The Practically Shameless blog

Connection to HBO Miniseries

2010-03-13T14:17:00Z

My family has a connection to the HBO Miniseries The Pacific, which starts tomorrow night, March 14, as I described in an essay for the Shadow Work email newsletter.

Here's the essay. You'll find the letter mentioned on page 62 of the paperback edition of Practically Shameless. (In chapter 5 on audio CD.)

I'll be watching the miniseries at the home of a family member who has HBO, I expect it to be a moving experience.

Three more testimonials, one to article on holidays

2010-02-22T11:42:00Z

Three more testimonials. The first, from a reader in Spain, to Practically Shameless --

"Alyce I LOVED your book and was so inspired to continue this work with this structure, thanks!!!!!!!" - E.E.

The second, from a reader here in the Chicago area, to the audiobook edition --

"I want to tell you that I have just finished CD #1, and am halfway through CD #2 - and that I am VERY moved by your story as you relate. I am very impressed with the honesty of your self-disclosure and your journey and the connections you make. I am learning a lot! Thank you for making your 'work' available to me." - P.M.

The third, to an essay I wrote about shadows as they emerge over the winter holiday season --

"Alyce, Thanks. I really enjoyed your article on the Holidays. I am not sure if I have ever heard anyone nail it so perfectly." - D.H.

I've written three articles on that topic so far (there will undoubtedly be more!), in addition to my CD on the holiday shadows, my Home for the Holidays CD. Here are the essays:

Holiday Strategies We Know and (Don't) Love
Learning About My Holiday Shadows
A Little Girl at Christmas

Some recent testimonials to "Practically Shameless"

2010-02-22T10:51:00Z

I've received a number of emails from readers of Practically Shameless over the past few months. Some excerpts:

"Just finished your book Practically Shameless. Bless your sharing the journey. I found myself relieved as could relate and identify on so many levels!! (In those moments, "it got scary" as I'mthinking... 'this is it!' What she is talking about is what I havebeen trying to find words for...) I will be re-reading the book againto take it in... from a different place. I'm grateful for the clarity in describing the processes andteaching-pieces toward the end of the book. The discussion on the different strategies was immensely helpful." - J.J.

"I recently read your book Practically Shameless and found it veryinsightful. It has provided me with a better perspective about myupbringing and its effects on my adulthood. It seems that there areseveral parallels in your and my life. Thanks for your contribution tomy understanding of ME." - D.F.

"Suppose you get a lot of fan mail about your book so I won't gush toomuch - just want to say 'thanks' and let you know how much your book onshadow work has helped me." - A.E.

"Home for the Holidays" CD, this year in time for Christmas

2009-12-10T00:05:00Z

A year ago at this time, I was frantically writing, recording, and editing my Home for the Holidays CD in time for Christmas. I finished the CD, and put it up for sale, with only a few days to spare.

I called it the "special preview edition" because I was planning to expand it during the year to encompass 2 CDs. I wanted to say more about group dynamics and add a few other topics, like personality types.

My life took a different turn, however, and I am now living in the Chicago area once again, and caring for my elderly mother. I won't be expanding the CD this year.

Home for the Holidays is available as a CD, still for just $12.95, and as an electronic download for $9.95. To purchase, visit the Practically Shameless Press website.

The CD can also be ordered from Amazon.com, and once Amazon has ordered copies from me, it will be available there for quick sale.

Possibility of a Russian translation

2009-09-22T23:13:00Z

There's a possibility that Practically Shameless will be translated into Russian, for private distribution by the translator.

I'm honored.

Maybe another book?

2009-08-09T12:20:00Z

A friend in Colorado, Lisa Trank, commented on this Facebook status I posted last night that it would make a gorgeous opening for a book:

Went thru Mom's storage unit today, hunting for MRI films from a brain tumor 22 years ago, didn't find any, but did find 2 of Dad's old wool Marine Corp blankets, in pretty good shape considering they lived thru wars both real & metaphorical. They smelled nice. When we were kids, they kept us warm in the back seat of the car when Dad drove us around to look at Christmas lites. Also picnics at the Wilmette Bowl.

