Did I really just make up a word for this book? Um…yeah…so YES, I did. BUT, this is a word that I have used in my own mind for the longest time. When these weird, coincidental things happened to me, I needed a way to explain them to myself and so I called them “MyBiblio” or said that I'm “Bibliointuitive.”
Now you’re asking, what is it? Well, when I read a book (and now when I write a book), something from the book will either appear or pop-up or happen in my real life that is related to the book. I know how this sounds, but I swear I’ve been checked out by a professional and I’m not headed for the looney bin or needing meds!
This is just something that happens to me, is a part of me and my everyday life.
AND I would venture to say that many of you have experienced it too. YES? NO? MAYBE? Let me know! Don’t forget to use the hashtag: #bibliointuitive or #mybibliointuitive
I’m really curious to see if anyone else has Biblios besides me. I’m hoping my Biblio island is more like a large peninsula or maybe even a portion of a continent that we can then fashion into a vacation destination. We'll circle around a bunch of beach chairs sharing our Biblios over a stack of books and a never-ending supply of book-related stories and anecdotes. This would be my perfect happy place!
Although my new novel, Bibliointuitive, is a complete work of fiction, it was inspired in some aspects by my real life, including explaining this Bibliointuitive "gift" throughout the story. This novel is set in French Lick, Indiana and is about a twelve-year-old girl (Riley) who is involved in a car accident that changes the entire trajectory of her life. Similar to Riley, my own tragedy at the same age (see my other blog post about Sue Lynne for more information), changed the way I looked at and reacted to life.
What this new novel is truly about is recovery, hope, redemption, and LOVE.
Below I have provided "evidence" and understanding of how my own Bibliointuitive gift works. Sorry in advance for the length, I have a lot to say and I've been holding it in for years!
Where My Writing Journey Began – from my diary:
6/15/2016: Watched on CBS Sunday Morning – guy who hiked 7 highest peaks and north and south poles in 139 days. If he can do that, then I can do this! On the drive into work, there was a huge rainbow over the east side…I took a photo of it. I know it was Sue Lynne, giving me a sign to start. Heard “unwritten” on the radio: “Today is where your life begins, your book is still unwritten.” I thought, I KNOW! I’m working on it. Haha. Also, ok, so I have this issue that haunts me all of my days, I don’t understand it, but I know it to be true….it seems to only affect me: Things get connected in the universe through me. Sometimes through books, sometimes through movies, sometimes through people.
Mostly through books, but here are a few random ones this week. Last night before bed I watched a movie I had DVRed over a month ago called Imitation of Life from 1924. The intro with Ben Mankowitz described how Peola was obviously the result of an interracial relationship, and how this movie was very controversial. Then I wake up this morning and I watch CBS Sunday Morning from several weeks ago, also DVRed, and there’s a whole story about how this date was the anniversary of the 1967 Loving Law, which went to the Supreme Court so that interracial couples could marry. Also, as far as the type of random coincidences that happen to me all the time, last week I randomly was talking to my supervisor about a quote from one of my favorite movies, Meet Me In St. Louis, “The Plans Have Been Changed” and then the next night, that movie was randomly on TCM and I happened to be home to watch it—why would a movie that is basically considered a Christmas movie be on in June? And why had I quoted it the day before, I never quote that movie. Anyway, this is my life.
Diary Entries Related to my Writing and my Biblio Merging:
9/5/2016: I finished Hemingway’s Garden of Eden, which was strange and fascinating, and in many ways quintessential Hemingway, while also being completely different. I still don’t know if I understood all of the sexual undertones. There was so little action for Hemingway, but I kind of liked that. And I liked how Hemingway described his writing process – the way it came to him and he was in the story – in the writing and in his real life. That’s the way I feel when I write now! I’m right there and it’s just like when I read a book – where I’m lost in the story – except this time, I’m actually writing the story I’m lost in!
9/8/2016: You know, I just realized something…I don’t hear or see or encounter things about the book I’m reading in everyday life now. There aren’t hints in people, radio, tv, books, nature, everywhere in my real life – could these occurrences be gone?! That’s weird when it was something I had haunting me for years and years. Maybe it’s because I’m writing the book instead of reading it. FINALLY.
