Checking Off # 2 on my bucket list

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Amazon, author, bucket list, London, Lynn Murphy, Phantom Of The Opera, theater

I did not get to go to Paris. Okay, I realize I have said this several times. But I will. I have promised myself that I will walk into the Louvre someday. (Hopefully sooner than later.) I did, however, have the opportunity to mark off the second item on my bucket list. (My list is fairly short, but comprised of things I really want to do or accomplish).

What is  the item in second place? It was to see Phantom of the Opera onstage. I have seen the movie more times than I can count. (I teach a unit on it and show it to all my classes.)My family does not share my obsession with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most famous endeavor (or really any of his musicals or anyone else’s for that matter.) My husband knew that I wanted to see it, but has successfully avoided making the trip to either the Fox Theater in Atlanta, where we live, or to New York. When I told him there was an opportunity to see it when we went to London, he very quickly said “I think you should do that.” Yes, he knew what losing the trip to the Louvre meant to me. Yes he wanted me to have the opportunity. No he never wanted to see it.

I polled my students and a group up of ten was up for it. Our tour guide Emma was a real star. She managed seats on the seventh row orchestra (or stalls as they say in London) and when the chandelier fell it went right over my head.

I saw my favorite musical at Her Majesty’s Theater and I was not disappointed. The performance was brilliant, something I will always remember. The songs were beautifully executed and the costumes and set were amazing.

By the way, I wrote a YA novel inspired by  Phantom. It’s called Think Of Me. You can check it out at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy or at http://www.amazon.com while I go have a cup of coffee in my Phantom mug- the one with the mask that changes color as it gets hot. (And if Think Of Me isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll find several other books there too.)

 

Je suis presque all a Paris….

Tags

art, author, books, Louvre, louvre trilogy, Paris, travel

I almost went to Paris. Or, as I said to my tour director Antonio, “April 6, 2016. The day I almost went to Paris.” And Antonio replied, as he was about to board the bus that would take the rest of our group to Paris while my group returned to England, “It will live in infamy.”

My recent trip to Europe was supposed to include the city of lights. And more specifically for me, an art teacher, the promised land, also know as Le Louvre. But then came Brussels and a moment of panic among some of our tour group and the trip was rerouted to include Normandy but not Paris. Instead, we would cross the channel (a five hour trip where most of our party got seasick) and tour the Bath region of England before returning to London for another two days. I understand why the decision was made, but I still haven’t quite gotten over not seeing Paris.

I almost went to the Louvre. I almost walked up the steps to the Winged Victory of Samothrace, almost linked eyes with La Jaconde, almost saw Liberty Leading The People. Almost walked where my favorite of all the characters I have written, Alain Darnay spent most of his waking hours. (If you haven’t read my Louvre Trilogy, stop reading this and dash over to Amazon!)

I almost viewed the Eiffel Tower. Almost had the opportunity to see Paris from a bird’s eye view from the structure built by the same man who gave us the Statue of Liberty.

I almost got to see the glories of the Garnier, Notre Dame, the Tuilleries Gardens. Almost had the opportunity to stroll along the Siene, to visit Versailles, to pass under the Arch de Triomphe.

I almost got to sample macarons at Lauderee, marvel at Chartres, hope to catch a glimpse of the wonders of the d’Orsay.

Almost got to explore the shelves of Shakespeare and Company,  almost got to see the city illuminated at night….

Two and a half days would not have let me see and take in all the wonders of the city I know far too much about considering that I have never seen it. And I did enjoy my trip and am glad to have seen what I saw. But still, I wish I had not lost the opportunity.

Hopefully one day soon je vais me retrover a Paris.

 

 

 

The Best and Worst Books I Read This Year

Tags

author, books, Lynn Murphy, Writing

As the year comes to an end, I have read almost everything I had set aside on my (many) bookshelves to read this year and I am pondering what to read next, I will take a few minutes to reflect on what I read. Stephen King once said that if you don’t have time to read then you don’t have time to write. I think that he is right- how can you write if you never read? I teach creative writing and sometimes teach English and I firmly believe that the reason children cannot write well is not due just to a proliferation of electronic devices, but due also to their lack of  time spent in literary engagement. When I taught middle school English each grade (6-8) read eight novels over the course of a year. That being said, I have been a reader all of my life and plan to continue doing so. My tastes in reading material are varied, but tend to gravitate toward fiction and I like a story steeped in history but am not limited to any particular genre. I will start with the best books.

