Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "memoirs"

With a little help from my friends!

Fellow Indie Fab author, Joanne Van Leerdam, made the suggestion. It was “huzzahed” by the other Fab authors: Lyra Shanti, Aliya DalRae, JB Richards, and R.M. Gauthier.

That suggestion? Compile all 100 of my Sixties Memoirs into an eBook!

This turned out to be an offer I couldn’t refuse because I see this project as passing on a legacy of family memories to my grandnephew who lives on the opposite west coast. My sister, his grandmother, is also keen on the idea because her grandson enjoys listening to her relate stories about her childhood. The collection will enable him to get a glimpse of a maternal great grandfather he never met. The endeavor of dredging dormant memories of my childhood and adolescence enabled me to relive the past and celebrate the spirit of my father who passed from this life too soon.

The beginning:

After the publication of my first Contemporary Women’s Fiction novel 'Underlying Notes' (2007), I sought ways to market and promote it. Because there are elements of the Sixties scattered throughout, I composed and submitted a Memoir to
'The Sixties Official Site.' Webmaster, Carl Hoffman, graciously suggested I become a regular contributor, offering me a featured page on the site. I did just that, and cruised along writing ninety-nine more, along with numerous Retro Flashbacks.

http://the60sofficialsite.com/The-Six...

My first Memoir—"A Mini Tribute to Twiggy"

Twiggy allowed me to become a trendsetter my freshman year of high school. "The Face of 66"—that’s what London's Daily Express called Leslie Hornby (Twiggy) at the age of 16. Skinny, waiflike, hair chopped into a boyish cut, the modish ingénue became the world's first supermodel, and at the same time, my heroic icon.

Twiggy allowed me to become a trendsetter my freshman year of high school. While most of my teen peers were ironing their long hair straight after the Beatles made landfall in America, it became Greaser passé for me to backcomb or rat tease my hair to dizzying heights. While most girls my age developed curves and began to veer into the fast lane, I was rake thin and bookish. Kids in my homeroom affectionately called me "Skinny Bones" or "The Brain."

Twiggy's debut on the model runway put everything in perspective for me. Suddenly, I transformed into one of the cutest kids in ninth grade sporting my new chic Vidal Sassoon haircut with a peek-a-boo wave, and showing off my fawn legs in fishnet stockings as I sashayed down the classroom aisles in miniskirts.

Today, Twiggy Lawson still offers us Sixties Chicks inspiration with her ethereal beauty, chic manner of dress, and super achievements through acting and singing. Twiggy herself is quoted as saying, "The Sixties were a time when ordinary people could do extraordinary things."

Working in earnest to get these Memoirs road ready for eBook publication, I’ve rounded up 41 thus far. Huzzah!

Rise!

Ever since I embarked on a writing career shortly after I retired from teaching, I’ve been winging it in my attempt to rise above the ashes of obscurity and gain readership. A published author who prefers to compose novels in the genre of Contemporary Women’s Fiction, I’ve spread my write wings across a span of wide latitude.

You’re cordially invited to take in an aerial view of my diversity by landing on my page at Authors Den: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

***
A newly published author in 2008, I prioritized increasing my visibility, while adding to my credibility, by binge-writing. Having grown up during the Sixties, I drew upon those experiences to write my first memoir, “A Mini Tribute to Twiggy,” and submitted it for publication at 'The Sixties Official Site'. When the webmaster graciously invited me to write more, and offered to set up my own page there, I eagerly accepted and turned out a memoir every week for approximately two years, contributing 100 in total. Give or take a few—edited, revised, and organized according to my logic of progression, I incorporated these memoirs into a collection, '100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s' (2017).

During that same juncture in time, I took the Sixties under my wing even further by writing and publishing 30 “Retro 60s Flashbacks,” encompassing a variety of topics: sitcom moms and dads; plastic flamingos, trolls; Mary Poppins; westerns; cartoons; bikinis; extinct jobs; airline attendants…

Circling within my native state of Rhode Island, the signature setting for my novels, I write winged 40 essays, each prefaced with “Rhode Read,” commemorating various historic landmarks, geographic locations, or regional icons: Coffee milk; Del’s Lemonade; Haven Brothers Mobile Diner; clams casino; WaterFire; Slater Mill; Tennis Hall of Fame; Big Nazo puppets…

My write wings recently flew me over the rainbow when I composed the novella, “Mr. Wizardo,” for a co-authored anthology of reimagined fairy tales, 'Once Upon a Fabulous Time' (2017):

(Baxter Springs, Kansas) – A twist of fate! Ten years after graduating from Franklin High, four troubled individuals indebted to their guidance counselor, Oscar Wizardo, wend their way back home to attend his funeral. Grappling with their demons, dilemmas, and despair—Doreen Gale, Scott Crowe, Lyle Forrest, and Tim Woodman follow that figurative yellow brick road, walking a fine line between realism and magic. Discover what destiny holds in store for each of them.

Still flapping my write wings to soar above the clouds, I publish a weekly blog pertaining to my life as an Indie, each week without fail—Eva’s Bytes. I continue to write the occasional modern-day memoir about daily occurrences worth preserving.

No matter what our pursuit or pleasure—may each of us fly like an eagle, carried afar by an indomitable spirit.

I found a dream, that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own

(“At Last” by Etta James – Released: 1960)

At this point in time I received an email from Carl Hoffman, the founder and webmaster of The Sixties Official Site, now celebrating 16 years on the web. He wrote to let me know there was a dedication to me on April’s Soundtrack of the 60s with Neal Stevens. Sure enough, the dedication accompanied the same song I’d requested, probably ten years ago, when Carl asked for the members to contribute the title of their favorite song for a Neal Stevens soundtrack composite.

“At Last” by Etta James…

From the Prologue of my nonfiction memoir collection, 100 Wild Mushrooms: Memoirs of the ‘60s, which bespeaks of one dream I can call my own:

A newly published author in 2008, I prioritized increasing my visibility, while adding to my credibility, by binge-writing my way out of obscurity. Having grown up during the Sixties, I drew upon those experiences to write my first memoir, “A Mini Tribute to Twiggy,” and submitted it for publication at The Sixties Official Site. When the webmaster graciously invited me to write more, and offered to set up my own page there, I eagerly accepted and turned out a memoir every week for approximately two years, contributing 100 in total…

In the here and now, I still cherish the honor of being an integral part of the “Baby Boomer’s Top Choice Sixties Website” via a page where my Retro ‘60s Flashbacks continue to flash.

http://www.the60sofficialsite.com/

*May the fruition of our dreams lead to fulfillment.

My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w