11/3/2016: Funny, went through Sue Lynne’s birthday without any incidents this year. I felt her in the car ride into work and several times throughout the day, but no major incidents or other reminders. Maybe that’s a good thing. I think it’s because I’m writing this book to her and about her. It’s taken the edge off. She no longer feels she needs to reach me and scream at me “Where’s my book AMY!!!” I get it now. I’m doing it.
3/2/2018: Today, I was feeling down, and I pull into a parking lot and what comes on the radio but Let My Love Open the Door, which is my special song in Rue, the one that Josh requests. I burst into tears. Is God trying to tell me to keep writing, despite the fact that no one is reading my work? No one even knows I’m writing?
5/14/2018: THAT day today – the anniversary of Sue Lynne’s death. It’s been 35 years today. I cried a lot, wondering if she would have grasped life. I think she would have. She was really spunky. She most certainly wouldn’t have ended up in Indiana like I did. I think she would have ended up in New York City or some big city somewhere. I can’t imagine what she would have been – maybe into graphic design – she always had such neat, tight handwriting. She would have been great for industrial design or pattern design. Something like that. I don’t feel her as often anymore. I think this is because I don’t need her like I used to. This writing has made my life better, which I’m sure she’s up there like, “Duh, told you so.” And because of my writing, my spiritual life is better – I pray more, think more about my place in the world and my reason for being.
10/6/2018: Scott and I went to French Lick on Thursday night and stayed at the historic hotel – it is truly amazing there! It is a marvel that both the old hotel buildings still exist and are restored to their original glory. I definitely felt the ghosts of the past – one of the workers there was going up in the elevator with me and as she pressed number 6, the door had never opened. I said, well, that’s because of the haunting – she didn’t laugh, she said, yes, it happens all the time, especially on 6, and in fact, she had been up there earlier and when she got out of the elevator, the door stayed open until she had made her delivery and came back. I believed it. We were staying on 6. Anyway, made me wonder if I need to set my next book in this town. It has a lot of kinetic energy and something more…something supernatural…floating around…I love it.
1/24/2019: The universe is sending me signs again. This time about Rue and about her being blind. Just watched something on CBS Sunday morning about a blind runner. And it just seems like I can’t stop writing Rue’s story.
2/15/2019: A few years ago, I’m on a plane reading Charles Dicken’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood and I realize the date in the book is exactly 150 years to the day from this day when I happen to be on a plane reading this exact book at this exact moment in the story where it says the date and I calculate it in my head and realize it’s exactly 150 years ago. Talk about a tingle up my spine – I remember feeling an entire chill course through my body! These incidents happen to me – these frequent “coincidences” – over the course of my entire life as I read books and now as I write books – why? What do they mean? What should I do about them? Write about them?
The First Entry Where I Try to Fully Articulate my Bibliointuitive:
3/10/2019: So, I’ve been lightly testing out my theory about these coincidences. I’m reading No Highway, a random book from the 40s I found on a best-of list on Amazon. I checked-it-out of the library the other day. The book is by Nevil Shute, who I love, and have read two others – A Town Like Alice and On the Beach – both excellent. No Highway, which is all about planes, plane engineering, and potential plane issues that could lead to a crash, and then Scott and I hear an Ad on the TV about a new Amazon Prime series called The Widow. We know nothing about it, we’ve never watched a series on Amazon before, and we start watching and of course, it’s about two blind people and a plane crash. Double-bibliointuitive (Rue – more stuff about people who are blind, and No Highway – about a plane crash!). Then today I start watching American Idol, which I DVR’ed last Sunday, and there it is – a blind girl who sings like an angel (much like Rue!) and it makes me cry. Anyway, maybe I’m reading too much into things (literally reading too much!). I know it’s crazy. But this has been happening to me as long as I can remember – I read a book about something, you name it, whatever random thing it is, and then other things, people, shows, Ad, books, church talks, etc. start to happen related to the current book I’m reading. And now, these things happen related to the book I’m writing. Before I started writing (nearly 3 years ago), it would happen even more frequently with whatever I was reading. I finally realized God and Sue Lynne were telling me to WRITE a book instead of just reading it. Then these stories all came to me, in my head, like specks of dust in my eye – specks that I can’t get rid of. Yes, an irritant, but also, a joy. They keep coming to me! I have to do something with them. So, here I go. Write, write, write, and hope one day God will execute the plan he has for me. I mean, I’m already mid-way through his plan, I get that, but what does the rest of it look like? Do I ever get published or does this all just stay stuck in my head?