1.The  Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. I absolutely loved this one. AJ is a widowed bookstore owner who has his valuable and rare book by Poe stolen (the book that was to be his ticket to retirement.) While investigating the theft, a surprise that changes his life changes the direction of the book. It is littered with references to books and stories I have read and I highly recommend it.

2. Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel. I picked this up at my school’s book fair and it was a well written YA novel that I would easily use in class. The main character has a freak accident the leaves her needing a face transplant during her senior year in high school. The novel is about how she and everyone around her deal with the changes.

3. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Using odd old photographs as the catalyst for the plot, Ransom Riggs wrote an interesting tale about a boy who discovers he has inherited some interesting powers that he must use as he travels in time to save himself and his new friends.

4. Saving Mona Lisa by Geri Chanel. A non fiction book, not to be confused with my novel Hiding Mona Lisa, which provided some historical background for my Louvre trilogy. Fascinating reading about the evacuation of the Louvre during WWII. (Read the Louvre Trilogy when you are done!)

5. The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It’s been around a long time but I just got around to reading it this summer. A look at the civil rights movement and the relationship between a little girl and some people from her mother’s past.

6. Paris The Novel by Edward Rutherford. A lengthy novel about three families whose lives intersect over centuries as the city of Paris grows and develops. Since I am traveling to Paris in the spring I found this one fascinating and really enjoyed it. Don’t be overwhelmed by the size of the book.

Now for the books I read but didn’t love….

1. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Okay I know it got the Pulitzer prize and a million five star reviews.  My husband calls it “All The Book We Cannot Read” because it took me almost a year to get past the second chapter. I’m sorry, but I never got into the story or bonded with the characters and the story ended abruptly without really ending. I would have thought I was crazy, the one person who didn’t get it based on the reviews, until my friend Sara Martin concurred. ( Maybe the fact that it is written in present perfect tense that I equated it with reading term papers in MLA?) Sorry, but I won’t be thinking of this book or its characters when I actually go to St. Malo in the spring….

2.Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Let’s just say by the fifth time the main character died and was reborn it had become a little redundant.

3. Z by  Therese  Aine Draper. This one falls in a  genre I call “Books about the lives of famous men’s wives.” I loved The Paris Wife  so I tried this one, based on the life of Zelda Fitzgerald. While it was well written, I ended up not liking either Zelda or F. Scott Fitzgerald and was more than a little depressed when it ended.

If you are looking for something to read before the end of the year, check out my books at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy.com.

 

 

Confession: I Bought Coffee In A Red Cup This Morning

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author, butterfly, Christmas, coffee, holidays, indie publishing, Starbucks red cup

I did. I drove through the Starbucks drive thru and purchased a grande non-fat cinnamon dolce with light whip served up in a red cup. So, as you read this, you are judging me. You are either saying I’m anti Christmas and possibly anti Christian or you’re saying good for you because it’s just a damn cup.

About the charge of being anti Christmas. Not true. My husband wishes I was a little more anti Christmas, as in Christmas the hyped up, decorated, lighted up and gift-wrapped version. I carefully plan my wrapping paper theme each year and plastic stick on bows are not allowed. My forty something nutcrackers all find their places on mantles and we hang poinsettia and wired ribbons and greenery on everything that will stand still. Twenty years ago when we were moving from Georgia to Maryland and loading my car on a truck, my husband gave me a choice of the last item to pack with it- my computer or the Christmas tree. I chose the tree. (He managed to get the computer in, which in hindsight was a good thing as I finished my first book on that ancient desktop while we lived there.) All of our stockings coordinate, I love shopping for the right gifts and actually like holiday music. So drinking from the red cup does not mean I am anti- Christmas. As for the Christianity thing, I am a Christian, teach at a Christian school and some of my books fall into the Christian romance category and am loaded down with Starbucks gift cards every Christmas from my equally Christian students.

