Lotus Ink Newsletter #4
January 18, 2003

Notes from the Ink of the Lotus Blossom
Trust your perception. Tune into yourself. Listen to your intuition.

What's this newsletter all about?
Readers are those who describe themselves as creative. Its content is an investigation of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and psychological blocks to creativity, productivity, and self-esteem, as well explorations of the various "block-busters."

It will also let you know where I'll be giving book readings, lectures, or workshops on Skullduggery or my talks on how to unleash more creativity in your life.

Feel free to pass this newsletter along to a friend.

What's in this issue?
How we sacrifice our creativity for someone else--stop it!

Skullduggery received an !!!! Exceptional rating from Today's Books

Excerpt from Writer's Room interview of Silvia Foti

Upcoming book signings of Skullduggery

Unleash Your Creativity lecture and workshop

Please don't hide your creativity anymore!

As double-life creatives, many of us tend to hide our creative side, as if it's a sinister aspect that we're ashamed to talk about.

We separate the two sides with a shield of lead so that neither can seep into the other life. Sometimes, we might even go out of our way to keep our creative side a secret from our friends, parents, or even spouse. Perhaps we're afraid of too-polite laughter, or worse, a sneering remark.

One of the most sinister, yet common reasons to hide one's creativity is to do it as a sacrifice to save someone else.

Let me tell you a story to illustrate this very weird, but all-to-real point. One of my friends is a psychologist in a Latin country. About ten years ago, she was in therapy with an older male psychologist who she held in high regard.

She was explaining to him some problems in her marriage and some of the imbalance in her relationship with her husband.

The elderly, respected psychologist told my very impressionable friend, "Tone down. Don't overshadow your husband so much. That's why he's afraid to come out. He can't compete with you."

As she told me her story with tears in her eyes, I felt anger rise from my belly to my throat at the injustice of her having to hide her light under a bushel in the hopes that she could inspire her husband to shine his.

The twisted thinking was that if she shuts off her light of creativity, there will be more darkness for her husband's light to be noticed.

"And please don't tell me you actually listened to that nonsense!" I screamed at her, pulling at my hair.

She took a quick breath. "I did."

"And?"

"And my husband never really motivated himself to go any further anyway."

Slowly I asked, "And what about you?"

She looked down at her hands. "I toned myself down...and...now....I feel like I just wasted ten years of my life."

"Oh, how horrible!" I said, wringing my hands.

Predictably, her creativity withered and her husband's did not blossom. Granted, this "expert" advice came from a male chauvinist in a developing Latin country, but it's just as scary that my otherwise accomplished and sensible friend listened to him.

Please don't let this happen to you. Don't go out of your way to hide your creativity for anyone's sake. It won't make a difference to that person anyway.

The only one who will be deeply hurt by your grand, needless sacrifice is you. Your creative side will whither if you don't nurture it, talk to it, or pay attention to it.

My friend? She's now a creativity coach working on her first book. And yes, she's still married to the same guy, and they have three lovely children. (Don't ask.)

Unadulteratedly Yours,
Madame Foti

Today's Books Rates Skullduggery Exceptional

Last week, I received a wonderful notice in the mail from my publisher--a copy from Today's Books Best Reads, a public news service report for the news media on the book publishing industry.

They deemed Skullduggery to be in the top ten percent of books published in America during the year. According to them, Skullduggery is considered one of the most reviewable new books that should be of interest to the news media in terms of criticism and reportage.

Excerpt from Writers Room interview of Silvia Foti
The entire interview can be seen here: http://writersroom2.tripod.com/reviewsilviafoti.htm

It's quite long, but here's an excerpt...

Tell us about the type of books you write and how you got started writing them.

I've written my first mystery novel, which ended up getting published. I've always wanted to be a writer. For the past 15 years, I've been a journalist, but always dreamed of doing fiction. I chose mystery because I thought it would be easy (hah!) Ten years later, my book is out, and now I know how to eat my words.

Tell us your publishing story and who your publisher is.

I started writing Skullduggery about 10 years ago, thinking as a journalist, that I should be able to crank out a fictional novel in no time. About five years later, after writing myself into a corner, I realized I needed help, and enlisted myself into the Writer's Digest home correspondence program.

I got hooked up with a New York Times bestselling author Robert Gover, and he became my mentor. He was very encouraging, which to me, helped the most. He'd argue that he taught me how to write a beginning, a middle, and an end though, but this is the old Venus vs. Mars dialogue. I consider him the godfather of Skullduggery.

After my book was finally finished, he recommended me to his publisher of the moment, which was Creative Arts Book Company in Berkeley, California. Within two weeks, they had accepted my manuscript for publication, and those two weeks were the only whirlwind aspect of this whole process. Everything else has been very slow, as in paint can chip faster than my publishing process.

Let's talk plotting, characters, pacing, beginnings and ends.

Well, in my early draft of Skullduggery, I had killed the mayor of Chicago in the middle of the book. Then when I really started to study the structure of mysteries, I realized, dang, the dead body must appear much sooner.

Then I killed him in the first chapter, but my mentor convinced me to kill him in the first paragraph to attract the critical mystery editor's attention. And so, after many revisions, the first line of my book reads, "I was on my back with the Chicago mayor sprawled on top of me."

Leave us with some mysterious words of wisdom.

Crystal Skull, a character in my book, would say, "Persevere. It is possible. In this space and time."

Upcoming Skullduggery Signings
Saturday, January 25, 2 p.m.: Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 S. Madison St., Forest Park (Discussion & signing)

Friday-Sunday, February 7-9: Love Is Murder Conference, Oakbrook Marriott Hotel (I'll be on two panels.)

Saturday, February 15, 3 p.m.: Barnes & Noble, 1441 W. Webster (Discussion & signing)

Upcoming Creativity Lectures/Workshops:

Monday, March 3, Noon, St. Xavier University
Meet the Author
How to Unleash Your Creativity

6-Week Workshop on Creativity
North Lakeside Cultural Center
6219 N. Sheridan Road
(This place has a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan!)
Call (733) 743-4477 to reserve your spot now.

Book Readings & Workshops
Contact me at lotusink@aol.com for hosting a book reading on Skullduggery at your favorite bookstore or book club, and for doing a lecture or workshop on unleashing your creativity.

Story ideas and letters to the editor
Do you have a question or issue on creativity you'd like Lotus Ink to investigate? Wondering what experts or other lay creatives have to say about a question that's on your mind?

Send your story idea to lotusink@aol.com

Feel Free to pass the Lotus Ink Newsletter along to a friend.

Bloom Like the Lotus