3/12/2019: Turned on the Today show this morning and the first words out of Savannah’s mouth were about a plane crash in Ethiopia and how it was the same Bowing 737 type of plane (Max 8) as a crash last year and how now they’re debating grounding all of those 737s. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I’m halfway through No Highway, which is all about a potential flaw in the tail of the Reindeer planes and how they can’t decide if they should ground those planes or not and the moral and financial dilemma faced by everyone involved. #Biblio #Scary #Did my Biblio cause a plane crash?
3/15/2019: Every day, more about the plane crash that I caused. They finally grounded all flights. I’m trying to finish No Highway quick, so I can move onto the next book in hope that it won’t cause any more Biblios. Holy crap.
3/18/2019: Logged in this morning and of course, the Google symbol is all about the guy who invented the raised street dots for the blind (the truncated domes). Seiichi Mikate. More blind stuff – for my Rue Biblios. Luckily, I haven’t heard any more about plane crashes. Probably because I’m done reading No Highway.
4/7/2019: Started Bibliointuitive today. It came to me during a walk, how to start it. I’m not sure where it will go. Page 1 is done. Of course, I haven’t finished Rue, but I’m still seeing blind people in everything every day – last night we watched a movie I had never seen or heard of before called Road House with Patrick Swayze. Of course, there was a blind guitar player in it.
4/19/2019: Another week down in the books. Literally and figuratively. Writing this week wasn’t horrible. Biblio is coming along nicely – still only in Chapter 1, but I haven’t had to agonize over a single thing yet – it’s all just there when I sit down at my trusty computer. Strange – the whole thing – the story – the concept – the writing inside of a circle which is inside of a circle inside of a circle. Blowing my mind actually. Thankfully or not thankfully – not sure yet which – the signs from the books I’m reading have stopped – so I know now that is because I started writing Bibliointuitive. I guess I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer…I was trying to force myself to finish Rue first, but then I realized why wait? I can work on two books at once.
4/22/2019: Great weekend. I took two naps on Saturday! I finished one of the chapters of Bibliointuitive – all about Sue Lynne’s 9 lives, and of course, one of the first words out of Pastor Phelps mouth on Sunday at service was some random story about Harry Houdini and his “nine lives” like a cat. I mean, seriously? I don’t remember the last time I’ve heard anyone speak about 9 lives and the moment I finish writing the words, they’re in the mouth of a completely unrelated person. This is MY Biblio! And why I’m compelled to write this story!
4/26/2019: Friday. I made it through the week. I listened to Mobituaries podcast on the way here – the one on Sammy Davis Jr. and wouldn’t you know, this morning, I turn on recorded Dateline this morning and it’s about the murder of a son of the guy who owned the hotel in Miami where the Rat Pack played – and there was a big photo of Sammy Davis Jr. and the other 3. Not Biblio because no book, but still….so unrelated…and yet connected through me, and oh, btw, Sammy Davis Jr was blind in one eye.
5/6/2019: Great weekend! Author pilgrimage weekend to Gene Stratton-Porter home, Limberlost. Got up and drove there, having my own Biblio along the way – a big sign that said “VERA CRUZ” right after I finished reading the first chapter of Ship of Fools all about Veracruz, Mexico. Of course.
5/17/2019: I had to two Biblios yesterday, which doesn’t surprise me since I have been neglectful of my writing lately and whenever I do that, they come back hot and heavy – the usual drum beat to tell me to get crackin! The first: Went to a work conference yesterday, and the first speaker talked right away about the definition of “matter” and how people matter. I felt the hair on my head tingle. I had just written the beginning of Chapter 2 about how Riley looks up the word “matter” in the dictionary. The speaker even said the exact same definition I had just written! Crazy! Then last night, I was home alone, and I had just finished watching a movie on the DVR when it flipped off and there was the final question to Jeopardy on channel 13 – something about who said, everyone must come from somewhere. And the answer was Alex Haley – Roots! And I had just re-written the title of Rue to potentially be Ruets (roots!).
9/4/2019: Biblio, just started reading Tarzan of the Apes (for the first time, believe it or not) and we’re out for drinks with Tom last night and he brings up Tarzan out of the blue! He was talking about religion and how can anyone hold someone accountable to know about the bible and if they grew up like Tarzan on a desert island with no access to books.
