Tag: Secret Past

Moments in Nature

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing

Since the late 90s, I’ve been jotting poems down in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times.  Some of these have been published (see my credits page and my poetry page).  Poetry for me is something I get in a flash.  It is a word or phrase that sticks in my head and won’t go away until I write it down which of course leads to more words.  Poetry is experiencing some moment in my life whether in nature, life, or spiritual. 

After years of gathering these poems, I’ve decided to share these moments.  In looking at my two binders full of poetry, I picked out the nature ones first.  These are generally positive, uplifting, and descriptive.  They are about what I’ve seen or experienced while out in nature. 

Over time I plan to do more books of my poetry to make a series incorporating different aspects like spiritual moments, and moments in life.  Please go check out my latest publication. 

Moments in Nature is available:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/437602
Available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Moments-Nature-Eileen-Troemel-ebook/dp/B00KBFOWSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400077630&sr=8-1&keywords=moments+in+nature

Mother’s Day

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing
My daughters have all contacted me today.  We may be far apart physically but I think we are getting closer every day.  They are the most amazing women I know.  They are strong, compassionate and loving.  I’m very proud of them. 
With my daughters being out of town for Mother’s day, I have the day to do what I please.  This is always a bonus for me.  Yesterday I finished part of a baby gift and started the other part.  Last night, Ken and I helped my nephew move.  Ken did most of it – I drove.  We got home late last night and we both slept later than normal. 
Ken made me breakfast this morning.  It was sweet of him to do it as the girls aren’t here to do little things like that.  Since I’m moving slowly today I don’t know whether I will spend my day crocheting or work on book production.  Right now I’m putzing on the computer and don’t have a lot of energy. 
I turned fifty this year and maybe that is why but I’ve spent a lot of time just looking at my life and reflecting on my accomplishments.  My three biggest would be my daughters.  I’ve managed to raise three incredible women who are responsible members of society.  (yup mom bragging again).  However, they aren’t my only accomplishments. 
Since December, I’ve graduated from college to get my third degree since high school (associates in business, bachelor’s in business, and finally my bachelor’s in English).  I’ve also just published two books and should have a third book out soon.  I’ve managed to maintain my marriage for thirty three years (next month).  It isn’t front page news but I’m proud of who I am and what I’ve accomplished. 
Since I was seventeen, I’ve had people tell me I will fail.  I would accomplish nothing.  Actually in high school, I had a counselor who was very disparaging about my future so it began even earlier.  I go back to my parents though – my dad in particular – made me feel like I could be and do anything I wanted to do.  I may not have taken the path they wanted me to, but I’ve gotten there in the end.  Against naysayers and even against some pretty tough odds, I’ve managed to attain a level of success I think most people felt I would never reach.  More importantly, I like who I am and what I’m doing.  I’m proud of myself and pleased with my work.  At fifty, I finally feel like I’ve come into my own. 
On this mother’s day, I’m grateful for those who have helped me along the way.  Ken, who is more than just my husband, he is my best friend.  He’s learned to give me space when I need it and be there for me when I need him to be.  Virginia, Vicki, and Stephanie, my wonderful and amazing daughters, have encouraged me even while they were growing up.  They give me encouragement and support as I work my way through life.
While my daughters may be far away, they are never far because – as corny as it sounds – they are in my heart.  They are a part of everything I accomplish and everything I do.  

It Was Worth the Wait

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing

After doing and redoing Moon Affirmations, it is finally available in paperback!  Late last night the final review of the file was complete and now this morning it is available on CreateSpace.com! 

I think it looks beautiful!  I’m very proud of this meditation book.  It is simple and easy to do but at the same time can bring some pretty deep results.  I’m deeply moved by the moon energy and during the full moon I feel overloaded with all the energy and during the dark of the moon I feel peaceful. 

The artwork inside is magnificent.  TJ did a wonderful job capturing the feeling of the meditations.  The simple drawings match the affirmations and meditations wonderfully.  Additionally, Suzanne took a beautiful photo for me of the moon.  It was exactly has I’ve envisioned for several years. 

I’m proud of this book.  Laura and I lay on the ground at a county park near my home.  We talked about how the moon’s energy affected people and lives.  The idea popped for me and she encouraged me to write and develop this book. 

Several publishers have nibbled at this manuscript over the years.  Several have expressed an interest in the concept and the manuscript but none followed through.  It is here – published in both ebook and paper format. 

