Welcome to another post in my series about published writers who help other writers.
Click here to access my series about writers who blog about writing.
Carol Bodensteiner is a writer who finds inspiration in the places, people, culture and history of the Midwest.
After a successful career in public relations consulting (she is professionally accredited by the Public Relations Society of America in 1985 and spent 23 years as public relations advisor), Carol turned to creative writing. She blogs about writing, her prairie, gardening, and whatever in life interests her at the moment. She published a memoir GROWING UP COUNTRY: MEMORIES OF AN IOWA FARM GIRL in 2008. Her debut novel GO AWAY HOME was published in July, 2014.
GO AWAY HOME is the story of a young woman’s quest for independence and the right to decide her own future. A family scandal closely followed by tragedy ties Liddie Treadway ever more tightly to the family farm she yearns to escape. When she is finally free of her old life, she seems for a moment to have it all — the opportunity for global travel, unlimited adventures, and new passions. But the reappearance of an old friend leads her to question her choices and her future. Set in pre-World War One Iowa, GO AWAY HOME is the timeless story of the fragility of what seems secure and stable and the discovery of what a woman’s heart truly wants.
Carol has recently blogged about pertinent book marketing topics helpful to writers, including:
Indie Authors will want to check out her resources page.
Thank you, Carol, for sharing your expertise, and I wish great success with your novel launch. You prove my theory that the Midwest is not just a vast empty space to fly over on the way to the other coast; it’s where the very nicest people spend a good part, or even all, of their meaningful, passionate lives.
What do you think of, when you hear the word Midwest?
Sounds like an interesting book Tracy!
Diana xo
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, and write. I’m working on a novel set in WWII, but I really enjoy reading WWI history.
I can’t wait to read it Tracy! I like historical fiction too and I’m a huge fan of ancient fiction!
Diana xo
Midwest makes me think of home and family 🙂 I can easily see how Carol drew inspiration for both of her books after growing up in the heartland!
I’m with you, Heather. Midwest = home and family. 🙂
Thanks for introducing us to Carol, Tracy. If I were strolling through the bookstore and spied her book, I’d snatch it up in a second. That cover is so beautiful! Of course, once I read the back cover, the book would be on it’s way home with me. Since I own a Kindle, I’ll be heading over to Amazon.
In answer to your question, Tracy, when I think of the Midwest, I think of strong values and neighbors who speak to each other.
Thank you, dear Jill, for being such a faithful friend.
I agree, the cover is beautiful, and the story is, too. I hope you enjoy it.
You’re so right. about the neighbors who speak to each other. That’s definitely a midwestern trait.
I read very little fiction yet historical fiction is a genre that I love.
Thanks for the introduction to this author.
I look forward to your own novel. Let us know when it is finished 🙂
I used to read just about anything, but I’ve narrowed down to historical fiction, memoir/biography, and cookbooks.
I’ll definitely let you know when I’m finished with the novel. I’ll be working on it in a concentrated way this winter and hope to finish it by springtime.
Thank you, Carol, for specific and helpful advice. Your memoir and your novel both sound fascinating. And thank you, Tracy, for providing another terrific informational post.
You’re welcome, Marylin. Thanks for checking out my blog and my books. You’ll see that my blog is eclectic, which keeps it interesting for me. I hope for readers, too.
My pleasure, Marylin. It’s midwestern to be nice and helpful! 😉
Very nice post, Tracy. Someone once told me that Ohio wasn’t the Midwest, it was the East. I took offense at that.
There’s quite a bit of confusion about which states are, and are not in the midwest. I had a professor once (A professor!) who would point to Utah/Nevada/Arizona on a map and say, “in the midwest….”
I never corrected her because I had already learned that if you want an A, you don’t contradict the Professor.
When I hear the word midwest I automatically think of golden fields, hard working people, and strong family ties. Thanks for the interesting links for indie authors. I’ll have to check out those resources.
That’s part of the midwest, for sure.
I hope the resources are useful for you. Thanks for stopping by!