People are reading way too much into the design of a single business’s holiday cup. Since when is red and green not a holiday theme- specifically a Christmas theme? Does it really matter if someone wishes you ‘happy holidays’ instead of “Merry Christmas?” (After all, how many Christmas songs have the phrase ‘happy holidays’ with in the lyrics?)

Maybe it was simply that they didn’t want to repeat the same design as those of recent holiday seasons. Would a holly leaf or snowflake or gingerbread man make it more pro- Christmas? ( Aside: If I was making a cup of coffee at home I would drink it out of a red cup- not because I’m making any kind of statement but because that’s the color of my every day dishes.)

Maybe people have too much free time and fill it with internet ranting rather than something more productive. I honestly don’t think Starbucks is trying to ban Christmas, or that people should boycott Starbucks over the color of a paper cup that is going to end up in the garbage. Instead of writing those indignant Facebook posts, go find a food bank that needs help during the Christmas season. And if you’re really mad, donate the money you might have spent on the everyday white cup to a charity that helps kids and families in need.

Or take the time to read a good book (or shop for one for somebody else). You can check out mine at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy.com.

When Blue Butterflies Make Way For Red Finches

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Amazon, author, books, fiction, indie publishing, the blue butterfly, the red finch, time travel

“The rain has stopped and I wake from dreaming of blue butterflies swirling past me. The dream is so real that I think I can feel that now familiar sensation of falling and being pulled  down into a narrowing vortex, that trip across time circles of which which I am never certain how long it will take and where I will end up. At first I think that I am time traveling again….

That is the opening line from the first chapter of The Red Finch, which is the second book in my Time Travel Trilogy. When the main characters’ stash of blue morpho butterflies- the object that has until the book begins made time travel possible, is compromised, they have to find another time travel mechanism. And, at least in the story, it seems that the feathers of red finches have the same capability. (That doesn’t mean that I am giving up the blue butterflies all together. They will still feature in this book and the next.)

As the book begins, three of the time travelers are still lost in the past. I have mapped out where they will visit over the course of this book and have written about fifty pages. My plan is to have it out in time for the Thanksgiving holidays, with a goal to finish the trilogy by early spring.  I still find the concept of time travel interesting and making it seem plausible is a challenge.

I like history, which the students I teach typically claim they do not. One of the things I hope to accomplish with this trilogy is to give the readers a taste of historical facts- just enough about a few events of the past in a way that will encourage them to explore history on their own.  Mollie and Jack will find their way to several more venues as the trilogy progresses, some even more perilous than the ones they have already experienced.

Here’s the cover:

While I follow Jack and Mollie through time, go ahead and check out The Blue Butterfly at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy

Paris Is Always a Good Idea….

Tags

Alain Darnay, art, author, books, butterfly, education, fiction, Paris, travel

I am planing on going to Paris in the spring. This spring. With London and Amsterdam on each end. I say ‘planning’ because even though I am generally an optimist I am just pessimistic enough to be afraid that something will happen to keep it from happening. If everything goes according to plan, I will find myself in Paris and London, two cities I have written about but never seen.

The cover of my first novel, I’ll Be Seeing You, was originally published with a picture of Big Ben on it, and when I rewrote and re-released it, I used a stock photo of Big Ben as well. I wrote about James and Fiona walking through war torn London, but I have never actually been there. The same is true for my Louvre Trilogy and Think Of Me, which all take place in the city of lights.

The internet allowed me to describe these places I had never been, but I am looking forward to actually seeing them in person. I have a poster on the backdoor to my classroom at school that is of the Louvre as it is today and the caption” How teachers wish they could teach art” and it shows a group of school kids in front of the glass pyramid. The teacher asks “Now kids, who can tell me what American architect designed the pyramid?” ( I Pei in case you didn’t know- the same artist who designed the Vietnam Wall.)