If you want to purchase the ebook:
Available for sale at:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/432900
Available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Affirmations-Daily-Meditations-Energy-ebook/dp/B00K08TF3K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1398791925&sr=8-5&keywords=moon+affirmations
Available on Barnes and Nobles:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moon-affirmations-eileen-troemel/1119387496?ean=2940045859738

It should be on Amazon in about a week.  Currently the paper format is available here:
 https://www.createspace.com/4783452

Check out Secret Past too:

Available on Barnes and Nobles:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-past-eileen-troemel/1119169953?ean=9781499159868
Available for sale at:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/426548
Available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Past-Eileen-Troemel-ebook/dp/B00JL38Z7C/ref=la_B00JL4PEJ8_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398097355&sr=1-1

Need a Weekend to Recover from My Weekend

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing
Yesterday was exceedingly productive.  Ken got up early to collect firewood from his brother’s house.  On the way home he stopped at Sorg’s to pick up our order.  I made sure I was up, dressed and organized by the time he got home. 
We went to Schnuck’s grocery store as they were having a 10 for 10 get the 11th free sale.  We bought only sale items and saved about $94 dollars between sales and coupons. 
Back home, Ken had fixed my chair sort of so I worked on Moon Affirmations – the paper edition.  It is in the review process and I’m obsessively checking every hour or so to see if it has finally made it through review.  I also wrapped three of the graduation gifts I had finished crocheting. 
In the evening we wandered out again to go to Walmart.  Ken found the last graduation gift I wanted so he picked that up.  Then we went to Target for Stephanie who wanted Brewer’s sunglasses.  Sadly they didn’t have any.  Finally we stopped at Woodman’s to do the last of our shopping.  We only got about three or four things that we didn’t have a coupon for and we saved $21.25 in coupons. 
By the time we got home Ken was done.  I came back to the computer and did a few things on the next project.  I’m organizing my poems.  This means I have the electronic file, paper copy, and it listed on my spreadsheet.  I got through A’s and B’s last night.  I also obsessively checked on Moon Affirmations.  Moon Affirmations made it onto Barnes and Noble this week as well.  
I played on the computer for a bit before I settled into the living room to read a book.  I’m reading Lean In.  It is a very good book.  It is about how women struggle for acceptance and equality even in today’s supposed enlightened era.  I recommend it for all people.
Unfortunately I slept poorly again.  This is about three weeks of sleep being elusive to me.  It would be nice to go to sleep easily and actually stay asleep for four to six hours. At this stage I’m lucky to get four solid.
Today is process food, obsessively check on Moon Affirmations, and relax at some point.  I want to get food prepped for me to easily grab it during the week for breakfast and lunch.  If you’ve read my blog for any length of time you know I’m not a morning person so it has to be exceedingly simple or I won’t remember in the morning.  I’ve got dip, turkey burgers, and coleslaw to make.  I have to prep cucumbers, peppers, and other items to go in the freezer.  If I have time, I want to work on the poetry project as well.  You would think with all we did yesterday we could sit back and relax today but that won’t be the case.
Moon Affirmations is now available at:
Available for sale at:
Available on Amazon:
Available on Barnes and Nobles:
Secret Past is available at:
Available on Barnes and Nobles:
Available for sale at:
Available on Amazon:

Technical Difficulties

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing
Every day this week I’ve worked on cleaning up images and getting the document ready for print format.  Unfortunately I’ve had technical difficulties. 
First I had to learn how to change the dpi (dots per inch) of each image.  Fortunately it was fairly simple once I had the right program. 
Second I had to take the new images and clean it up.  Because my images are drawings that have been scanned there was a lot of gray surrounding the lines.  For a digital image that has to be cleaned up as well which I did but when you increase the dpi then more imperfections appear.  In print , the gray surrounding the lines makes the image blurry or fuzzy.  With 45 images for the entire manuscript it is time consuming to pull each one up in Paint and use the eraser to go along each line.  However, every spare moment I’ve had this week I’ve been working on them.
Unfortunately, I’ve had additional technical problems.  I sat in my office chair early in the week and one of the wheels broke off.  Now if it had just fallen off, duct tape would have fixed it but it actually broke.  This meant I didn’t have my comfortable chair.  At first I was using a dining room chair which is okay for short periods of time.  When I spent any amount of time in it though, my back and legs hurt worse than normal.  Ken brought up an old office chair from the basement last night and it is okay but still not as comfortable as my chair. 
This mean after I worked on fourteen pictures last night I couldn’t stand to be in the chair any longer and had to give it up for the recliner.  With the precision work I have to do, I need a desk and solid surface for my mouse to be on.  I’m down to eight pictures with each one taking about an hour or so depending on how complex the picture is. 
Since I had to redo all the images, I made a point of double checking that they were working.  I uploaded a partially finished manuscript to CreateSpace to see if their system liked the new photos.  This gave me a double check that all was well and I just needed to finish the images.  I was thrilled to find that the document had no errors and the images looked amazing.  Plus by doing that I was able to rearrange images so they worked better. 
Images in a digital format have to be in line with the text.  There is no creative placement.  With print I’m able to move them around and place them where I think they look the best rather than where they work digitally.  While it has been a lot of work to change up the images, I feel like it has been a good lesson learned as it has allowed me to produce a better product.
At this stage, all I want to do is work on finishing the images.  Unfortunately, I have a lot to do this weekend.  My todo list is filled with grocery shopping, errands, gift wrapping, food prep and so on.  I’ll still carve out time though.  Barring any more technical difficulties, I’m hoping to have a paper version ready by the end of the weekend.  Fingers crossed and chair situation resolved, I hope to accomplish this.  Then I can look at poetry books next.   
Smashwords:
Amazon:
While you are out shopping, take a look at Secret Past too.  It is available here:
Available on Barnes and Nobles:
Available for sale at:https:
Available on Amazon:

