Gale Leach -- Author
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Gale's Author Blog

Here you'll find news and notes about my writing and events, as well as articles you may find of interest. For a taste of something more personal, click "Leach Lines" below.

Leach Lines

Gale Leach & Two Cats Press: A 2015 Retrospective

1/5/2016

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"When you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!'
Then get busy and find out how to do it."

— Theodore Roosevelt

Happy 2016! I hope you're looking forward to the unfolding of this new year as much as I am. 

     2015 was a year of doing. Not as much writing as I'd have liked, but many events. For those who might have missed some of them on Facebook or my blog posts over the year, here's a recap of what took place.
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     In February, I was the first guest interviewed by Chris Allen, founder of a new online podcast called "The Pickleball Show." I felt honored that he selected me, and I enjoyed being part of this new format. The show has grown to over 40 episodes containing great information about all aspects of the sport. Click here if you'd like to listen to my podcast. Sales of The Art of Pickleball continue to be good—for a while, it jumped up in rank on Amazon.com and was a bestseller! I owe some of that success to things like this podcast, but most of it is due to you, my readers, who tell others about the book.

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     In March, Richard and I headed south with our animals (two dogs and three cats) so I could sell books at the Tucson Book Festival with YA author Ann I. Goldfarb and kids' author M.J. Evans. The festival was marred by gale-force winds that made it difficult to display anything (books kept blowing open or away), and I came down with the flu. My partners carried on without me (thanks again, friends) who sold books for me while I was gone.

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     In April, a revised Bruce and the Road to Courage received the OneBookAZ Award for Children's Books. Winning this award has opened doors in ways I'd never imagined. Thanks to the Arizona State Library and ONEBOOKAZ.org for all they do to help encourage reading within the state. Part of the award was the opportunity to travel to libraries and schools throughout Arizona (Yuma, Prescott Valley, Sedona, Cottonwood, Morenci, Chandler, and Red Mountain Community College), where I spoke to kids and adults about writing, my books, and what it's like to be an author and self-publisher. It was a busy couple of months! You can read my full post about receiving the award here.

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     June brought me to Berkeley, California, to the first annual Bay Area Book Festival. Located on and around the site of the old "People's Park," I was reminded of my days there as an undergrad in the early '70s (after the unrest was more-or-less over). Book sales were good and I got to see my two grandsons and other family members still in the Bay Area and enjoyed a bit of a vacation when the festival was finished.

     Throughout the year, I also helped others with their books, doing editing, typesetting, and/or publishing for author friends with deserving books. 

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Eveline Horelle Dailey's novel, The Drum Made from the Skin of My Sisters, is a fictional account based in truth about two young girls from Iran and Afghan-istan who are saved from horrible deaths and brought to the USA, where they reside with a recently widowed French ex-patriate who eventually adopts them. Read more here.

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Rita Toma's first young adult novel,  David's Ghost, deals with a teenage girl who struggles with her ability to see ghosts. David is the most recent, asking Megan to find out who murdered him. Struggling to be accepted in a new town and a new school, Megan wants anything except to be talking to ghosts no one else can see. More info . . .

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Ellen Buikema's first chapter book for chil-dren was just published and is receiving great reviews. I edited the text and typeset the pages, which included artwork by my daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Engel. Charlie learns life lessons about moving to a new town and school, making new friends, and dealing with life's ups and downs. His pet fish, Frankie, is particularly lovable. If you are looking for a gift for young readers (grades 0–3), The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon: New Beginnings might be just right. Learn more here.

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Soon to be published, Joyce Sorensen's first book is a memoir about her life with her husband, Dick and is written in his memory. They met at age 15, married at 19, struggled with dysfunc-tional families, Dick's deployment to Korea, and eventually Alzheimer's, which took Dick to his own world, leaving Joyce alone. In a rare, serendipitous moment, lucidity returns, and they again share the great love that was the hallmark of their life together.
Release date: February 14, 2016, from Two Cats Press.


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     August brought an interview for the magazine Story Monsters Ink--a fine and free magazine for kids and parents published here in Arizona by Five Star Publications. I was so pleased they chose to chat with me about my Bruce and Friends series of books. I enjoyed the interview and talking about how I came up with ideas, my writing process, and more. (Authors like to talk. :-) ) You can read the interview here.

     October brought more book sales at Sun City Grand's Oktoberfest, an annual event held at the community where I used to live (and a hop and skip from where I am now). It's always great to get back there and see my friends.