Reading Lisa's comment, my heart lifted to think that I could write another book. When I left Colorado to move back to the Chicago area, I did so wondering if I would ever be able to publish another book, and expecting that I couldn't at least for some time. Writing Practically Shameless left me deeply in debt, and paying off that debt has been such a strain financially that it became impossible to continue my Shadow Work practice, which suffered a good deal from the recession. It seemed I needed to find a regular job, and I know exactly how hard it would be to write a book while working at a regular job, because I tried it for years, and there's little energy for the task of creating a book at the end of a work day, as I'm sure many of my writer friends will attest.

But I've got a job now -- taking care of my mother, and being paid for it by her estate -- and it's paying the bills for now, and if I wrote a book it would be about taking care of her.

As I replied to Lisa, I'm often too tired or too full emotionally to have much big-picture perspective on the process of caring for her. But I realized as I wrote that, that I could keep notes toward that end and worry about writing the book later, perhaps after she's gone, assuming I'm still around myself by that time. Her older sister Ginny just turned 97, and Mom is 86, so it could be a while. I'm 58 now, and if Mom lived to 100, I'd be 72 by then.

It comforts me to think I could write here, on this blog about publishing, any thoughts I have toward such a book. And if I get a book written, I will publish it. I don't know that I would have any lofty goals in doing so, as I did in writing Practically Shameless, when I wanted to teach people a less shame-full way to see themselves and their lives, and to describe what Shadow Work feels like, since it's always so difficult to describe. My goal in this book would mostly be to share what it was like to take care of an elderly mother and what I got from the process. Maybe that's a lofty goal as well.

New Illinois address

2009-06-18T05:24:00Z

Our new Illinois address:

Practically Shameless Press
PO Box 498
Morton Grove IL 60053-0498

Web and email addresses remain the same.

Moving to Illinois

2009-05-24T17:24:00Z

Practically Shameless Press is moving to Illinois in a few weeks. We'll be temporarily located in Evanston, just north of Chicago, for the summer, then moving into permanent digs in late August.

The reasons for the move are primarily personal: to be near my daughter, who lives on Chicago's north side, and to be near my mother, who lives in assisted living in Glenview.

Mom needs more care these days, and I'll be playing a central role in her care, taking over for two siblings who have gone above and beyond for years.

Of blogging, publishing, reading and greed

2009-03-26T17:16:00Z

I posted this to the Boulder Media Women email list this morning, in response to a question about the maximum number of blogs a person ought to have. Links to all three of my blogs are at my home page.

I started out with one blog about all topics, then added a second when it came free with the new website for my small press [this Press, this blog], then added a third when it came free with my book's page on Amazon.com.

I decided I would offer a different focus on each: (1) personal stuff, movies, politics, books, miscellaneous, (2) publishing, writing, and topics related to my book, and (3) the human shadow as it appears in world affairs and current events. I knew I'd find it challenging to blog frequently enough to warrant having 3 separate blogs, and the jury is still out on that one, largely because I don't have as much time or energy for blogging as I would like. I seem to go in spurts, frankly, blogging a lot when I've got the energy with occasional lengthy silences.

After a brief experiment at posting an entry to the personal blog every day, I abandoned the idea because in general I don't believe in forcing myself to do things I don't like. I do my best to post to the Amazon blog at least once a month and have been able to maintain that. I find it hardest to keep up with the blog at the Press because I haven't been working on a book until recently because I've had very limited time to do so.

I've since acquired the philosophy that one result of people blogging every day whether or not they have something real to say is that lots of junk gets published, and as a result the meaningful writing on the web is harder to find.

I've recently gone a step further than that in my thinking, to the suspicion that it's very similar thinking that got the book publishing industry into trouble. Let me wax rhapsodic for a moment and see if anyone agrees with this line of thought (and if I agree with it once I've written it out).

Once upon a time, publishers accepted only manuscripts they considered worthwhile or, failing that, salable enough to fund the worthwhile books. (I guess I'm generalizing a lot here, I'm thinking of the publishing houses that wanted to produce good books, because I used to work for publishers like that. The people who worked at such places did so because they loved books, and they wanted to publish only books they'd be proud to have on their shelves. And every one of them had shelves and shelves of books at home.)