10/23/2019: Down in Florida for the week. I haven’t written a word, so had a Biblio: Reading Colleen McCullough’s Bittersweet, which I had never heard of before – found it in the library. Love it, almost done with it. Then I’m trying to watch something new on my streaming services and lo and behold the first thing I click on is McLeod’s Daughters, with a plot about two Australian sisters – same as Bittersweet, twin daughters from a rector in Australia. Alas, the book is much better than the series though.
10/24/2019: I had a Biblio weird thing yesterday morning, in the story, I changed the “large pink glasses” on Mrs. Peters to large red “Sally Jessy Raphael” glasses and wouldn’t you know it, I’m watching E! Daily Pop during my lunch and there is a question where the answer is Sally Jessy Raphael. When was the last time I thought of Sally Jessy Raphael before yesterday? Maybe 25 years ago and then twice in the span of two hours.
11/13/2019: Biblio: Just finished reading Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. It was good, although a little too dark for me. Anyway, as I finished it, sure enough, I turn on the TV to watch the last 5 minutes of E! News and they’re talking about the book and how it took 11 years to get the movie made. I recorded the movie, but haven’t watched it yet – I think I’m afraid to based on the depressing aspect of the book. Maybe this weekend.
12/1/2019: Biblio: So the other day when I spent all night thinking about a new first chapter (the 7 minutes in the closet chapter), I was thinking about writing the scene during Halloween and make it a haunted basement, but then my story wouldn’t work out because I had already written that it was near xmas for Riley when she was still in the cast. Anyway, so then I thought, it will have to be an enchanted forest of xmas trees instead, so the timing will work out. So that’s what I wrote (an enchanted forest winter scene). Then not 8 hours later, out of the blue, the grandbabies tell me we HAVE to go see Frozen II, which apparently just came out, so we go – and the entire movie is about an enchanted forest.
2/25/2020: Another strange Biblio: Started writing the chapter where Riley meets Jane and of course, I modelled her after a girl from my high school – a very studious, adorable girl who was quiet and shy and kind. So, I’m home in NY last week and I’m eating breakfast with Eric and Nicole and the kids, and I ask them if they ever see anyone from Spencerport and Nicole says, Oh yeah there’s one lady in Ian’s school who’s a teacher’s aid. Ian, do you remember her name? Ian thinks for a minute and says, “XYZ?” And Nicole says yes! And I said, omg, do you mean XYZ? It was HER, the girl I had just written an entire chapter about. I literally hadn’t spoken her name or heard a single thing about her since 1988 and wtf, I write a chapter about her and there she is about 5 days later being spoken of by my nephew, out of the blue, no prompting.
5/12/2020: Two biblios strong this morning in the span of 10 minutes. So this morning, I went downstairs to play with the boys for a bit in between meetings, when they started a New Orleans style parade with a tambourine and stick and maracas, it was so cute and I said, you’re making me a New Orleans parade! Then I came upstairs and went through some jewelry I had stashed in a Rubbermaid tote, so I found this perfectly blue and perfectly empty Tiffany’s box that I have no use for and that I don’t even remember why I have or what used to be in it, so I throw it in the trash. Well, I sit down for 2 minutes to start the new book I’m reading called How to be Lost and in the first page it takes about Tiffany’s and about New Orleans.
5/28/2020: Started reading The Alchemist yesterday on the beach – WOW. Too weird because I had several Biblios already with this book and that just makes me think I am destined to read this book about fate and destiny and your “personal legend” (your personal purpose for life) right now, right here, right when I need it. And right before I publish Rue (I hope!). Kira’s been editing and then onto the next step of designing a cover and formatting it in book form. I’m not sure what happens next after that, but following the steps, knowing everything (like the Alchemist says!) happens in its own time and by its own steps. Basically, the same quote from the Bible I’ve been saying in my head for 5 years – “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy path.”
