Nancy is ready

My dear friend Nancy Reinsvold will transfer to Zilber Hospice in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin tomorrow morning. Today we talked about hospice.

Ta-da! My new book has a name!

Naming a book is like naming a child – it’s a task fraught with emotion. The title for my new book was a mystery to me after I compiled favorites from more than three decades of writing. I read and re-read the essays and poems and realized they covered too many emotions to name. A theme emerged, but how could I express it?…something about finding happiness after a family tragedy.

I asked friends, family, and blog readers to help me select a title. They were generous with their ideas, but the votes came to a stalemate, with a tie between "The Dance of Life" and "Waking Up." Nothing felt right. The mystery sat and stared, stubborn.

Markesan Police Beat - June 6, 2013

This week there were some serious postings about OWIs and such. I don't reprint them. Here are the lighter ones:

Send prayers for my Nancy, a wisp of air

You always hear how an old person breaks a hip and that's the beginning of the end.

I hope that's not so for my dear friend Nancy.

Help me choose a name for my new book!!

     I haven’t written a blog post in a while because I’ve been on fire working on a book. It’s a collection of new personal essays and poems, along with favorites from my award-winning syndicated column...all nonfiction. 

     In other words, the book is a bunch of short bits...or as some would call it, bathroom reading.

     I’m in a jam. I have an idea for a title, but I’m not sold on it. The last time I put together a book like this, I named it by borrowing from one of the essays within. I have always loved that title: Calling all Horses. I think those words are just quirky enough to get a reader’s attention. That quirkiness also captures my, um, slightly skewed view of life.

     Another reason I like the title Calling all Horses is that it’s short and easy to say. I’ve found that when you write a book, you say the title over and over…and over. My novels also have short titles that are easy to repeat – Dog Woman and Don’t Worry Baby. I like short.

     My new book will carry this title or something like it: [Blank], And Other Glimpses of an American Life. The subtitle is of course And Other Glimpses of an American Life. The [Blank] part is the main title, and it's where I’m stuck. So I’m asking for your help.