you see my ads on Amazon, shoot me a screen shot so I can see what they look like. All of these books are available on Amazon AND at your favorite bookseller. If they don’t have them, they can order them, and the more requests they get, the better. Also suggest your local library order them. After you read the books, consider leaving a review at Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub or on social media. I am available for readings, talks, or discussions online or in-person. Email me at sufalick@gmail.com. Coming up: * June 13, 6:30 p.m. online MoonPath Press book launch reading for my Dining Al Fresco with My Dog and Carol R. Sunde’s Through Pine Shadows. Register at https://www.moonpathpress.com/ReadingInvitation13Jun24.htm * June 19, 10 a.m. PDT online: The Childless Elderwomen will discuss “Couragageous Conversations” on Zoom. Our group of accomplished women without kids will talk about how we handle those awkward times when people just don’t seem to understand how our lives might be different from theirs. Register at https://gateway-women.com/register-now-fireside-wisdom-with-childless-elderwomen-wed-19th-june-2024-courageous-conversations/ Attendees will be anonymous and off-camera, and the event will be recorded for those need to watch it later. * June 23, 2 to 4 p.m. in person: I will join three other poet-songwriters at the Mid-Valley Poetry Society’s “Poet-Songwriters in Conversation and Performance” at The Dye House at The Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill Street SE in Salem, Oregon. Admission is free. Just come! * June 29, noon PDT, online: Jody Day of Gateway-Women will host a book launch webinar for No Way Out of This. All who register at will receive a link to the recording, so if you can’t make that time, sign up anyway. https://gateway-women.com/register-now-gateway-women-masterclass-webinar-an-interview-book-giveaway-with-author-sue-fagalde-lick/ Recently Recorded events you can listen to:Alzheimers Speaks Interview with Lori LaBey Salem Poetry Project—poetry and music Read and loved: Two books by Michael Finkel, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary of the Last Hermit, about a guy who lived alone in the woods for 27 years before he was caught sneaking out to steal food, and True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa, the story of Christian Longo who murdered his wife and three kids right here in Lincoln County, Oregon Blank by Zibby Owens. A novelist can’t think of anything to write, so she pitches a book with nothing in it, and it goes viral! This book is not blank, and it’s a lot of fun. Binge-watching: I watched all six seasons of “The Resident,” (Netflix) which stars Matt Czuchry. That led me to “The Good Wife,” (Prime) where he was a regular. I had never been interested in “The Good Wife” before, but now I’m into it. If nothing else, watch it for all the guest actors who subsequently became famous. So far, two of the actors from “This is Us” have turned up as defendants in murder cases. That’s more than enough for one newsletter. It’s still raining off and on here on the Oregon coast. I’m still playing music at St. Anthony’s in Waldport. I’m doing physical therapy for my back, and it is working. I’m still missing my dog, Annie, who passed away in September. The hunt for a new dog begins in July. I’m seeking a healthy, mid-sized, middle-aged female with a mellow personality. Happy summer! |
Tag: AlzAuthors
Writing the Alzheimer’s Experience
We are all worried about Covid, but there’s another illness running rampant through the population. More than 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease (AD). One in three of us are likely to experience dementia in old age. Paid long-term care, whether in a facility or at home, costs more than $5,000 a month and is not covered by insurance. Scary? You bet.
As most readers know, my husband Fred died 10 years ago of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He had started showing symptoms in late 2001, five and a half years after we left Silicon Valley for the good life in on the Oregon coast. It was subtle at first, a missed word here and there, trouble with the TV remote. But eventually I was forced to move him to a series of nursing homes. In the end, he didn’t know where he was or who I was. On his birthday last week, but for Alzheimer’s, he would have been 84.
As a writer, I had to write about it. Gravel Road Ahead, my chapbook released in 2019, shares our journey in poetry form. But I have been working on a prose memoir since the early days of Fred’s illness. It has taken many years, with more than one complete rewrite after I thought it was finished. This summer I embarked on another rewrite, working with an editor who has helped me see new possibilities and forced me to dive deep into the dark days, recreating the scenes with dialogue and details. Last week I finished that revision (for now) and started sending out my proposal and sample chapters to agents and editors.
People who aren’t in the book business keep expecting to see a published book any minute, but it’s a long process. Writing it is just Step One.
One requirement for a nonfiction book proposal is an annotated list of other books on the subject, with a few lines explaining why my book is better/different/worth sharing shelf space with them. As a result, I have read so many books on Alzheimer’s they’re all blurring together in my head. Each one forces me to relive my own experience with Fred and other loved ones.
Here are two I read last week.
In Susan Straley’s Alzheimer’s Trippin’ with George, one in a series of three books, Straley’s husband has similar problems, but her series of books compiled from her Trippin’ blog is a bit different. She and George are recumbent tricycle enthusiasts, riding alone and with their friends all over the country. Even deep into AD, they continue to ride. When George can’t operate his own trike anymore, they get a tandem one where she provides the muscle and direction. Her patience and strength are incredible. There are grim moments but many laughs, too. You might want to check out Straley’s blog. She’s a lot of fun.
I have more AD books to read, including newish books by Glen Campbell’s wife Kim and Ronald Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis. I’ll let you know how they are.
Check out the AlzAuthors group as well as the Alzheimer’s Association for book lists and more.
So many AD books have already been published, including many offering diets, exercises, and other techniques that allegedly cure or prevent AD (they don’t) and many offering help for caregivers. Does the world need another AD book? I hope so. Mine is about a lot more than Alzheimer’s, and I really want to share Fred’s story, preferably with a publisher who will do it justice. Fingers crossed.
Dementia is awful. I have seen too much of it with my family and friends. If you are going through it, big hugs to you. Let’s pray the latest drug breakthroughs provide relief so that future generations won’t have to worry about it.
Meanwhile, has anyone in your life been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? Would you be interested in reading the story of our journey through AD? Please share in the comments.
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Unleashed in Oregon 