Moon Affirmations on Amazon!

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing

Last night I had Moon Affirmations go through final approval for Smashwords.  This means I’m able to use the same file – with a few adjustments – submit to KDP which is the e-publisher for Amazon. 

After an hour or so working on it, I submitted it last night and now it is available on Amazon.  I’m very excited about this book.  It is completely different from other meditation books because it uses the phase of the moon to focus your energy.  This means during a new moon, you would focus on beginnings or starts to the projects, relationships, and so on. 

Next step for this meditation book is to get it in print.  I’m working on that but discovered all of my images need to be reworked to a higher DPI.  I was four steps from being done when I discovered this.  This means I have to work on it as I’m able and hopefully will get all the images updated, cleaned up and ready for print this week.  However, time is my most limited resource. 

In the meanwhile, go check out the meditation book at:

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/432900

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Affirmations-Daily-Meditations-Energy-ebook/dp/B00K08TF3K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1398791925&sr=8-5&keywords=moon+affirmations

While you are out shopping, take a look at Secret Past too.  It is available here:

Available on Barnes and Nobles:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-past-eileen-troemel/1119169953?ean=9781499159868
Available for sale at:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/426548
Available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Past-Eileen-Troemel-ebook/dp/B00JL38Z7C/ref=la_B00JL4PEJ8_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398097355&sr=1-1

R&R

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing
There are times when I’m exceedingly productive and accomplish everything I’ve set out and more.  This weekend has been one of those weekends.  I’ve finished the third graduation gift, pre-production work on another manuscript, and had time to chat with all my girls.  It has been a good weekend.
The graduation gifts are done.  I can set them aside until I get gift bags and wrap them up for my student workers.  Now I can focus on the two baby gifts I want to make.  Vicki asked me to make bibs for one of her co-workers so I’ll be doing those.  Plus I want to make something for my faculty who just adopted a sweet little girl. 
Moon Affirmations is nearly done.  I’m waiting on some illustrations and information from the illustrator.  Once I have those then I’ll be moving forward with that.  I keep thinking I’ll just start on the next document that I need to create for publishing but I know it is best to wait until Smashwords accepts the current document because then I know it is in good shape for the KDP.  It all builds from one to the next but in my excitement I want to jump forward to get more done.  My battle with myself for patience will be tempered with crocheting. 
I have coupons to go through before I head back to the recliner for crochet time.  Once the coupons are done I will probably be a bum the rest of the weekend with tv watching and crocheting. 
Recently I’ve watched The Butler and Philomena.  They were both very good movies.  Both are thinking movies rather than action.  In Philomena, Judi Dench was fabulous as an Irish woman looking for a baby the nuns adopted out.  It is based on a true story.  She did an amazing job and it is worth seeing.  The Butler was the same.  This man came from the south and became a butler at a hotel who was noticed by a white house staffer.  It was a good movie covering a large span of history both in the white house and in our country.  There were many stellar performances in there.
Tomorrow it is back to my day job and reality.  I’ve enjoyed my longer weekend and down time.  I feel better than I did last week and feel like I’ve accomplished what I needed to with taking Friday off.  I’m feeling less overwhelmed by work and more relaxed.  Apparently I have a warped sense of what R&R is supposed to be but if it worked that is all that matters.
Coming soon!  Moon Affirmations
Secret Past is available here:
Barnes and Nobles:
Smashwords:
Amazon:

