NCWN Fall Conference

I attended the North Carolina Writers Network Fall Conference in Asheville this past weekend. The Keynote Speaker was Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain) Frazier spoke of how he came to be published. His wife’s good friend was an agent. How lucky can you get?   Sessions I attended: I.  Screenplay: Fake vs Fiction with Maryedith Burrell…… Continue reading NCWN Fall Conference

Learning the hard way about book promotion

My son-in-law and daughter left for a weekend in Chicago so he could run the marathon. I stayed at their home, watching three grandkids and the two dogs. It was good timing. My life, up to now, has mostly centered on promoting my first and only book. I have been doing little else. Stories from…… Continue reading Learning the hard way about book promotion

THE WEIRDEST HOME VISIT

Originally posted on Getting Older: Charting the Uncharted:
When I worked in the home care program at a VA hospital in Illinois, medical students sometimes came along with us nurse practitioners while we made our visits. I enjoyed showing them the reality of delivering care in the patient’s home—where we were guests—the subtle line between…

Wishes, Dreams and Hopes for My Book: Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic

  I imagine Oprah Winfrey being told by one of her many assistants about a book she should read that is set in Chicago, that focuses on a female protagonist and deals with the disenfranchised on the West Side. Oprah, immediately after reading my book, writes a glowing review in O, the Oprah magazine. Great…… Continue reading Wishes, Dreams and Hopes for My Book: Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic

How to Handle This Age Issue

The woman who was interviewing me asked my age. She was apologetic. “My boss wants me to get ages.” I was ready for her. “I am 76,” I said. “Not a problem to ask. I think it’s good that folks realize that older people can still be productive.” “That’s one way to handle it,” she…… Continue reading How to Handle This Age Issue

Learning to Heal

I’ve long been a proponent of nurses writing their stories to educate the general public about what we really do. Here’s a book: Learning to Heal: Reflections on Nursing School in Poetry and Prosethat does that and more. The essays, from seasoned nurses as well as recent grads and “respected elders,” are set in the…… Continue reading Learning to Heal

Nursing Truths for a New Era: Author Interview with Marianna Crane

Originally posted on The Practice of Creativity:
Happy new year, everyone! It feels especially poignant to begin the first post of the year with a special Author Q&A. More than a decade ago, before I formally began my coaching practice, I taught creativity workshops at UNC-Chapel Hill’s The Friday Center. They had a thriving adult…

What Was My Memoir Really About?

This guest post was written for She Writes Blog on November 29, 2018. My book, Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic: A Nurse Practitioner Remembers, took me about seven years to complete. I couldn’t seem to rush the process. A mentor told me “the book will take as long as it needs to take to be…… Continue reading What Was My Memoir Really About?

Announcing Publication Day: Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic

 Immediate Release  RETIRED RALEIGH GERONTOLOGICAL NURSE PRACTITIONER’S IMPORTANT MEMOIR OFFERS LESSONS FOR TODAY  Retired nurse practitioner and Raleigh resident Marianna Crane’s memoir, Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic: A Nurse Practitioner Remembers, has earned kudos for its depiction of the early days of gerontological nursing. Windy City Reviews called the book “important” and Kirkus Reviews praised…… Continue reading Announcing Publication Day: Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic

COUNTDOWN TO PUBLICATION DATE: THREE WEEKS

This past week I promoted my book. Monday, after a class I attended on public speaking, I collared a woman who had also attended the lecture as she exited the ladies room. “How will you use the information?” I asked. She told me she had planned to start a class for widows on ways to…… Continue reading COUNTDOWN TO PUBLICATION DATE: THREE WEEKS