Gradually, the publishing industry succumbed to greed, as it seems every industry does eventually. It began publishing books that weren't very worthwhile but that would make a quick buck. Walk into any B&N or Borders, and you'll see a table of what I call "junk books" for sale for a few bucks each. Books to be given as gifts, for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, etc.

Not surprisingly, readers caught on to the fact that bookstores were full of "junk books" and that you couldn't count on a book being worth the purchase price. You couldn't count on it being well edited or published because it was worthwhile. That certainly wasn't the only factor in the decline of reading (I blame television primarily), but I think it contributed.

I reviewed a book in 1997, written by a stellar writer, Maya Angelou. I had read her earlier work. It looked to me as if her publisher had decided to "repackage" some of her shorter blurbs into a book, released in time for Christmas, attractively designed and priced at an astounding $17.95, I believe (it was a pretty short book). I was disappointed to find nothing new in the book and said so in my review. I also said I was particularly disappointed considering Maya Angelou's female audience couldn't afford to spend that kind of money on a book that offered nothing new from Angelou's soul.

Thread versus resource

2009-03-09T00:55:00Z

I went hiking today at Hall Ranch, an open space park a few miles west of Lyons. It was my third hike this week, and I like to think that I'm rebuilding some of the hiking muscles I had last summer and let atrophy to some degree over the winter.

Hall Ranch offers several different trails, and I chose the Nighthawk Trail because it excludes bicycles, and I could see from the number of cars with bike racks in the parking lot that there were a lot of bicyclists there today. Not surprising considering the lovely sunny spring weather with a high around 60 degrees. The Nighthawk Trail is a long one, and I had limited time, so I got only 54 minutes along the path, nearly all of it uphill, and was a little saddened to see how out of breath I was.

I normally prefer hiking at the end of a day of writing because it gives me time to digest. So I'd planned to think out some issues that I've been thinking about during the week, but I needn't have bothered. I let my mind wander for most of the time, and it was delightful. My schedule right now requires a lot of control, both mental and physical, and the unbounded freedom of hiking with nothing particular to think about was really enjoyable.

That said, my minds eventually wound back to the book I'm working on, Every Morning a New Arrival, what I've described as the "companion workbook" to Practically Shameless, containing much more detail about the archetypes and shadows and offering a variety of exercises.

I've been asking myself over the past week what thread I could use to weave through the topics I want to write about. Practically Shameless has a single thread -- my personal story of a shadow and its transformation -- and I worked very hard to follow that thread throughout the book, to (in the words of my editor, David Hicks) take the reader's hand and never let it drop, and in the process to explain the very challenging concepts at the foundation of Jungian psychology in a way that almost anyone could understand.

The purpose of Every Morning, however, is to be quite different: I want it to be a resource, of use in many life situations. My own bookshelf is populated with books that I refer to regularly -- on animal medicine, the Enneagram, Jung, the tarot, meaning in physical symptoms, symbols, etc. -- and I want to add to that shelf.

A resource book may not be read from beginning to end; it may be read section by section and sometimes not in entirety. The question is, then, does it need a thread to bind the sections together? Could the book be more like a collection of essays, each one ending in an exercise? My instincts say that some kind of thread is still needed, or at the very least, a compelling segue from one section to the next.

Here's a portion of the Rumi poem from which the book's title is taken. What does it bring to your mind, dear reader?

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and attend them all . . .

(Translation by Coleman Barks. From The Illustrated Rumi, page 77.

Thank you for a successful sale

2009-03-01T08:32:00Z

Thank you, again, to all of you who took advantage of the Anniversary Sale to stock up on copies of Practically Shameless and Shadow Work CDs.

The sale was so successful that there were times this week when I had difficulty processing all the orders.

Thank you!!!

It was also very rewarding to hear feedback on the Home for the Holidays CD from several people who have had a chance to hear it since the holidays.

Anniversary Sale, through Feb. 28th!

