Category: Writers Block
Patchwork Poetry
By Mel Finefrock
Straight from the heart and imagination of Mel Finefrock, blind writer and musician, emerges a delicately bold collection of exploratory free verse poems chronicling various aspects of her personal journey. Believing that there is beauty to behold in almost any situation, Finefrock quilts precious and ordinary moments alike into patchwork poetry that embodies themes of love, friendship, pain, and growth. While unique to her experiences, Finefrock's soul-baring reflections are also applicable on a universal level and will inspire readers to look inward.
Cover description: a cropped version of Stroll in the Rain, painted by by John Bramblitt, an artist who is blind. A silhouetted figure walks in a city street and passes under tree foliage, holding an umbrella. The street casts reflections here and there. The color choices are surreal--reds, yellows, blues, etc. where ordinarily there'd be grays, greens, and so on. The cover design, such as cropping and superimposition of title and byline, are courtesy of Krista Lakes, a fellow author and former editorial client of mine.
Amazon (print and Kindle): https://goo.gl/1O2l8V
CreateSpace: https://goo.gl/NFpY7N
Barnes & Noble: https://goo.gl/LUYnOg
Apple: https://goo.gl/2l9pCy
Kobo: https://goo.gl/SDAGJB
Inktera: https://goo.gl/Aabbv9
Oyster: https://goo.gl/8yU3rI
Scribd: https://goo.gl/nW0Jbn
Bookshare: https://goo.gl/OgPuKw
Note: for friends and fans overseas, these links direct to American websites and may not convert to your respective marketplaces; however, my book is searchable and available for purchase in those marketplaces. Happy reading! <3
Congratulations. Keep us updated on how that experience is for you.
wow, congrats, mel! I'll read it if I ever download it. :) but congradulations!
Very proud of you, Mellie.
Thanks, everyone; apologies for the belated reply! Hope you're all doing well!
Hi, everyone,
This is pretty old news, but I've been super behind on life ... because of life. XP So I just wanted to drop in and let you all know that my book is now on Bookshare for those with access. Hope you enjoy! https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/1120072
XXOO,
M
Now, you need to get BARD to have it, and you're all right!
Hey! I think this is wonderful, and I'm serious. Things like this, make my music dreams that much closer! It's like I can almost touch it! It's like when I see folks do this kind of thing, I know anything is possible! Is that wrong? Hope not. God Bless! Thanks for the encouragement, though you don't know you encouraged me!
Blessings, Sarah
Haha, not sure about BARD. I'm new to that resource and don't have my book in audio. Do they actually put out Braille files, too? Educate me. Because I might donate a copy to them. Thank you! I'm glad I can lend some encouragement. :)
Ha, I'm a doof, I just read my original post and apparently my book had made it onto Bookshare by the time I posted this. Sorry for repeating, guys, but hey, at least some new eyes, or fingers, might make it there. XD
Awe I wanna hear you read it out loud.
Hahah Matt, recording music makes me so nervous that I can only imagine how stressful recording my own book would be. Yikes! I do do occasional readings of my poetry, though, like this one I wrote for a friend a couple of years ago. My reading style has changed a bit, and my own voice makes me cringe at times, but here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq3lKCvxMKY
Baby girl, 'm super late on this board, but I'm so damn proud of you. Haven't
read it yet, which makes me feel like a terrible friend, but I'm gonna really
soon. I second that audio book thing, and I would eve record it if you wanted
me to, but I think it'd sound better coming from you. Hehehehe. Love you so
much.
Seeing this post belatedly, Sam. Thank you so much for reading.
On another note, everyone, I'm afraid I am writing with a bit of sad news. I have enrolled in Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing Select program in hopes of expanding my readership. For the duration of enrollment in said program, Amazon disallows making the book available anywhere else digitally. This includes Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and much to my chagrin, Bookshare. I had an in depth discussion with a KDP representative and informed them how exclusive the Bookshare service is, that the law allows blind readers to obtain access to reading material in a way that would otherwise be considered piracy, and that it's difficult to pirate the material unless a person has specialized tools, due to the specialized file formats. No dice. I feel I have let you all down, but I'm also afraid I didn't have much visibility with Bookshare readers other than with people I know.
Luckily, although I feel it's better suited for prose, the Kindle app has made major access strides since I started using it in 2014. I would encourage using the rotor to switch VoiceOver to line mode while reading poetry in general. Also, I've heard pairing a Braille display with the iPhone while using Kindle can improve the reading experience.
I have also had requests to list with BARD. Prior to my registering with KDP Select, I did contact BARD regarding donation, but unfortunately I wasn't well received as an indie author. That happens sometimes! But hopefully now I'm on the road to gaining more exposure.
Again, I apologize for any inconvenience or upset this may cause. Thank you for your support of my work, past and continued.
Hugs,
M