     Later in October, Richard and I again packed up the animals into the RV and headed to Glendora, California. It was there, several years ago, that a wonderful teacher asked me to visit her classroom and speak with the students who were reading Courage. I jumped at the chance—my first time talking with students—and enjoyed each minute. It's hard to describe the joy of having children tell you they love you and your books, or that you're their favorite author. 
     This year, the visit expanded to four schools and nineteen classrooms over a week and a half. I loved every moment, and I look forward to doing it again in 2016!
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     I was also pleased to again visit Glen L. Downs school in Phoenix. Librarian and author Constance Escobar gave me space in the library and nearly all grades from 2 through 8 visited during the day so we could chat about writing and publishing. I was surprised how many of the students expressed an interest in writing (no doubt thanks to Connie's encouragement).

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     Attending the Phoenix Comicon Fanfest for the first time in December was a highlight of the year. Ann Goldfarb and I again shared a booth and we had good book sales—but we would go back again just to see the wonderful costumes and the great stuff they had for sale. We now have our names on the waiting list for a table at the summer Comicon, which is even bigger and better.

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     Beyond that, two of my short stories were published in the annual anthology of work from the West Valley Writers Workshop (called Inkslingers 2015: Doorway to Discovery), and Two Cats Press published that anthology when it was complete. I also moderated a critique group with ten other writers that met bi-monthly throughout the year.

​​​     2015 was busy, indeed. Despite that, I managed to amass 130,000 words so far in the first draft of my new epic fantasy novel for young adults called The Rift. A few more chapters and that draft should be complete—then on to editing and polishing. While I'd hoped book one of The Rift would be finished sooner, I vow you'll see it this year. I've also promised the students that I'll complete book five in the Bruce and Friends series (Bruce and the Road to Freedom).

     I hope you had a great 2015 and that 2016 will bring more joys and successes to all of us. Thanks for taking this journey with me!

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Posted in Pickleball Tips:                                                                                 Continuing the Success Story:                                                    

9/29/2015

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​Last week, I met with Jim Harris, president of the pickleball club in the active adult resort known as Trilogy at Vistancia. Located northwest of Phoenix, Arizona, it is a beautiful community that is still growing.
PictureJim Harris, President
A few years ago, resident Mike Pagliarulo and a group of pickleball enthusiasts were playing on taped, temporary courts. After much work, they succeeded in convincing the community HOA and the builder, Shea Homes, to build four new pickleball courts which became a reality in December of 2013.

The adage, “if you build it, they will come,” is true in Vistancia. Suddenly the new courts were full of players, and the club continued to grow.   Read more at Pickleball Tips.

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My editor wants to know where the %@&# book is. 

9/13/2015

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I know I'm getting older when I hear myself saying things my mother and grandmother said years ago. One of them was that time goes faster the older you get. (They also said that getting older wasn't for sissies, but that's a whole 'nother subject.) It's not true—time passes at the same rate—but with the expectation of many years ahead, getting things done quickly isn't a priority. Now that "the days fly by like wild horses over the hills" (in the words of Charles Bukowski, one of my favorite poets), I'm sometimes struck by how little I seem to have written, despite the fact that it's September. 

Last year at this time, I began telling people about the new book I was working on. "A young adult fantasy novel," I said, "which is going very well so far." I'm still writing that book, and it's still going well—just more slowly than I expected. In part, that's because I chose to take on other projects. Between last September and this, I've published two other authors' novels and an new anthology of stories (you can learn about these at www.TwoCatsPress.com), traveled to numerous Arizona libraries as the ONEBOOKAZ kids' book winner, talked with students at schools in Arizona and California, attended several book fairs, spoke to pickleball clubs, and got settled in the new house. That doesn't cover visits to family in California, getting back into pickleball (finally), and—well, the list goes on. 

When I wasn't doing all that, though, the writing continued. Book one of The Rift has grown into a true epic fantasy. I've written over a hundred thousand words, and I'm not done with the first draft. (The book will have to be published in two parts to afford the printing). I've diligently brought chapters to my Sunday critique group, and they tell me they love it, so hopefully you will, too—if we all live long enough. :-)

My editor wrote me a message the other day that read, "Okay, I'm hanging.  Able to pick up my editing pencil anytime if you still want me to." He's very patient. I hope you are, too. 

Before I go, I need to say I'm looking forward to this year's trip to Glendora, California, where I will be visiting at least three schools and meeting new students and their teachers! Many of the classes are reading Bruce and the Road to Courage now, so they should be finished, or nearly so, by the time I arrive at the end of October and the first week of November. It's always an exciting time, and one I love dearly. I can't wait. 
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"The Cat in the Tractor," "Back to Berzerkley," "You're Using Rice for What?" and Other Stories

6/14/2015

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Back at the start of 2015, I signed up for a booth at the new, first-annual Bay Area Book Festival to be held in downtown Berkeley, CA (home of my college alma mater). You never know how new festivals will be. I attended one in Albuquerque a few years before, where I sold one or two books over both weekend days (!). That certainly made the 8-1/2-hour drive (each way) and the overnights in the hotel worthwhile, don't you think? Anyway, I crossed my fingers, mailed my check, and found two writer friends to share the space and costs.
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This festival looked promising on several counts: beyond the hope for great sales, I still have family and friends there to visit, including two grandbabies whom I'd not seen in about six months. I arranged to stay with my son, Morgan, and his wife, saving money and providing family time. 

