The Watercolor Experience

Writing my first “novel” (technically a “novella”) (more technically a “memoir”) has been an eye-opening experience (technically both eyes).

My first eye saw how difficult it was to write something I had actually lived. Just relating an experience - how hard could that be? As usual, the devil is in the details. Just typing words describing a series of events: not too difficult. Revealing personal thoughts and feelings to an audience of (mostly) strangers: very difficult. Think about it for a second: Do you have the guts to pull off something like that? Many don’t and wouldn’t want to under any circumstances. After all, there is that “privacy” thing. And, like your virginity, once lost, it’s gone forever. Maybe “integrity” would be a better example; there’s no upside to losing that. But 50 years of revealing bits and pieces of personal and political philosophy to broadcast and print media audiences around the country neutralized the occasional self-doubt.

But I digress…

The other eye saw something totally unexpected: the response from men who read the story. My presumption was more women would get into the plot faster and easier than most guys I know. And they did. But one by one, men of all ages wrote to me about their “Lauren” experience. Granted, none had gone as far my “Watercolor Memories”, but the emotional results were remarkably the same. Being from Mars, as John Gray says, we men are not inclined to casually chat about such things; the John Wayne gene is still strong in most of us not identifying as Snowflakes.

Man or Woman, if you haven’t read the book, take a peek here on Amazon and here on the Facebook page.

Spoiler Alert: you may hook yourself into actually reading the whole thing! Then maybe you will share your thoughts with the rest of us…!

If you're still searching for that perfect stocking stuffer for those Baby Boomers on your list who "experienced" the '60s, you can't get much better than this little sugar plum that will dance in their heads way beyond Christmas. "For the youngsters" (Ed Sullivan!), the history of what their parents or grandparents went through couldn't be made more entertaining. At 107 pages, the interest of even the least attentive among them will be riveted - I promise.

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