Anyway, the two Biblios right away in The Alchemist: (1) Last night we watched some James Bond movie with Daniel Craig and one of the first locations in the movie was “Tangier” as it said in big bold letters on the screen. Scott said, “Where is Tangier?” and I said right away (as if I really knew!): “In Morocco, the northwest corner of Africa.” Then I said, “Well, I think anyway, I don’t really know for sure.” Then I googled it and sure enough, I was right, which is crazy (I thought) because I have no idea how I knew that. So, on the beach today, I start reading The Alchemist and guess where the main boy ends up in the story? Tangier. (2) I had just written in my Notes yesterday that I had a dream about Bobbi that night, and I guess I was still wondering what that was all about, since it was my first one about her since she died and she was so real and pretty and young and fresh in the dream (very similar to a poignant dream I had about Sue Lynne many years ago that still sticks with me, her big brown eyes especially). Anyway, I was still thinking about that on the beach, when I read in The Alchemist a quote from page 15, I can’t remember the exact words, but something about Dreams being the language of God. Which is basically what I was thinking about the Bobbi dream – that it came from God.
6/4/2020: I wanted to mention a big Biblio. We flew back from Florida on Monday night, and I had just finished reading The Alchemist on the beach, so I started The Touchstone by Edith Wharton on the plane ride. Keep in mind, I randomly picked both of these books from my tub of a books at the lake, simply because the library’s been closed because of COVID, and I don’t have access to any other books right now. I had to scrounge through the tub to find books I hadn’t read yet – there aren’t many, but I selected these two because they were toward the top of the pile. Anyway, I get to page 34 in The Touchstone and what does it talk about but Alchemy and the making of gold (which is a major theme of The Alchemist). Prior to reading The Alchemist, I had ZERO notion of alchemy and of the making of gold or other elements, such a strange new topic, I thought while reading it, what is this stuff all about and why does the author assume it is something for all the world to know and be familiar with, and then here is another book, written 60 years before referring to the same thing! And I, Amy Q Barker, am reading both books, one after the other, together in time, right now, here in 2020. #Biblio
7/25/2020: Biblio (not book related) – last night some people came up to us in the boat, while we were swimming out front, and chatted with us for a while. Anyway, they mentioned about the new comet that’s been up in the night sky lately – about how you have to go out in the boat about an hour after sunset and then you can see it off to the northwest. So I started watching this series called When Calls the Heart and wouldn’t you know it, the show is about Halley’s comet.
7/28/2020: Btw, writing-Biblio if I haven’t mentioned it before now – with Rue – of course I wrote about San Fran and the fact that Josh is originally from Arizona (why? I’ve never been there!), and yet I select an editor (Kira) out of the blue on a website I’ve never used before based solely on her photo (her experience was NOT related – she worked only in the non-fiction world before me), and yet Kira is perfect for me – like a glove – and she lived in San Fran for 5 years and she currently lives in Tucson, AZ. How does that happen unless things with Rue were meant to be?
9/24/2020: Thought of a good Biblio – when I gave Svetlana my copy of the Holocaust Diaries – and afterwards found out she grew up in the same town! Also, another Biblio, just finished reading The Nightingale, also about WWII and I keep seeing things on TV about Hitler’s SS, etc.
11/5/2020: Been having a few Biblios lately, but this one this morning struck me. I’ve been struggling with what to read as I’m here in Florida. I was going to bring a bunch of books from home, but since Allegiant only allows bags at 40 lbs., I ended up only bringing one book, The Kite Runner, which so far I hate. Who wants to read about sodomy rape of a 12-year-old boy—WHO?? How is this a best seller?!!! Makes my flesh crawl. Anyway, so instead, I started looking through the books that renters have left in our condo, and I first picked up and read Midwife of Venice, which I enjoyed – nice easy beach read. Now I’m reading No Country for Old Men, and I love me some good Cormac McCarthy. Anyway, last night’s read (at the Cottage for dinner) – page 63ish—was about this character’s thoughts on the death penalty, well, more explicitly, watching people die that way. Anyway, at the same time, since I’ve been here in FL, I’ve started watching the first season of The West Wing on Netflix, which is sooo good, I can’t believe I never watched it before! Anyway, the episode this morning first thing? All about the death penalty and if the president should stay this execution or not. The episode is titled something about The Sabbath.
