My Amazon ads bombed (both targeted and auto ad) and Chat GPT told me that my book description was at fault. So... here is my new one followed by my old (bad?) one. I would so appreciate feedback. @Julie Broad @Sarah Bean . Also I got a recent bad 2 star review because it seems the reader was not notified enough of the edgy content so this version aims to fix that. Thank you!! BTW, have mostly glowing 5 star reviews but still this one hurt although it was badly written and a little mean. New: Art & Love: My Life Illuminated in Egg Tempera "She paints the world she knows—taboo, tender, and utterly alive.” Art & Love is an intimate memoir of a woman seeking to fulfill her artistic vision in the face of self-doubt and romantic intrigue, while committing herself to the demanding practice of egg tempera painting—a rare art form she considers her artistic soul. The author’s journey through the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s and beyond traces experiences of communal living that range from the benign to the cult-like. In the 1980s, her work as a nurse during the AIDS epidemic becomes a defining force in the book, inspiring frank visual and narrative depictions of death and dying, intimacy, and bodily experience that will resonate most with unsqueamish readers. Luminous artwork appears throughout the book, documenting the passage of time and adding a rich visual layer to the narrative. As the author’s growth as an artist unfolds, her pursuit of egg tempera painting becomes a metaphor for the resilience and self-discovery that sustain a creative life. OLD VERSION Art & Love: My Life Illuminated in Egg Tempera is the memoir of a woman's quest to master the ancient art of egg tempera painting, gain confidence as an artist and find lasting love. It’s 1966 and unaware of the brewing counterculture tsunami, Lora arrives in Berkeley, California where she is introduced to egg tempera, a homemade paint that combines colorful pigments with egg yolk. She falls in love with the luminous medium but cannot find a teacher to unravel its mysteries.

Writing, editing, tech, confidence, marketing, choosing a direction — all fair game. Share yours below.

Well, well, well - according to Facebook - It is our fearless leaders Birthday today. Happy Birthday Julie, enjoy the day and here's to many, many more years around the sun! Cheers!

Some writers struggle because nothing is coming. Others struggle because too much is coming. Both can feel paralyzing in different ways — one feels empty, the other feels chaotic. This question isn’t about productivity, it’s about what kind of weight creativity is putting on you right now. If you want a slightly more poetic version Some of us face silence. Some of us face noise. Both can stop the pen. Are you blocked by emptiness, or overwhelmed by abundance?

Ok, so you've ingenuously woven together the plot of your amazing book, working tirelessly into the wee hours of the morning pouring your heart and soul into every last line. When your story is complete, you do multiple revisions, making sure that your wording and grammar are completely polished and publish ready... But then, us indie authors have the "fun" task of perfectly formatting our books to meet with professional publishing standards. For my first book, I used Kindle Create, which is a simplistic formatting tool. (of course I needed to use their default font, which came out terribly light on the page after publishing, not to mention that my chapter 1 began on page 2.) I am now at this critical juncture once again with my 2nd book, and I do not wish to rely on Kindle Create for this one... What do some of you folks use to correctly mirror your pages and to place your headers and footers so that they are elegant and your roman numerals are correct? (ii for copyright, v for TOC with other front matter correctly unnumbered.) I've typed everything out on microsoft 365, and they don't even have a means to mirror pages... Please share your thoughts, and your well appreciated tips with me. :)