My guest today is Carol Ervin, author of The Girl on the Mountain
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Amazon blurb
When her husband disappears, young May Rose is stranded in a rough town owned by a company logging the last of West Virginia’s virgin forest. It’s 1899, and a woman alone has few options. As she struggles to sustain herself, she discovers people are not what they seem--not the husband who wooed her with stories and songs, not the wild, dirty child, the sullen cook, nor the stiff boardinghouse proprietor, and certainly not the company manager, pillar of the town. But May Rose is also not the obedient woman she once was. She’s been scorned as the girl on the mountain, the subject of shocking stories, yet there’s more to her than anyone expected. To survive, she must distinguish friend from foe, defend herself from predatory men and boys, and prove herself a person of value. Most important, she must believe that love is never wasted.
Here Carol shares how she revealed herself to readers and has some tips for all of us when opening up in this modern age
Brave New Me
Carol Ervin
Carol Ervin
Lurker. Anonymous. Private person. One who does not confess her inmost thoughts to more than one or two people. Is that you? It was me, until I realized that if I wanted anyone to read my book, I’d have to go public. Show my face. Bare my thinking, share my email. Yikes.
It’s not that I don’t love people—I do. If you read my book, you’ll see that. But I’m cautious by nature, and you have to admit that’s not a bad trait in these times. Fortunately, in the past year I’ve learned that locking the door against strangers will keep you from getting out! And wow, getting out can be a good thing.
My emergence from the closet of secret writing happened in small stages. For several years I was an anonymous writer and critique partner on critiquecircle.com, with no photo on my profile and no exchange of personal information, even with site members I got to “know” well.
My first small step out was to start blogging, with a photo and my real name! Then I added a signature (link to blog) to my profile on various sites. Amazingly, I suffered no adverse effects. If my family and friends rolled their eyes every time they got an email about a new post, and later, my book announcements, they politely did not tell me.
In the beginning, self-promotion felt as embarrassing as shouting on the street. Now my face looks out from the back of my book. I don’t like it, but there I am, and I’ve accepted it. Another change: the bio I wrote for my Amazon author page is more personal than anything I could have written a few months ago.
I’ve realized that I feel close to strangers who aren’t afraid to share a few harmless details about themselves. I reacted positively when an online writer-acquaintance said he was nervous about readers’ reactions. Even though we had not exchanged real names, I thought his confession was brave. Maybe you understand.
Notice I said “a few harmless details.” Not being counselors, psychiatrists or priests, most of us aren’t equipped to handle confessions or appeals for help.
If you want to take a step forward but don’t like the idea of sharing your dreams or feelings, remember that no friend, family member or stranger is thinking about you as intensely as you’re worrying about their reactions. Of course, in contact with strangers, be careful not to share too much personal information—no phone numbers, physical addresses or other sensitive information. No one needs stalkers or spammers.
Opening yourself to criticism or admitting a weakness can make others feel closer to you, as long as you don’t dump on them. And here’s something else I believe: the less you say—the less you go on and on about yourself and your opinions, the more others may listen. Whoops! Hope that wasn’t too much…
My website: www.carolervin.com
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