2009-02-22T02:51:00Z

I've got 2 things to celebrate, so I've marked down books and CDs in the Practically Shameless Press online store by 20% to 52%!

One year ago -- on Monday, February 18, 2008 -- my book about Shadow Work, Practically Shameless, reached the #1 spot on Amazon.com's Bestseller list of books about Jungian psychology. (It also appeared on Bestseller lists in three other categories.)

Reaching the #1 spot was made possible by purchases by people like you, who have supported the Press from the very beginning. Thank you again!!

That appearance at #1 also laid the foundation for the book's appearance on that Bestseller list for 52 weeks since then.

Let me repeat that --

As of February 18, 2009, Practically Shameless has been on Amazon.com's Bestseller list of books about Jungian psychology for 52 weeks!

To see the sale items, please visit the Practically Shameless Press online store.

And let me say in addition --

The Tombstone Process CD can literally change your life in a matter of hours. It's a gentle, effective, and deeply touching emotional process you can do on your own at home, to let go of a painful dynamic that has been your unconscious way of loving somebody. I've used it myself multiple times, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

The Clean Talk CD can change the way you communicate. It teaches you to use Clean Talk, the way we communicate in Shadow Work when there is conflict or strong emotion present.

The Shadow Work Basics CD can teach you about yourself and about the four archetypal energies in you.

Practically Shameless, in paperback and on audio CD, is a personal story of transformation that explains Jung's psychology from the inside out and helps you get the shame off.

And by the way, the 2nd thing I'm celebrating is the 2nd printing, which arrived on Thursday. The Press offices are full of boxes of books. Yes!!!

Second printing arrives next week

2009-02-10T21:05:00Z

I'm delighted to announce that copies of the second printing of Practically Shameless will arrive from the printers next week.

In this printing, I was able to fix several very minor typos that I discovered while reading through the book for the audio book edition, and that was very satisfying. I also changed the last page from an order form to a list of products for sale from Practically Shameless Press.

What's even more satisfying is realizing that what this second printing means is that more than 1300 copies of Practically Shameless have sold since the arrival of the first printing in late October 2007. And that doesn't include hundreds of used copies selling on Amazon.com.

Next Monday, February 16th, marks the one-year anniversary of Bestseller Day, the day when Practically Shameless first appeared on Amazon.com's Bestseller list of books about Jungian psychology thanks to purchases made on the same day by friends and supporters. The book has remained on that list every week since. It has also appeared dozens of times on the Bestseller list in the category of Emotions and Feelings and at times on the Bestseller list in the much larger category of Self Help.

To celebrate the anniversary, I'm going to offer a special promotion. I'm working on some ideas, and suggestions are welcome.

New York Times article on self-publishing

2009-01-29T00:36:00Z

In yesterday's New York Times, Motoko Rich's article Self Publishers Flourish as Writers Pay the Tab explains some of the basics of self-publishing. It can't be said to be comprehensive, as it doesn't mention Dan Poynter, but it makes some interesting points.

It uses the term "self-publishing company" for Print-On-Demand houses like iUniverse (what used to be called "vanity presses"), where I think it ought to explain a bit more for the sake of the uninitiated.

I didn't see any reference to those who do what I did, start a small press.

Another review from the Smooch the Soul blog

2009-01-12T19:07:00Z

In late 2007, the Smooch the Soul blog reviewed Practically Shameless, and now it has reviewed my two essays on shadows at the holidays, with an additional mention of my new Home for the Holidays CD.

http://www.smoochthesoul.com/blog/2009/01/12/what-are-your-holiday-shadows/

If you page down, you'll see Smooch's reply to a Republican who was unhappy about the blog posting a link to Matt Damon's interview about Sarah Palin. I respected Damon's comments about Palin not because he's a celebrity but because he's an intelligent and articulate person who provided what I thought was a really clever comparison of Palin's nomination to a "really bad Disney movie." Spot on, IMO.

Using bacon as a bookmark?