My husband, Richard, said he'd take our dogs and cats in the RV to Joshua Tree, CA, while I was gone and spend some time with our other son. I suggested we leave a week early and drive in tandem so that we could spend a week there together before I traveled north. My plan was to leave there a few days before the festival and spend those days with my daughter-in-law, Cyndie, who lives near Davis, CA, while she attends veterinary graduate school. It sounded like a good plan. Off we went. 

The first week was fine. We didn't see a lot of Scott, as he worked long hours, but what time we had together was nice. During that week, though, one of our cats, Rigel, developed a worsening of an allergic reaction he'd had (to what, we don't know). His nose and ears developed itchy scabs that made him very uncomfortable. I spoke to Cyndie, who suggested I bring Rigel with me so she could look him over. 

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I headed north, got to Cyndie's, and the following Monday took Rigel to the practicing vet to get a second opinion. Allergies, he concurred, and gave him some pills. All was well during the day—Cyndie and I even got in a hike—but I didn't know there was a loose screen on one of Cyndie's sliding doors. Her cats are used to staying in at night and don't like to go out. Rigel, on the other hand, took this opening as carte blanche to have a night's fun.

Our guess is that something scared him and he ran off. When I checked on his whereabouts inside—no cat. We spent the rest of the evening searching, and I was up again at first light. The day passed. No Rigel. I contacted the rescue site associated with his microchip, and they alerted local vets, hospitals, and rescues. I put up posters. About halfway through the day, my phone alerted me that I'd met my fitness goal of 10,000 steps. Great for my health, but still no Rigel.

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When it began to get dark again, I lost my composure and was sure he'd been taken by a hawk or a coyote. When it was completely dark, I prayed and asked friends and family on Facebook to do the same. The next morning, I was out again at daybreak, but Rigel didn't show up or answer my calls. I'd just gone out again around 10 a.m., when a neighbor came to the door with a cat carrier and Rigel inside. She said she'd seen him earlier, but he wouldn't come out from where he was hiding in their tractor. Finally, Rigel's fear was overwhelmed by the smell of food. I showered him (and her) with hugs and sequestered him in a bedroom, only letting him out when we were positive all the doors and windows were closed. I spent a lot of time holding him, and he clung to me like a second skin.

After part of the next day at Cyndie's, I left Rigel with her as planned and drove to to Oakland, where I would stay with my son, Morgan, and his family during and after the Book Festival. I didn't want to leave the cat behind, but Morgan is allergic, and it wouldn't have been right to inflict that on him. Besides, Rigel was well cared for where he was. 

We had arranged to set up our booth early on Friday afternoon, but we arrived to find a tent with no tables. Turns out the rental company didn't have enough trucks to bring tents and tables at once and they weren't coming until evening. We left and decided to get there early on Saturday to set up. Time with the grandchildren that night was heaven, and I looked forward to a good first festival event the next day, despite the glitch in the afternoon.
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On Saturday morning, the tables were there and setup went smoothly. What I (nor my booth mates, who were from Colorado) hadn't counted on was the cold weather that day in Berkeley. It was foggy until nearly 2 pm (and living in Arizona, I don't even know what fog is anymore). It barely got over 60°F all day, and the wind blew the fog around in gusts. We made some sales, but a lot of the time we spent shivering, wishing we'd brought gloves, hats, and long woolies.

Berkeley is as crazy as I remembered it—perhaps even more so. Our booth was located in the old People's Park, now renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. I missed most of the large goings-on when I attended Berkeley in the early 70s. The worst event during my time was a garbage strike and one small riot, cause unknown. Peace and love were still very much in fashion then, and that seems to have come full circle today, so I felt both in and out of place at the same time.

The  next day, I arrived with numerous coats, so the weather was beautiful. Many more people came that day, whether due to the better weather or the fact that they learned of it from attendees the previous day. All in all, a productive weekend, although it's tough work trying to explain to parents over and over again why your books more special than the ones down the line. Part of the success at shows like this is salesmanship, and I count myself lucky to have worked in my mom's gift shop for many years an eon ago.
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I was able to spend time with Morgan and his family in the evenings during the weekend and then all day Monday with Eli and the kids. Charlie is almost 2-1/2 and is in love with letters and sounding out words. Blocks were also big. Malcolm at nearly 7 months is the happiest baby I've seen, and it was a joy to be with them both. The entire family got together on Saturday night, and we had great fun catching up with the help of some bottles of good wine. 

