Dori DeCamillis

The state of my new novel I've written two books, both memoirs of different times in my life. Links are below. The long-awaited news (mostly awaited by me) is that that I'm writing a third book, a novel. I can't reveal the title or anything about it, but I'm enjoying the process of writing fiction so much I had to share. I've always been told not to tell anyone when you start a big writing project like this, but I tend to break the rules pretty much all the time, so I just did it again. I tend to finish what I start, even if, as in the case of both my last two books, it takes 6 years. So perhaps in 2022 you'll see the results, but I hope it's much sooner. If you know me, please ask about it and give encouragement, and that way you'll probably see it finished sooner.  If you haven't read them try: The Freeway and My Steamboat

After several years of being exhibited at a gallery in San Fransisco, these pieces were sent back to me. It was like Christmas morning, seeing these paintings I did quite a while ago, as if I'd opened a time capsule. Each is 5" x 7" and all are oil on copper. They depict places around the country from the time I lived on the road in a motor home with my ex husband. This series was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times years ago when they were exhibited at Frumkin Duval Gallery in LA. I'll post a link soon. In the meantime, here's a link to the book I wrote about our 3 years on the road: The Freeway

My daughter, Annabelle illustrated this newly-released book by James McClintock. She did pen-and-ink drawings of fish for the chapter headings. The book is available for pre-sale on Amazon , and she will have book signings this week. They are invite-only or I would gladly put the word out. Hopefully soon I'll post a few images of her drawings.

My kid class completed their own handmade books made from random ripped paper pieces. They used the scrap handmade paper to create stories. They turned out so good I'm posting them over the next week. Today's book is by Bay. Helpful narration is included in case translation isn't obvious. A duck with a bag of money. Robber. Duck hands over money. To be continued... Back with opened bag of money and greedy laughter. Mighty Man to save the day. (According to the author: not supposed to be a bun, but a SuperMan hair flip.) Another punch with fist, by the duck this time.

I'll be giving a talk and reading about my book next Tuesday, 11:00 at Jefferson State College, AL April 16, 11AM-Noon, Room AL 111 (Allen Library)  at Carson Road Campus,  2601 Carson Rd.  More info (205) 983-5911

My good friend, Lee Sumner Irwin, just released her first book, "Play for Life." It's now available on Amazon, and I've posted below some info about it from her blog. Hurray for wonderful people who follow their dream! Congratulations to Lee! My book, Play for Life, just came out on Amazon! March 22, 2013 in  Adventures  | Tags:  Amazon ,  ask for help ,  big goals ,  book publishing , perfection ,  progress ,  writing a book Wowza! I’m over the moon today.  My (first) book came out on Amazon a few days ago and the feedback has been, well,  positively Amazon-azing. Play for Life: A Feel-Good Guide to Boost Your Brain Power, Spark Your Creativity and Inspire More Fun If you’ve ever wanted to accomplish something important to you (but you didn’t know where to start) let me say 3 things about this book-writing adventure that may help you. 1)  Ask for help.  I have a habit of not asking for other people’s he...

My latest book, My Steamboat, is now available on Kindle! http://www.amazon.com/My-Steamboat-Town-Childhood-ebook/dp/B005I5LJWU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316558292&sr=8-2

Old friend of mine took this picture of her reading "My Steamboat" while vacationing in the South Seas.

Above: Me in 1964 I’ll be home for Christmas. My hometown is Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and I’m driving there from Alabama. In addition to hanging out with family for the holidays, skiing, snow-shoeing, and eating too much, I have a little business to attend to. I’m having a book-signing for my new book, “My Steamboat: A Ski Town Childhood,” and I’m going to be on TV. From the emails and Facebook messages I’ve been receiving from old Steamboat friends, I think there will be more than 2 people at my book-signing, which is quite exciting when you’re not a famous author. (I call myself a micro-celebrity. Twenty-seven people know who I am.) I am pleased with the response to the book so far, which is a big relief after 8 years of writing and editing, wondering who in the world would care about my little story. In a previous blog post I expressed worry about the impending release of the book. I had that panicky last-minute regret feeling, wondering if people would hate it or dismiss...