12/21/2020: Other unrelated Biblio, wrote on my Instagram about the Road Less Traveled with my black-and-white photo of our tree tunnel up on the hill. The day I posted it, Scott and I were watching an episode of Seinfeld and sure enough, he mentioned something about the Road Less Traveled. Another strange Biblio was that I wrote in Punk something about Didi’s hope chest, which of course, I completely made up…well, sure enough, while Aunt Linda was reading the book, she sends me a picture of her mother’s actual hope chest! She still has it. The other thing going on, related to Rue, is that The Cliff House is closing after 157 years, which makes me sooooo sad!! Where will Rue go when she wants to get away…where will Roy go?
1/10/2021: On another note, on the writing side, I have been negligent, as far as being fearful to start back up with Biblio. I’m about 90% confident that this is the next book I should work on with Kira, but it’s a total mess right now and not even 50% done, so then I get scared to work on it. Plus with Punk about to launch, I’m devoting ALL of my time to that until it’s up and running, then I can come back to Biblio. But it’s almost like I want to finish Biblio first because the whole premise of the story is so unique, and I don’t want anyone else to snatch up it from me before I’ve had a chance to publish it. Granted, how would that happen? I don’t know, but that IS my worst fear. Not to mention, Biblio IS actually based on ME and my life and how I ended up here in my life right now with my books and with my strange tie to books and life. How could anyone else steal that? Right? I hope not, but I fear it sometimes.
1/31/2021: Finished Jane Eyre for the umpteenth time and of course, all about Mr. Rochester right as I’m launching a book all about Rochester (Punk).
2/8/2021: Biblio – we started watching this new series on Netflix called Longmire. Of course, the main character (Longmire) calls his daughter “punk” and there is an episode where he leaves a letter for her addressed “Punk” – right as I was working on the publishing and promotion of Punk.
3/5/2021: Friday. Made it through another week. Yesterday I heard one of my favorite Biblio songs in the car ride: Let My Love Open the Door. I thought about it a lot, about how it was such a good song to select for the Josh & Rue meet-cute, and how that was how it all began –the Rue story and my writing story (as I cried, I always cry when I hear it) that this is what I’m supposed to be doing, regardless of what anyone thinks, this is WHO I am, this is me. I was meant to think of that song for that book at that time to make that story work, and I’m meant to be here at this time, working out all of the details of my new story, Bibilo, in the timing that is right and in the way that is right, for me, and no one else.
3/8/2021: Yesterday morning, had a Biblio with Rue. All weekend, I was debating about doing a Goodreads Giveaway with Rue, when out of the blue, I see that this girl who I sent a copy of Rue to 6 months ago for an Instagram review has just NOW published her review—which was a good one (4/5). Anyway, that was nice…so basically, my whole head was filled with Rue all morning and then Scott logs into Colonial Hills service and there on the screen is a slide of a Tree Tunnel – which is, of course, is the cover of Rue – and Scott says (NOT knowing that my head had been full of Rue all morning) – honey, look, there’s Rue! It was so cute – the fact that he is so in tune with me or that Rue was so much in the energy yesterday – they he saw that and said it out loud. I laughed and said, yep, look at that! And of course, I thought: Biblio!
3/15/2021: Biblio last week – finished reading Gene Stratton-Porter’s Keeper of the Bees, and of course, everywhere was bees, bees, bees. Watching the 4th or 5th season Great British Baking Show and there was Kim-Joy making so many decorations with little bees and then came along a real-life little bee to land on one of her decorated bees.
4/28/2021: Biblio for today – I just yesterday (in the story) added a few words about Jurassic Park and how certainly there would be no Biblio (for Riley or for me!) because what are the chances that something to do with dinosaurs would come up? Well, I log into Instagram and see a screenshot – on the cover is a big dinosaur – one of the Instagrammer is reading this book and posted a picture of it (all-books-great-and-small – her handle).
5/25/2021: It is Tuesday at 11:13am and I have just finished writing Bibliointuitive and wrote the words “The End” exultantly and with the joy of a good work rendered!
6/2/2021: A Biblio from yesterday. I just finished reading this book (second in a series) called Wild at Heart by KA Tucker. Anyway, when I read the first book (The Simply Wild) I noticed that she named her main character Calla and I was thinking how I didn’t love that name because it’s a flower and an unusual name, but I love the books anyway. But then last night, Bob and Melody and Rob and Julie and I went to the Porthole for dinner/blues-jam and what is one of the first thing Melody brings up? How she had a credit on QVC and so she ordered a box of Calla Lilies and then the PO told her there was another box of lilies waiting for her (that she didn’t order!). Anyway, she called QVC and they couldn’t explain it (the shipping or the extra box) and neither could the PO, so long story short, she has been inundated with Calla Lilies.