I hardly dare to think that in April that will be me, with a group of high school students and assorted others in tow. That I will actually be able to view the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the La Jaconde (French for Mona Lisa) and the rest of the treasures of the Louvre that my protagonist in the Louvre Trilogy, Alain Darnay, views each day. That I will be able to walk up the stairs of the Garnier, and be awed by the Chagall ceilings and legendary Box Five as Madison was in Think Of Me, my YA novel set in the Paris Opera House and inspired by Phantom Of The Opera.
I am sure that I will be inspired to write something else while I am there, and I look forward to seeing the places that my characters have been. In my mind’s eye I am sure that Mollie and Jack from my latest release The Blue Butterfly will be with me in spirit as I look down from the Eiffel Tower. But it is months to go and a lot of writing I can do until then. You can see how my characters fare in those European cities before I get there by checking out my books at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy.com. More on my adventures when they actually happen. Until then, Paris is always a good idea…..

Art Apathy

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apathy, art, author, education, louvre trilogy

I had a student ask me yesterday why, as an art teacher, I kept ‘forcing stuff we aren’t interested in on us.’ By that this 8th grader meant architecture and history and specifically the aesthetic design of Versailles. Never mind that architecture and art history are part of the curriculum. We are now teaching a generation that has lost all enthusiasm for learning.

I have accepted the fact that many people in which I come in contact with, parents, students, even other teachers view the subject I teach as irrelevant. It’s ‘just art.” But I find that sentiment sad. When I was in 8th grade myself, I was completely enamored with all things related to art. I had already fallen in love with Renoir and Matisse, longed to roam the corridors of the Louvre, could identify artists from almost every major period, was exploring art media. Most of my students just don’t care, about learning about it or even creating on their own. My days  are dominated sometimes with apathy.

I just wish they would take the time to actually look at what they think they are not interested in. I wish they could put down their phones long enough to ponder the meaning and images in Guernica, to examine the use of light in the work of the Impressionists, to examine the placement of dots of paint in LaGrande Jatte. When I took a group of 8th graders to the National Gallery last year, I did get to see some of them react to real paintings. To hear their comments upon viewing a room of Van Goghs, to exclaim over the life likeness of David’s portrait of Napoleon. The kids sitting in my classroom yesterday were lamenting their own upcoming trip to the nation’s capital and hoping it would not include visiting ‘boring old museums.’ I hope the Gallery isn’t one stop they skip this year, but it may well be because I am not the teacher leading the tour.

On the other end of the spectrum are the students who are planning to go, with me in tow, to London and Paris and Amsterdam in the spring. The six students who agree that to go to Paris and skip The Louvre would be a travesty.

My love of art finds its way into my writing as well. I am not a great artist, I’m an okay artust. I know my abilities and my limitations. It doesn’t stop me from creating, I just know that beyond teaching it, I probably couldn’t make a living doing it. But I still write about characters who either create art, appreciate it, or, in the case of my Louvre Trilogy, will put it before almost anything. One of my favorite quotes from the Monuments Men is when George  Clooney rallies his troops by telling them that their mission was never supposed to succeed but that it is important because the are preserving the culture and the history. Here’s the clip:

In my Louvre Trilogy, the characters get what George Clooney’s character is talking about. They understand that art matters and shouldn’t be ignored or left untaught. The character of Alain especially reflects my love of art.

Encourage kids to learn about art and other things they believe are uninteresting. It is our job to teach them that, to hold onto the art and books and music that have inspired mankind for thousands of years. Without that encouragement, in a few generations it may all be forgotten forever.

And if you are curious about my Louvre Trilogy, check it out at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy.com

Never Have I Ever….

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Amazon, author, books, indie publishing, the blue butterfly, Writing

Some of my students were playing a game when they thought I wasn’t listening. It was “Never have I ever….” and you fill in the blank and try to see who in the group has actually done whatever it is. I admit I eves dropped a little, but can’t say I really found out much.

In regards to my writing and this book business there are some things I’ve never done. And maybe some things I have tried that I might not again. One of those latter things is the free book. KDP allows authors to have five free days every so often. I’ve run freebies, which is supposed to skyrocket your book to the top of the unpaid charts. It used to work- I’d run a free day and there would be sales- paid ones- to follow for a few days. The last few times I’ve done that however, I just gave away a lot of books, with no return, not even reviews. I’d have to think long and hard about doing it again. I think one reason that its stopped being effective is that people have gotten used to getting books for free and only download the freebies. There are some people that also suggest giving it away downplays your faith in the book and your writing.

Back to the game.

Never have I ever….

Believed I couldn’t write.