My newest book, "My Steamboat" is now available on Amazon.com. I started the book in 2001, and what a wonderful feeling it is to be able to offer it to the world. Big sigh. And now we wait for the reviews.....

I just posted the cover of My Steamboat on Facebook. Each step of the process that gets closer to the release of the book feels a little more tingly--scary and exciting. I have a sense of dread that comes and goes. All the work of promotion is ahead of me, and the criticism, and the feeling that it's out there now. No taking it back. It's at this time in the book process that I say, "I'm never writing a book again." I'm sick and tired of edits, re-writes, thinking up ways to market it, explaining it to everyone instead of handing them a copy. Then, a day later, an idea for a new book comes into my head. Later, much later, I tell myself. For now, this one big day is good enough. It's on Facebook.

If you haven't read any books by Bill Bryson, you should. He is funny, a fantastic writer, and always throws in a little social commentary. I'm reading Notes From a Small Island , a travel memoir about England, his adopted country. (He's originally from the U.S.) I haven't read a book by him that I didn't like, but my favorite is probably The Adventures of the Thunderbolt Kid, another memoir, about growing up in Iowa in the 1950s. He could write about masking tape and make it fascinating and hilarious.

The cover of My Steamboat is completed. Scott and I did it ourselves, using Buddy Bair’s wonderful photo. We did a mock-up and I held it in my hand. After 8 years of working on this book, I am really ready to see it in print. I’ve made a lot of paintings in my day, and seeing them finished feels good, but my books take many years, and finally having a product to show for it is something to celebrate. But not yet…

My first book, "The Freeway," has seen a resurgence in sales recently. I've done a little blabbing on Facebook and Amazon, and have mentioned it to my art students, (no hard-sell tactics, I swear) and it's moving again. Its Amazon rank has been raised to near seven-hundred-thousandth, which sounds pretty puny, but compared to way over two-millionth? I'm hot! My recent rise to micro-stardom inspired me to read "The Freeway" again. How fascinating to have the distance to read my story as if I were not the author. I saw myself as objectively as I'm ever going to, and did I like what I saw? Yes, overall. I realized a few things during my read. First, I am a goofball, and always will be. I honestly did not realize how prevalent my goofiness is. Second, I've decided people don't change much. I read statements and recognized attitudes that I still say and carry today. I've been hooking up with old friends from high school lately, and I say it ag...

I took a trip last week to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, my home town, to meet with photographer Buddy Bair to shoot the cover of my new book. Buddy is a friend from high school, and I discovered his gorgeous photographs on Facebook. Until I saw his work, I planned on using old photographs from the 1970s of me and my siblings. It would have taken a lot of doctoring to get those old pictures to work on a book cover, and when I saw the lush color and dramatic compositions of Buddy’s work, I knew I wanted his photos instead. We “hired” four young models to stand in for the Duckels kids. Buddy’s two daughters, my brother, Derick’s, daughter, and, from a hasty round of phone calls at the last minute to high school friends I hadn’t seen in decades, the nephew of Kim Wilhelm. Kim has been a friend since I was in diapers, and is an often-mentioned character in my book. I was so pleased we ended up using kids with whom I have a connection. Aside from getting soaking wet, freezing, dusty, ...

Published in 2000, The Freeway is a non-fiction account of the three years I lived on the road in a vintage motorhome, making a living at outdoor art festivals. It is available on Amazon.com . Here is a quick description written by Joyce Maynard, author of "To Die For," which was made into a good movie starring Nicole Kidman: Two young painters in love sell everything they own, buy a vintage motorhome and hit the road to seek their fortune. This is the story of their adventures. In a voice as unaffected as the paintings she and her husband create, Dori DeCamillis tells the story of their three year long journey. Often funny, sometimes heartbreaking-with echoes of Huckleberry Finn, Jack Kerouac and Lucy and Desi in "The Long Long Trailer"-The Freeway takes a reader not simply across America, but to a place somewhere in the center of the heart. And, here is a review from Amazon that I particularly liked: "I'm glad to see this book is still in print. It deser...