Hello!
This is Ground Zero of all the things I hope to do this year and beyond. Thank you for being here. I’m not sure whether or not it’s a momentous occasion, but there’s no denying that accountability is a very real motivator!
I’ve blogged, on and off (more off than on in recent years, truth be told) since 2005. Twenty years ago in May:
My kid was a baby, just taking their first steps.
I was working on writing Geoff Teall’s book for Trafalgar Square / Horse and Rider Books.
We took a huge family road trip from Michigan to San Francisco where my husband, Robert, was slated for brain surgery. Only weeks later did we discover that his health issues were due to the fallout of UCLA misdiagnosing his severe allergic reaction to new anti-seizure meds as a recurrence of an earlier brain tumor.
Our friend, Karen, lived with us while finishing her master’s degree—
Twitter didn’t exist. And MySpace was the biggest thing going on the internet.
Those were the days, eh?
Since then, my kid has grown (They’re in the final days of their Junior year at the College of Wooster in Ohio. Studying geology with a paleontology focus. Obsessed with stromatolites. I confess, I sometimes struggle to keep up…), Robert has passed away. So have my parents. Karen has moved back to California.
Twitter still doesn’t exist. The more things change…
Rather than a litany of all that’s happened from Then until Now, I thought I’d make a clean break / a clean slate and just tell you what I’ve been up to lately.
I’ve started my own publishing company. MuseInks Press has 5 titles slated for publication in the next 12 months. Some are mine. Some are my clients’. I’m excited about all of them and can’t wait to tell you about them!
I’m in the process of getting my podcast, MuseInks with Ami Hendrickson, up and running. Sometimes I talk about books, but mostly I talk about the craft of writing and the joy of developing your unique voice. Episodes are currently in the recording / editing / tryna master Descript phase. Ye olde podcast should be ready to launch later this summer, if the stars align.
I’ve been doing far more book coaching and far less ghostwriting. Ghosting embodies the old adage: “Give a person a fish and they eat for a day…” while coaching teaches someone to write for a lifetime. Some of my clients self-publish. Some get picked up by traditional presses. All of them, however, learn how to better express themselves and turn their thoughts into a book. And all of them inspire me. As my dear, sainted mother always said: No education is ever wasted.
I’m the title guru, copywriter, and marketing copy person for several hybrid and small publishers. I’ve written the cover copy for scores of books and love every moment of it. One of my favorite hybrid publishing clients loves showing me the analytics of how my copy performs. I find it all endlessly fascinating.
I’m a few chapters shy of finishing my latest novel, The Great Unknown. That’s slated for a Spring, 2025 release. Further bulletins on that front as they arise.
In non-publishing news, I acquired two Pembroke Corgi pups—Sawyer and Finn—near the end of 2022. They are a year and a half old now, full of endless energy and enthusiasm…much to the dismay of Major, my elderly Corgi / Chihuahua cross. He exudes buckets of “Get off my lawn!” vibes when the pups start actings like… puppies.
…And that’s why I came to Substack: new goings-on. New opportunities. New books to read. New news!
Thank you for reading! And thanks for joining me on this journey.
Here’s to the grand adventure that awaits us all in the coming months.
Onward and upward…
Congrats Ami! Looking forward to following your journey....
I love those Corgis. It was so fun meeting them. You go girl. I love your new adventures.