Tracy, Thanks for sharing my blog and my novel Go Away Home with your readers. We Midwesterners welcome a lot of folks into the fold. Definitely Ohio, though Arizona, Nevada & Utah would really be a stretch. My sister who lives in Arizona would laugh at the idea.
Hi, Carol — Somehow I missed this one. I think my professor was confused about the difference between southwest and midwest.
Hi Tracy! At last getting the chance to visit you! It seems to have taken me ages to get going after our time away and it wasn’t even for that long!
Thank you for introducing Carol to us, and for the links. I love the look of her novel and from what you’ve shared here, I’m hooked. I love this kind of ‘Americana’ fiction. Darn it, I still don’t have a Kindle but my birthday is approaching so I’m ever hopeful…so many books waiting to be read. I’ve put strong enough hints out to my family… 😉
I’ve never visited the Mid Western USA but my thoughts of it are that it is filled with vast plains of corn and wheat fields and farmland dotted with small communities where people are friendly and neighborly and look out for one another. Heartland?
Heading over to Carol now… 🙂
Well, you do have a good idea of the midwest, even though you’ve never visited it.
I’m interested in how you formed that image — movies, books, news, gossip?
When I read your question, this is what popped into my head right away as just the image I’ve always had of the mid west. Now that you ask where it came from I have to say probably from reading the Little House on the Prairie books primarily. I can’t think where else it would come from having never visited or know anyone who lives there. Must be from watching programmes on TV & movies too but can’t think which ones specifically. Although I do think of the Waltons?
I’m glad you have such positive images of the Midwest, Sherri. The Midwest does have vast expanses of corn, complemented by wheat in the western regions and soybeans in the center, east and south. We’re not known as the breadbasket of the country for nothing.
But we’re also much more – beautiful, livable cities attract visitors who become life-long residents; arts that are plentiful, high quality and accessible; recreation right outside your door on hundreds of miles of bike and water trails.
I hope you’ll visit the Midwest. The heartland will welcome you with open arms.
Hi Carol! You paint an idyllic picture of Heartland America – oh for all those bike and water trails! – in all respects. If my image of the Midwest was positive before then it is one of perfection by now 🙂 There is so much of America that I haven’t experienced. I lived in California for almost 20 years and have travelled through a few other States on both the west and east coasts but my dream is to take a road trip across America and visiting the Midwest is a big part of that dream. When I do, I thank you in advance for such a warm, open-armed welcome 🙂
When you take that road trip, Sherri, the sheer vastness of it it all will blow your mind!
I dream Tracy, I dream 🙂
My advice when you visit is to get off the Interstates. Of course that’s my advice to anyone traveling anywhere!
Love! I’m going to try to figure out how to tweet this. You’ve so right!
Duly noted, thanks Carol! I say the same to visitors to the UK. Yes, London is great and well worth a visit but I tell them make sure to visit the countryside and get out of the cities into the small towns and villages if possible.
Oh I wish I could head out your way right now…roll on American Road Trip 😀
The book sounds great, and I love the cover, Carol! I hope you’re selling lots of books!
I, too, hope her book is selling well! She deserves to be read.
I’m so glad you like the cover. I do, too. My designer Jenny Quinlan was fantastic to work with and her design really captured the soul of Go Away Home.
I enjoyed this introduction and the subject matter really grabs and catches my attention. I think historical fiction is one of the most interesting ways to help us learn about the past, the people and culture. I do pick up books at the library but usually don’t purchase them, I am given books, so I hope to suggest this one to the ‘giver’ of books, in my life. We will see! Good luck to Carol B. and also, thanks to Tracy!
I like reading historical fiction for the same reasons you do, R.
I’m a big library user, too. I’ve found that when I suggest to my local library that they purchase a book; most of the time, they do.
Oh, such a great idea, Tracy! This will make it better, when my co-blogging, fellow friends are writers, I can mention that they may have their books on our district library’s shelves… Thanks for this one! smiles, Robin
I’m a big library user myself. And as an author, I support libraries, too. They buy my books and they invite me to speak. Great visibility.
R – I hope the book giver in your life likes the idea of Go Away Home 😉