Never have I ever…

Given up thinking I could one day write full time.

Never have I ever…

Written something I would be embarrassed for my kids (or the head of my Christian school) to read.

Never have I ever…

Decided to quit writing due to book sales.

I wrote a post the other day when I was discouraged, but that didn’t mean I was giving up. I believe in my books and myself. Maybe I’m not a marketing guru, maybe I don’t know a whole lot of people who want to read what I write, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a good writer. I have never wanted to be anything else- I could not give up writing if I tried. As Thomas Jefferson quoted, “I cannot live without books.” For me that statement is true, but it also includes MY books. I re-read a few of my own books this week- and if they weren’t mine, I would still think they were pretty  good.

So I’ll keep plugging along, never giving up, always trying to have that elusive bestseller.  Never have I ever believed it wouldn’t happen. Some day.

If you’d like to help make that happen, check out my books at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy  and my latest release, The BLUE BUTTERFLY

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Tags

Amazon, Atlanta, author, books, Lynn Murphy, the blue butterfly, time travel, YA

I am feeling a little frustrated this week. I don’t want to sound whiney and like I’m on a buy my book pleeese trip. But I had put forth a major marketing effort for very little return and I am not sure what to do about it.

ON my 52nd birthday, September 4th, I launched my 19th book. The Blue Butterfly is a YA time travel novel that is the first in a trilogy. The idea behind it is that using the reflective wings of a blue morpho butterfly one might be able to bend light and therefore bend time. The two main characters, Mollie and Jack Donovan, set out to find their parents using this method when their parents have accidentally catapulted themselves back in time, using their mother’s research on the subject. They children travel through several time periods in history as they attempt to find their parents and reunite their family.

This was my marketing plan:

Tweet a lot before the release. (I can be found at @LynnMurphy13)

Create a professional looking book trailer https://animoto.com/play/4ufCJcgUlbfQtjriGSyAQA

Send out a marketing packet to language arts teachers with lesson plans (so far I have reached out to 400 teachers)

Book signings (I had one at my own school’s PTA meeting- not much traffic)

Build my The Blue Butterfly Page on FaceBook

Media press releases (I had a nice article in my local paper http://thecitizen.com/entertainment/novel-explores-time-travel)

I got off to a great start with a few sales on the release day…and now I’ve hit a roadblock. I’m a little discouraged because I had really hoped for more sales. I believe in this book and I want it to be successful. I have worked harder to market this book than any other book that I have written so the lack of measurable results is frustrating. It doesn’t mean I’m not continuing with my plan, it just means…I wish more people were actually reading the book.

Writing has never been my challenge in this business. The story ideas come and once I start writing, I don’t struggle with the proverbial writer’s block. Marketing is always my Achille’s heel.

Thanks for a chance to vent. If you would like to share the book, here’s the link

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014RGVLEQ.  Guess I need to go market some more…..

Blue Butterfly Day!

Tags

Amazon, art, Atlanta, author, books, butterfly, facebook friends, fiction, the blue butterfly, time travel

It’s finally here- the release of The Blue Butterfly. The first book of the Time Travel Trilogy is officially launched! I will confess to being very excited. I had a very nice article in my local newspaper on Wednesday, which featured a life size color picture of my book’s cover and a detailed description of the novel. I sent lesson plans to all the middle and high school English teachers in my county. My school has jumped on the promotion train and has the article displayed at the front desk and has asked me to do a book signing at the PTA meeting next week.

I painted a picture similar to the one Mollie paints on one of her time travel circles in the novel. Here it is. I had to laugh when one of my students admired it and then asked who painted it. When I said I did, his eyes got wide and he asked “You can paint?” (I’m an art teacher.)

I’ll be celebrating my birthday and Blue Butterfly Day tomorrow and will continue the celebration over Labor Day weekend at Callaway Gardens, where they will fill the Day Butterfly Center with blue morphos- can’t wait to get some more photographs!

Already plotting where Jack and Mollie will go in Book Two- The Red Finch, which I hope to release for the holidays.

Technically the links are live, so you could go ahead and order if you felt so inclined. Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014RGVLEQ

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1514226545

And of course, feel free to check out my other books at http://www.bookbylynnmurphy.com