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from maggie: the heart
of my life Have you read the book Blue Highways? William Least Heat-Moon wrote this autobiographical account years ago after traveling the country in his old Ford van, using only backroads (on maps, the blue lines). Publishing, too, has its blue highways. In 1993, I created Heartsong Books after being published in New York for nearly twenty years. According to some, I was heading in reverse—most writers publish themselves till other publishers accept them. However, much had sparked me to reshape my thinking. My touchstone became—and still is—to be more personal in a world that often seems excruciatingly impersonal. I say on the Heartsong Books homepage that I hope to “add my voice to those who are doing business differently, who are as eager (more eager) to give back as they are to take in.” My purpose was, and is, “to ease my books into the world in person-to-person ways that reflect the all-embracing vision expressed on their pages.” When I was very young, puppies and roses thrilled me, but not dandelions and spiders. These walls came down as I grew. Experience and epiphany taught me that it was not just this being or that one who deserved respect, but all beings. In time, every life—no matter how familiar or unfamiliar, no matter how humble or threatening—reminded me of the interconnectedness of all life. So reminded, I was forever changed.
I live in a solar-powered cabin-house in the woods. Before making space for the cabin, I did the initial thinning of trees with a small bow saw, waiting for the site and the paths around it to announce themselves. The cabin rests on posts. I built the original section years ago by recycling used building materials: old gray wood I pulled from junkyard piles, odd windows I bought off trucks, extra-wide pumpkin pine boards I discovered in a shed twenty-five miles away in someone’s backyard, stained glass. A newer section of the cabin is in tune with the older section, as if they’d always been one. A simple way of life is not always an easy one—what with water to haul, wood to bring in, piles of snow to negotiate. When I can, I design my publishing around my writing and service and family life, not the other way around. I am able to do that, living close to the bone. Any money I have and earn, I see as a grant for good. At last, after years of my feeling fragmented, my life is of-a-piece, each aspect born of the same communion and vision. Wholly, now, I rely on readers who find my books worthwhile to tell others about them.(If you know others who might want to hear from me, thank you so much for letting me know.) My heart beats a little faster when I receive a personal note—or call, or email—from someone who has found one of my books satisfying, or I discover a new reader review on amazon.com; on amazon, too, the books are listed in person-to-person ways. With many entrenched systems crumbling, such connections seem even more profound.
In recent months, some fine tuning: I’ve let go of our 800 number and nearly all retail outlets (except ones that seek us out). We have no distributor. My books are available only from two sources. 1) directly from Heartsong Books, and 2) through amazon.com (Click “new and used.” Ignore “out-of-stock” etc. tags which sometimes mysteriously appear. Books are shipped within 3 business days.) I autograph all books and am glad to add a simple inscription (e.g. To Mary). We no longer accept credit cards; checks and money orders feel more personal. If you are in a rush for books, we will mail them to you before receiving your check, trusting that your payment will be made promptly. We gratefully accept (non tax-deductible) donations toward the shipping costs. (E-mail to inquire about quantity discounts.) Kindly remember that each time you buy Heartsong Books titles for yourself, or for giftgiving, it is the vision of the company you are receiving/offering as well as the books themselves. For each book, there are many suitable "homes." For example, my intention for Caring in Remembered Ways is that it be recommended as text/recommended reading in medical school/nursing school/nursing home-home health/pastoral education curricula and medical ethics courses (also utilized as appreciations/awards to staff, as welcoming gifts to conference attendees, as waiting room copies, in book discussions, for holiday giftgiving, during staff inservice, as gifts to caregivers and caregetters). Roots of Peace is fitting for classrooms
(including Montessori and Waldorf settings), homeschooling and peace
study environments, (history) teacher education programs, and as a gift
of peace for anyone, of any age, at any time.
Visiting the Heartsong Books website, you will find
the story behind each Heartsong Books title, praise for the books—as
well as excerpts from them, a Be Inspired!
page (brimful with uplifting resources), A VISION
FOR A BETTER WORLD, abundant caregiving
stories and connections, as well as over two hundred annotated links
to other like-spirited sites.
Now the NEIGHBORCARE STORY
is online.
If you would like to email me directly—or write
me a note—rather than reaching me from the website, that’s
fine. Blessings to you—and a wonder-filled life. These days, when the world thirsts for wholeness, remember to be who you are.
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