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  • Doing a little updating…adding some photos, even thinking of typing up a couple of poems I have start but I’m not sure I have finished….Please be patient…my writing is stiffled and a little rustier right now…stress in my off-line work has made me less able to touch base with my poetry as I would like…stop by and leave comments on the pictures. Most are older pictures and I hope to add more as I get more comfortable with the process and what it can do. Since this is my only premiun site I expect I will do any photo-blogging here.

  • rose2th When you are centered in divine love, there is no
    way you can be stripped of your joy.

    And when you have joy, you can give joy. That’s
    the outward action of charity. When you can give
    joy, you can, again, receive joy. It’s a
    marvelous cycle.

    - John-Roger
    (From: The Way Out Book, p. 71)

  • a rare bit of prose…the is the main body of a email I sent a friend in a writing group regarding self publishing and why I chose it and I thought it would be appropriate to share here as well as on my email blog


    Thank you for the compliments about the covers, You choose the cover of your book, you can either pick from the ones they have availble or upload your own. I am not a photographer so on the first book I was able to choose a picture from a feloow on-line writer and he agree to let me use the picture as long as I gave credit on my title page which I did. The second two I used their covers mostly because I wanted to get them completely quickly. As I have said I intend to go back and get ISBN on each after I have gotten a majority of my poetry “out there” and have a little extra money to afford the extras. My desire to publish has been for the most part simply to give access to my poetry to a wider range of people. That is why if you go to the store front you will see the first volume of poetry is actually free as an ebook (and publishing cost only as a book) The other two are both under $10 in book format (under $3 as ebooks). My earlier poetry was written as a way to meet and explore an incredibly deep and momentous love and loss, some of that still exists in the poetry I write now, (5 years after Stephen’s death) but my strongest reason for wanting to get published was to share what I felt and had gone through with other dealing with a similar loss. So my definition of the success of self-publishing will be different than other people. I feel my self publishing was a complete success and expect it to continue to be…that said I have not sold tons of copies and dont really expect to have sales pick up much until I can afford to get the ISBN and get them listed through Amazon.com. Even then my success was determined the first time one person went to the lulu.com store front and ordered the book. I would love to reach more yes but I already feel I have been a success.

     

    There are of course real issues with self-publishing. Mainstream publisher rarely want to take on a book that has been published else where. Some times they will but it is rare. You will often put your own money and effort into getting a book to the marketplace (rather than the publisher’s money) obviously if you are going to do book talks/signings those are also going to be paid for by you rather than the publisher. In addition many times book store will not stock self-published books as they can not return the unsold copies (or covers) (if you read the small note on the inside of your paperback you will find that note about purchsing the book without a cover…book store can return the covers and receive credit for those books not sold) Since self publishers like lulu.com don’t stock or warehouse the books (they are a print on demand self publisher) they do not have a policy where the books can be returned. I suppose if you work something out with a local or regional book seller you could get them to stock the book if you agreed to accept returns when they decided it was not selling but it would be doubtful. However once the ISBN has been aquired and the book is available through Amazon.com the dynamics of your ability to market the book succesfully may be slightly different. Again it will all depend on the time, effort and finances you can give to the project. I am a full time employee and a mom of a 20 year old son, my writing and a quilt I am working on are my “projects” when I am not completely exhausted with life, my house and everything thing else that comes at one in a day so I dont have a lot extra to devote to it but it receives what I can give. I have thought about submitting some of my poetry for publication in magazines, etc but even the work involved with that is beyond me at this point. rgiht now I want to write and edit and not worry about rejections or acceptance, that is why self-publishing works for me.

  • I think of you

    I think of you
    Your laugh, your smile
    The path we walked
    A little while

    I think of you
    Can’t help but miss
    The tender heart
    That brought me bliss

    I think of you
    Both joy and pain
    What I would do
    To have again

    I think of you
    So far away
    But here with me
    Your love will stay

    I think of you
    In moments of
    The saddest ache
    Undying love

    I think of you
    My spirit lifts
    You were to me
    A blessed gift

    I think of you
    The love entwined
    My soul to dance
    your hand in mine

    I think of you
    Eternal song
    Within me now
    You keep me strong

    I think of you
    Each day and night
    You are my truth
    My guiding light

    Margot Hill
    26Jun06

  • They wait for me


    There in the distance
    They wait for me
    Under the blooms
    of the dogwood tree


    Across the meadows
    Across the lake
    Across the moors
    That journey I’ll take


    There they wait
    With faith from above
    Some day I’ll join them
    With endless love


    Margot Hill
    22Jun06

  • A poem for Terry


    I lost a friend


    I lost a friend
    A piece of my soul
    His loving heart
    Made my world whole


    My broken world
    He gathered tender
    And to his smile
    I did surrender


    His laughter and
    His loving grace
    A shining light
    In the shadow place


    I lost a friend
    I lost my words
    My soul cries soft
    Unheld, unheard


    Margot Hill
    22Jun06

  • Two poems written at lunch…hopefully posted when I get home.

  • A moment of thought

    A moment of thought
    A moment of prayer
    I listen so softly
    And I hear you there

    You come in the quiet
    To strengthen my soul
    You whisper inside me
    And I am made whole

    Each day that I walk
    My heart feels your hand
    Each morning as I rise
    You help me to stand

    A moment of thought
    A soft morning start
    You come in the quiet
    A blessing of heart

    Margot Hill
    24May06


  • I woke up this morning


    I woke up this morning
    with you inside my head
    Sometime I can not fathom
    How it is that you are dead


    I’ve touched that reality
    Lived knowing it is true
    My heart just keeps on beating
    With love so strong for you


    I woke up this morning
    I feel you deep inside
    Together we are walking
    Where blessed souls abide


    Margot Hill
    08May06


  • You never heard me cry

     

    You never heard me cry
    In the quiet of the night
    But I’ll never stop crying
    About you

    My heart can hardly stand
    The knowledge that I have
    The pain and confusion
    You went through

    The only thing that helps
    When I feel the tears inside
    Is to reach out once more
    And touch your love

    I can feel it deep inside
    And I find the spark of peace
    When that love showers me
    From high above


     

    05May06

    Margot Hill