7/8/2021: See my video blog and other notes from my Digital Detox week – so far, it’s been the MOST amazing week! I have to record here the number of Biblios and other coincidences I had at the Gene Stratton-Porter house yesterday. First, my tour guide, Sarah, was amazing – somehow, an instant connection with her, from the first words out of her mouth. She told me, among other things:
Gene liked to publish her works on or around her birthday, just like me!
She said she had been looking into her own grandmother’s story and so I told her about Punk.
Then she mentioned how they speculated that Gene wrote the book Harvester Man (my favorite!) about this house (Rome City lake house), but it was written BEFORE it was ever built, and Sarah says innocently, “What do you call it when you dream something before it happens, and write about it, and when you write about it and then you make it happen.” My jaw nearly hit the floor.
I looked away, thinking, holy crap, do I tell her about Bibliointuitive? No one else knowns, except Kira! But I figured, YES, this is a sign, so I said, “I actually have a word for that, it’s Bibliointuitive, which is the name of the book I’m about to publish!” Then I explained the premise of the book and how it was still secret right now, but that me having this conversation with her at this moment in time was probably also a Biblio for me and that I would never forget it!
Anyway, that opened up a whole new conversation that kept going all day. It was coming in so fast that now I’m blanking on all the Biblios and things I had in common with Sarah and with Gene.
Gene had a notebook of words/expressions that she liked to use in her books (I took photos) that explained the meaning behind words that were confusing. I have my “expressions” Word doc that I reference all the time.
I live on a lake house in the woods and use it to write in peace and in nature, so did Gene.
Gene got up and wrote for 3 hours every morning before beginning her day (also just like me!).
She preferred to write non-fiction, but the fiction made the money, so she wrote more fiction (this was not a Biblio, but still interesting to me). For a woman of that era to be SO scientific and technical was RARE and just one of the AMAZING things about her.
Sarah said she had a friend who suggested when writing to first sit down and do a stream of consciousness, spewing it out quickly before beginning to focus and write. I said, this is exactly what I do most mornings (write here under these Notes, then get to the book itself).
Sarah asked me what book I was reading right now, and I said the Promise of Provence by Patricia Sands, which I thought was perfect for this trip because it’s about a woman who travels to France by herself and is experiencing everything for the first time there, and I feel a little like that too, traveling here to Rome City/Fort Wayne by myself and having to find everything myself, and how wonderful that is!
7/12/2021: My latest Biblio: I’m reading Patricia Sands’ The Promise of Provence, a sleepy romance about a woman who goes through a divorce and decides to spend a vacation doing a home exchange in Provence. Here’s the weird part – I learned about this book because I was researching author interviews and came across this FB page that’s all about traveling and reading (Bookish Road Trip) which of course, I’m ALL about. Anyway, they interviewed Patricia Sands, who lives half the year in France and half the year in Canada (which is kind what her books are all about), but here’s where the weird Biblio happened. I bought this book and started reading it, and about a day into it, Scott tells me we have to go to a funeral in Bloomington for an old college buddy of his, whose wife just died in an accident. So we get to this funeral – which is more like a celebration of life at an art gallery, and I don’t know anyone – I don’t know the husband or the woman who died or any of the people, except a few of Scott’s other college buddies that I’ve met once or twice. Anyway, I learn that the husband and wife, lived in France half the year and do bike tours in Provence and surrounding areas, including biking with people around the Tour de France. When we talked to the husband, he said they lived very close to Avignon and started the business 20+ years ago. So, then this book of course is all about a woman who loves to bike who goes to Avignon, Provence, France to rejuvenate her life after the divorce, including starting to bike again!
8/6/2021: Biblio – As I added the dates for the book Jurassic Park referenced in Bibliointuitive, turned on NetFlix to watch the “Movies That Made Us” and of course, one of them is Jurassic Park.
I think we’re all caught up—now you get the idea of what I mean by “bibliointuitive,” so I hope you enjoy the book and don’t forget to tag me when you have your own Biblios and hashtag #bibliointuitive #mybibliointuitive
Thanks everyone, love you, Amy
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