Which author photo do you like best?
Dear Friends and Family,
It’s time to select an author headshot, as they’re called, for my second book which will be published by She Writes Press on Jan 19, 2027—and I could use your help. This photo will appear in the “About the Author” section of the book and elsewhere. In some cases the photo will be cropped to a 1×1 ratio, to become a true “head” shot.
You can cast your vote by emailing your preference (info@bethannmathews.com).
As you can see, my hair has grown back curly. It’s always had a slight wave, but the curls, which may be temporary, are a new—and welcome—experience after losing it all.
I’ve decided to organize my letters to you into three sections: Author’s Journey, Boating/Personal Life, and Wildlife, and occasionally I’ll focus on one topic. I’ve missed hearing from you, and look forward to your updates.
Author’s Journey
Eight months before publication may seem early to need an author photo, but delivering mine to my publisher by the end of the week (5/8 Friday) is part of my editorial schedule. At the moment, a She Writes Press interior designer is reformatting the MS Word double-spaced version into its 5.5 X 8.5-inch book layout, which are called First Pages. Authors then scrutinize their First Pages for typos and formatting issues, but at that point we can’t make big changes that would throw off the formatting or pagination.
In the last year, I’ve reread and revised this manuscript at least five times. Many thoughtful fresh eyes have improved its scenes, structure, and flow, beginning with chapter-by-chapter feedback in three memoir writing groups when we lived in California, a developmental edit of the full, revised draft, nine discerning beta readers, and most recently my publisher’s copy editor and two proofreaders.
I’m grateful to everyone who helped tighten and improve this memoir. By now, the manuscript should be error free. Yet . . . typos and mistakes sneak under the radar. I read that if a published book has no more than six typos, that’s considered “clean.”
I look forward to sharing bits of this publishing journey, boating stories, and wildlife/nature notes with you one or two times a month, and I’ll post the new book’s cover here first.
Upcoming Event, May 9, Saturday 10:30 AM
I’m honored to have been invited to interview author and settler historian Coll Thrush on May 9 Saturday on Bainbridge Island. His book Wrecked: An Unsettling History of the Graveyard of the Pacific is fascinating.
What a relief to have much of my energy back.
Wildlife: "Our bond is not measured by the ease of our days, but by how we stand together in the face of adversity." —Anonymous
On January 6, we experienced pelting rain around 2:00 PM. Anna’s hummingbirds winter in the Pacific Northwest, but in these conditions they need to either hunker down out of the wind and rain or feed every 30 minutes or so.
This species is extremely territorial about food sources, especially feeders. Jim and I had never seen more than two birds share a feeder, and those wary episodes lasted less than a minute. During this blustery, cold afternoon, up to eight birds perched together while fervently feeding. Six are in the photo.
Last week, I read Sy Montgomery’s delightful book, The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings, in which she and a friend hand raise two orphaned Allen’s hummingbirds, the size of bumble bees when they arrived.
Her description of the territoriality of Anna’s hummingbirds, compared to Allen’s, reminded me about the rare episode of communal behavior on our deck, induced by extreme weather.
From Sy’s book, I learned that hummingbirds have the largest hearts relative to body size and the highest density of oxygen-transporting red blood cells of all animals, and heart rates from 500 to 1,200 beats per minute—all in support of their high metabolism.
Thank you for stopping by. I’ll post the results of the author photo vote in my next newsletter.
I hope you’re enjoying your spring’s many gifts.
— Beth
“I was hooked from the beginning. I forgot it was a memoir because it reads like well-written fiction. You will be happy you made room for this gem.”
— Book Club Reader
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