Perspective

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing
Friday I spent the day working on inserting images into a manuscript.  This sounds like a simple thing but it isn’t.  The image has to be the right size.  Some of the images had to be cleaned up which meant pulling it into paint to use the eraser to get rid of smudges. 
As I was working on these images zoomed in to like 400% their actual size, I realized there was a fine line between touching up and changing the art.  TJ Jahns created the images and scanned them to me so I could use them.  She did a phenomenal job with creating the images.  I love them more every time I see them and every time I work with them. 
She worked hard and long on these pictures and I want to make sure that the images are kept true to her work.  At the same time I had to adjust the images to fit the manuscript.  This meant erasing some smudges, resizing, and so on.
It is easiest to work with them when they are quite large – 400% mostly.  It is tedious and time consuming work but well worth the effort.  As I’m staring at the image and trying to decide if this pixel or that one are necessary or integral to the picture, I thought a lot about how a change of perspective can change your opinion or beliefs. 
Maybe a step back or a step closer will make me (or you) see whatever I’m struggling with in a different way.  A friend brought in a hard copy of my book.  I haven’t ordered any yet so it was my first time seeing my name on an actual book.  I would like to say I relished the moment but I was at work and busy.  However, it made me realize how much this means to me to be published, to know that people are reading my words (hopefully liking them) and to know there is something lasting that will continue on. 
Perspective changes as we change how we view things.  It makes me wonder what I can do to change my perspective on other things in my life. 
This philosophical moment brought on by overwork on the computer and image editing.
Secret Past is available here:
Barnes and Nobles:
Smashwords:
Amazon:

Two Down

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing
Last night I finished another graduation gift.  This came as a surprise to me because I was very tired since I’d spent the previous night reading a book until 1:40 in the morning.  I thought I’d go to sleep early and accomplish little but no. I was able to crochet the last seven items (three groups) of things. 
Today I’m off work and my plan was to be up early – that didn’t happen – and to work on Moon Affirmations.  I’m mid-production on this meditation book.  I’ve got a lot to do just to get it out there in one media.  I’m home alone with my music playing so I hope the quiet time will allow me good production time.
Whenever I work on the computer, I have this whole routine where I have to settle in.  I check my email, play the Hoyle games I love, and wander around to a few sites I almost always check.  After this routine, I’ll work on the production.  I have pictures to place.  I started this process but I discovered for Smashwords I have the wrong size document and I don’t think I’m working with the images correctly.  I have to figure out the best way to work through each one.  I may just take one and figure out the best way and then outline the steps. 
Pictures and photos are not my strong suit.  I’m good with words and formatting but adding in these other elements is not something I’m great at.  Part of the reason for this is because I’ve not done a lot of it.  It is time for me to learn I guess. 
Once Ken gets home, I’ll set aside book production and work on the last graduation gift.  I’m hoping to finish it off this weekend.  Ken plans to gather wood this weekend I think (depending on weather).  If he is out of the house tomorrow then I’ll most likely work on book production again. 
Those are my goals for the weekend at least – book production and graduation and baby gifts.  Making progress on all of those will mean I’ve had a good weekend.  Oh and I suppose I should probably try to get a bit more sleep than I have the last couple of days too.  Most nights I manage on six hours of sleep but the last few it has been much less than that.   
Secret Past is available here:
Barnes and Nobles:
Smashwords:
Amazon:

Reviews

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing

A friend told me she was going to read my book in the bathroom.  At first I was a little offended by this but as I think about it at least she is reading it.  Additionally if it sits in her bathroom and other people use her bathroom they may pick it up.  This may be a whole new marketing technique that should be explored.

I’ve sold 17 copies of my book in one form or another.  Now I have to patiently wait while people read and hope they will post a review.  I’d love all positive reviews but I know that they won’t be. 

The hard part for me is as I look over the versions I’m seeing changes I would make – small changes that I would do differently.  The changes aren’t large enough to merit an update but if I find enough of them they will add up eventually.

Criticism is a part of life as an author.  I won’t be able to please everyone all the time.  Some people will take offense at my topic, writing style, amount of sex (or lack of it) in a book, or almost any aspect of the book you can think of.  All I can hope for is that most people will like the book and will be willing to give it a try.

I won’t lie – a negative review will probably hurt my feelings.  It is bound to.  I’ll get over it.  I always do.  Books are like a baby to most authors.  It is a lot of work to create characters, plot, and so on.  By the time we are done, I have molded the manuscript into shape (I hope).  It is like raising a kid – here is this unformed being and as a mom I take and shape it into what it will be – hopefully in a positive and good way.  To have someone come along and tell you that you did a lousy job is tough to hear.  However, I have to look on a negative review as a way of looking to improve my writing.  If it is constructive – like I found errors in these locations or here is a plot oooppss – then I can use that as a way to improve the product.  If it is a “I didn’t like it” type of review, there is little I can do about that. 

If you’ve read my novel, please go and write a review on it.  Be honest because honesty helps me hone my craft and make a better product either by updating and improving the current product or creating a better product for the next manuscript. 

Secret Past is available here:
Barnes and Nobles:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-past-eileen-troemel/1119169953?ean=9781499159868
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/426548
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Past-Eileen-Troemel-ebook/dp/B00JL38Z7C/ref=la_B00JL4PEJ8_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398097355&sr=1-1