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On Tuesday, I realized I wanted to leave early in order to avoid having to drive nonstop for 8-1/2 hours to Scott's house and then drive home again the following day. I packed up and headed back to Cyndie's to collect Rigel and head south, only to get a text saying I'd forgotten my laptop in Oakland (and my wits evidently somewhere else). I grabbed Rigel, headed back to Oakland for the computer, and then hit the then beginning rush-hour traffic I'd left early to avoid. Still, I made it through and kept going.

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Along the way, however, I developed an awful cramp in my right foot. I was using cruise control, but even doing nothing, my foot continued to hurt. I called Richard hoping he could find a decent place for me to stay the night that wasn't too far from the highway. He suggested Kettleman City, and I set my nav to get me there. Before I could check in to the motel, though, I had to find a pan and some kitty litter, which I'd forgotten to think about in my haste to depart. Near the freeway, Kettleman City is nothing but a group of motels, restaurants, fast food establishments, and gas stations. A check with all four gas stations proved fruitless, and they suggested I drive to Kettleman City proper. There I found one market (see above, which I believe was most of the actual town), where I purchased a foil turkey roasting pan and a large bag of rice, since no kitty litter was to be had. 

I hobbled into the motel, purchased three bags of peanut M&Ms from the vending machine for "dinner," and limped with the cat and his litter pan to my room. Turns out, rice worked pretty well. Staying off my foot also made it feel much better in the morning, and with cruise control, getting to Joshua Tree was an easy drive. Driving home the following morning was also easy, and getting home felt wonderful, although I miss Charlie and Malcolm more now than ever. 

I know I promised some of you that I'd try to visit while I was in northern California, and I didn't. Next time, we'll arrange the visits in advance, and I'll try to avoid losing a cat along the way. The good news is that we're all home safely and I've finally caught up on my sleep. Thanks for all the prayers. Now back to writing, and more on that in an upcoming post.

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Courage Wins the ONEBOOKAZ Award!

4/2/2015

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Those who follow me on Facebook or Twitter have heard this news, but I'm still flying high with the most recent award for Bruce and the Road to Courage: it won the ONEBOOKAZ Award for 2015 in the kid's category. This award is presented by the Arizona State Library to one children's book judged best of all those submitted by Arizona authors. Awards are also given for the best young adult and adult books. 

Last night at the Civic Center Library in Scottsdale, AZ, Joan Clark (pictured with me, top right), Director of the Arizona State Library, presented all three authors with certificates. We also took part in a panel discussion about how we create our books, our general writing process, and the difficulties and rewards of being self-published.

While Bruce and the Road to Courage received other awards in the past, I prize this one more than the rest. The
judges reviewed all eligible submissions based on quality, creativity, originality, style, grammar, and whether they felt the content would be enjoyed by a wide range of Arizona readers. Winning authors must reside in Arizona.

The goals of the ONEBOOKAZ program are to encourage writing, reading and thoughtful interaction with literature in digital formats. To this end, they are providing copies of our books free of charge to all Arizona residents via their website (www.onebookas.org)  through the month of April. Books may be read on the computer or downloaded to digital e-reading devices.

They are also providing an honorarium allowing me to travel to nine different Arizona cities during the months of April and early May. The goal is to have communities across the State of Arizona read the same books at the same time and participate in discussions and programs centered around those books.

Beyond that, they created a wonderful teacher’s guide for Courage that will make it easier for teachers to incorporate it into their curriculum. I had begun work on such a project myself a few months before, but their help turned my guide into something extraordinary—truly a great tool and a wonderful gift for me as I strive to reach out to more schools and students.

Finally, they are in process of creating an audio version of Courage for the visually or physically impaired to enjoy as well. I’m excited to hear what a professional reader will make of the voices of Bruce and his friends.

My first stop on the tour will be Yuma on April 15, followed by Prescott, Sedona, and Cottonwood from the 16th through 18th. If you have friends or relatives in those areas who might wish to attend, the details can be found on my website calendar.

By the way – I’m still writing while all of this is transpiring. Don’t give up hope that I’ll turn out another book one of these days. I was very busy for a number of months working on the novels of others (see the Two Cats Press website to learn more about these great books), but I’m back to working on The Rift, my Young Adult book series, which is going very well! (Bruce and the Road to Freedom is on hold until I can get book one of The Rift finished.)

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    Gale Leach lives in Arizona with her husband, two dogs, a cat, and a bearded dragon. When not battling fur balls, she's working on a new series of novels for young adults.

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