Quote of the Month
Three Layers of Writing
For anyone who's been following the monthly newsletters or keeping up with our posts on Facebook/LinkedIn, we thought you might have questions like:
Alright, so what is Long Overdue? Is it a publisher? An editing service? Something in -between?
What's the difference between Long Overdue Books and Long Overdue Stories? Are those separate things? Do you help people with novels or just biographies/memoirs?
Is this for long-time authors or people just starting out? What if I haven't written a story since high school?
So we put together this new blog post that takes a big step back and looks at three types of writing (writing for yourself, writing for your family, writing for a community). From there, we share how Long Overdue helps authors in each camp who are - to reference the Mark Twain quote above - trying to move their thoughts/memories/stories out of their head and onto the page.
Keeping it Local - Two Exciting Announcements for our Lakeview East, Chicago Neighborhood
We're teaming up with Third Space in Lakeview East to launch a book club. This will take place over Zoom on Tuesday nights (7 PM) starting Tuesday, August 4th. Sign up available here.
The first book we'll be reading as a community is called "That Will NEVER Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea." We think this will be a great read for writers, entrepreneurs, or anyone who's ever had an idea they think could be great but don't know where to start (or have doubts if the idea is any good). What better author to hear from than Marc Randolph, Co-Founder and the first CEO of Netflix.
A Book About Lakeview East: Community Writing Project
Any time you show up on the same page as the cinnamon rolls at Ann Sather (which are the best in Chicago), it's a good sign.
Here's a little blurb below from the recent Lakeview East Newsletter. In short: We're creating a book about Lakeview East, but instead of having one author, it will be compiled by multiple voices in the community, each chipping in their own chapter. Everyone is welcome, current residents and former residents. You can contact us at library@longoverduestories.com
Authors Writing Through the Pandemic
A few months ago, we encouraged people to send in stories they were working on during COVID-19. We're excited to share some of the incredible work from three authors who you can find on Long Overdue Books.
Laura Vasilion - The Pandemic Project
Author Laura Vasilion isn't waiting 20-30 years to record stories about sheltering in place.
Laura is doing important work right now chronicling stories from people all around the world in her new book in progress: The Pandemic Project. She has stories from people in France, Scotland, London, New Zealand, the Philipines, Italy and more. You can read sections of her work on Long Overdue Books (or by clicking the cover below).
Two Books in Development by James Warda
James Warda was working on these two books long before COVID-19, but they became more and more relevant over the last four months.
The first book-in-progress is called "48 Lessons Learned in Job Search: How to Find a Job and Yourself Along the Way." James focuses most on the spiritual and emotional side of a job search while also providing a "how-to" guide for the application process. For the millions out of work due to COVID-19, this book is an encouraging guide that helps reframe the stress of a job search as an epic quest to rediscover yourself and your lifelong passions.
Below is a reading from James featuring one of his chapters.
We're starting to think James might be somewhat of a prophet because his other book-in-progress also became incredibly relevant and helpful in 2020.
As we watch politicians deliver messages about specific Phases and reopenings, or business leaders communicating hard news to their employees, or parents explaining the current situation to their kids, one thing is apparent: leaders are being watched like never before.
In "You're Being Watched: How Everything Leaders Do, Say and Are Sends a Message," James offers leadership lessons with the overall message that yes, leadership is hard and can definitely be stressful, but it's one of the most important callings we can pursue and all of us are leaders in some aspect of our life.
Laura Billingham - Life in Lockdown: 31 Stories | 31 Days
So what does a writer do when they're sheltered at home for months on end?
Author Laura Billingham gave herself a quarantine challenge: Write 31 stories in 31 days. Her eventual goal is to turn these into a book. But you don't have to wait until it's finished, you can read the "Life in Lockdown" stories now on Long Overdue Books. Here's a sample chapter called "And the Crows Began to Wonder."
Where to Follow Long Overdue on Social Media
"Yeah, can you go ahead and wake me up around noon? Appreciate it!"
- Crash, Chief Marketing Officer
The best place to follow Long Overdue on social media (besides, of course, the Long Overdue Books website) is on Facebook and LinkedIn.
We were running a little behind this month on the newsletter, published this one with just 1 day to spare in July. Our next one we're targetting a release the week of August 17th. If you aren't subscribed already, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter here.
We'd love to hear from you in between. You can reach us at - library@longoverduestories.com