2009-01-08T18:30:00Z

A reader using a slice of bacon as a bookmark? I'd never heard of such a thing until I saw it in the Paper Cuts blog at the New York Times,

http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/librarian-theres-some-bacon-in-my-book/

I commented that perhaps a slice of bacon is an unconscious statement on the part of the reader, to say that Francis Bacon really did author Shakespeare's plays, or that the writer really "brought home the bacon."

I know I've seen this blog before and have added it to my list of regular reads.

The New York Times in financial trouble

2009-01-07T16:14:00Z

Though the focus of this blog is primarily book publishing, I think the plight of one of the pillars of American journalism is relevant to the state of publishing in general.

A friend, editor Jody Berman, posted to the Boulder Media Women email list a link to this article at The Atlantic about the financial troubles of the New York Times, "End Times" by Michael Hirschorn.

As I wrote in my reply, I've often wished I had both the funds and the time to read the New York Times print edition every day because it's such a pleasure to read such excellent writing, and I've never read a newspaper that was as consistently excellent in that respect. Many times on a vacation or while sitting in an airport, I've treated myself to a copy of the Times. And if I was in a hotel, I accompanied the experience with a bagel and a cup of tea or coffee, as that seemed the appropriate New York way of enjoying it.

Hirschorn's article gives me some hope that the Times will be able to survive this May when some of its massive debt comes due by selling off some of its many assets, including its spectacular headquarters and properties like The Boston Globe.

My other (personal) blog is moving

2009-01-07T08:54:00Z

I've got three blogs, and the personal blog at my AlyceBarry.com website is moving.

It's been a WordPress blog, and I've been experiencing increasing technical difficulties with it. So I'm starting over at blogspot, where friends of mine are very happy with the ease of blogging.

Please visit me at http://alycebarry.blogspot.com/ – and thanks.

Shadows on display in popular holiday movies

2009-01-01T22:58:00Z

I mentioned on my new Home for the Holidays CD that I would offer on this website a list of shadows on display in characters in popular holiday movies. And here it is, just for fun.

http://www.practicallyshameless.com/movieshadows.html

New audio book, "Home for the Holidays," available on CD and via download!

2008-12-22T02:09:00Z

I'm happy and excited today, because I've released a preview edition of my new audio book, Home for the Holidays, Tips for a Practically Shameless Holiday Season.

And what's maybe even better, I've learned a ton about myself in the process and am looking forward to Christmas, which I wasn't a few weeks ago!

I've been working on this CD off and on for three years. I originally conceived it as a printed book, but I knew the illustrations were going to be difficult and expensive. A friend suggested I start with an audio CD, and it was a great idea that I started acting on in October. I expect to publish officially fall 2009 in time for the 2009 holiday season, and I may expand to more than one CD. We'll see.

As I will say more completely in an essay I'm writing, for the next Shadow Work email newsletter, I started this project thinking my goal was primarily to help others who struggle at the holidays. And I learned a lot about the ways in which I struggle at the holidays, and that working through some of my own issues about the holidays was a second goal.

It's also no coincidence that this came up while my mother is dying. Her favorite day of the year is Christmas Eve, and she has much to do with my various issues about the holidays. I've tried on several occasions to learn more about her childhood experience of Christmas, but she seems to portray it in ways that don't ring true. She describes herself as her mother's "pet," for example, when all evidence is to the contrary.

On this CD, I explain some of the dynamics that I think are going on under the surface for many of us when we go home for the holidays. I talk about family roles, group dynamics, shadows both individual and collective, and I offer two short exercises to help you prepare to go home for the holidays.

As with everything I do, I'm eager for feedback.

Because I'm releasing the CD so close to Christmas, I'm selling it in two ways:
(1) on a conventional CD, which I will ship within 24 hours via First Class Mail. It costs $12.95.
(2) via electronic download, for $9.95.

This is my first experience with offering a CD for download. So far two customers have purchased it that way, and so far, so good.

It occurs to me that I could say I've released the CD in the "Saint Nick of time." Ouch.

To listen to a five-minute excerpt from the Introduction, visit the CD's page at the Practically Shameless website, http://www.PracticallyShameless.com/HolidayCD.html

And best wishes for a wonderful holiday season that gives you what you most want!