“A Storyboard Life” just received an Editor’s Starred Review (a ⚡️ in this case) in the highly influential American book review magazine, BookLife!

Simply put, this is everything a writer dreams about: an editor who ‘gets’ you, sees what you’ve done, and calls it out for others to notice.

[Sidenote: It has been suggested I get this quote “…captures both the unpredictability and the serendipitous coherence of existence, with artistic inspiration as a through line” tattooed on my body. If you know me, it won’t surprise you to know I am giving that serious thought 😂]

This review will be syndicated out to online retailers and database services like Gale and OverDrive and other places ‘where readers, booksellers, and librarians go to look for the next big book.’ It’s all very exciting.

⚡️

Last week I was also interviewed by on her popular and resource-rich Substack, “Make Writing Your Life” (35K+ subscribers).

Amy and I met in Tuscany last April on a creativity/writing retreat. The difference in our ages fell away as we bonded over our working-in-television experiences and our entrepreneurial love of creating our own opportunities, both in work and in writing.

My interview with Amy gave me the opportunity to share some fun behind-the-scenes insights from “A Storyboard Life.” Here’s the link to our conversation.

⚡️

On top of all of this, we have gone from double digits to triple digits in book sales and “A Storyboard Life” now has 9 ‘global’ 5-star ratings!!

For those of you who have written one, thank you very much! I get ridiculously excited over each one. I know they won’t all be 5-stars so I’m enjoying this perfect little streak while it lasts.

(If you’ve read “Storyboard” and would like to share your own thoughts (whatever they are), please jump on Amazon and join the conversation.)

⚡️

Lastly, and most importantly, my thanks to all of you for being ‘the wind beneath my wings’ over the past two years as we’ve traveled this path together. You’ve read the story frames, you’ve responded, you’ve pointed out the typos and the confusing bits, and you’ve cheered me own. It difficult to express how much it means to me to have had you by my side throughout all of the stories. Thank you 💐

Do you remember the story of that young woman crying on the park bench because she'd just lost her job a few weeks before Christmas and she was six months pregnant? I posted that story on Substack just over two years ago, on March 13, 2024—when “A Storyboard Life” was barely a wisp of an idea.

And look where we are now!

That tale became the prologue to this collection of ‘story frames’ which eventually became a published book that you can now hold in your hands.

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

My next book, “Lions, Peacocks & Lemon Trees”—the tale of how a trail of old letters led to a series of unexpected adventures in Africa, Portugal & Italy—will be published in 2027.

(But you can follow along now if you don’t want to wait another year 😉)

When marketing your own book, the collective wisdom suggests finding similar books and checking out who gave them a positive review to see who might be inclined to take an interest in what you’ve written.

And so a few months back, just for grins, I asked ChatGPT what memoirs might be similar to mine. It responded (not too surprisingly) with the usual heartfelt female tales of adventures like “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed and “Eat Pray Love” by Liz Gilbert.

But what did surprise me was the book that topped the list of suggestions—“Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner.

Wait, what?! An Asian American memoir by the indie rockstar, musician and singer, ‘Japanese Breakfast'??

I downloaded it immediately and listened to it. To my surprise, I liked it—a lot. As in, I found it so fresh and compelling, I bought a copy to have on my shelves after I’d already paid to listen to it. Yes, that’s right, I bought it twice.

As I read/listened to “Crying in H Mart,” I pondered why the algorithm had made this particular suggestion.

Unlike Zauner, I did not grow up mixed-race, but I did grow up living in and straddling different cultures. As with Zauner’s memoir, mine also deals with some mother issues (minus the food.) And although we’re completely different ages, both our memoirs are tales of loss and endurance, humor and heart, and female creative ambition fueled by anecdotes and stories.

So well done, ChatGPT, this pairing is super intriguing to me.

What about you, have you read “Crying in H Mart?” If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, as well as any other comparable memoirs to “A Storyboard Life” that come to mind.

[Btw, Michelle’s just getting started on Substack if you’d like to follow her.]

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

How you see yourself as a writer is all important.

Are you an author? Are you a writer? What’s the difference between the two? Perhaps you’re something else, a different label.

I found my label unexpectedly on a cool and cloudy October 6, 2009, on what would have been my father’s birthday, (were he still alive). I was in Denmark, wandering through Isak Dinesen’s historic house along Strandvegen, just north of Copenhagen.

After her death in 1962, Blixen’s house was turned into what the Danes call an “authentic author home.” (I love that term—it begs the question, are there unauthentic author homes out there?) “Rungstedlund” also has a lovely café, the kind that is softly lit with daytime candles in the Scandinavian style. Dark grey walls, modern blonde furniture, white ceilings and accents. Fresh, hot coffee. And lots of glass—windows that look over a bird sanctuary and gardens on one side, and on the other, hundreds of boats with bright blue canvas covers on their sails bobbing in the water at their slips.

My Danish grandmother and mother loved the writings of Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen. My mother gave me her books when I was a teenager. All three generations of us loved and gravitated to her unusual stories about the Danish experience of living in Africa.

That day in October, I wandered slowly through the rooms, taking in her simple wooden writing table by a window in a green walled room, the vintage colorful Danish plates circling an old mirror, the long soft white lace curtains.

But what interested me more was the A-framed modernized fresh addition with its open spaces, large wooden beams painted white, and Louis Poulsen lighting that housed the museum of her life. Books, photographs, art, and other ephemera showcased more lively and intriguing aspects of the author in a contemporary setting.

Among them, I saw a blown-up photo of Isak Dinesen, taken towards the end of her life. The black and white photography accentuated her large dark eyes.

There was a simple quote on the photo: “Jeg er an fortæller.” I am a story teller.

These four words resonated. That’s the moment I recognized exactly who I was and what I wanted to be forever.

Yes, I am an author, travel writer, and memoirist.

But in my heart, I am simply a story teller ❤️

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

Bill Turner is an amazing artist.

He’s pictured here, back in 2010, at an Asheville art festival, painting one of his signature beautifully rendered, mysterious roads.

“Where does the road go?” I once asked him.

“Wherever you want it to,” he replied.

Bill taught taught me a valuable lesson. I think of it as “the artist’s shrug.”

While he was in town that weekend, I’d set up an appointment with the owner of one of the largest art galleries in Asheville to see if he might be interested in representing Bill’s work. At the appointed time, we pulled up in his van, and Bill brought several large canvases into the gallery. Unfortunately, the owner of the gallery took a polite pass on representing him.

I was devastated. Bill’s art sells well and I’d been certain his art would be accepted there.

I started apologizing to Bill but to my surprise, he just shrugged it off.

“Aren’t you disappointed?” I asked him.

“Not really,”he said, with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Here’s the thing, Kristin,” he explained. “Either they like it or they don’t. You have a 50/50 chance. That’s all it is.”

I’ve been thinking about Bill’s shrug as I’ve launched my memoir out into the world. What will readers think? Will they like it? I’ve been an anxious new book mom, clucking and fretting, running potential scenarios out in my mind.

And then I think about Bill. And his sense of calm. I remember that shrug of his artist’s shoulders.

Either they will or they won’t. There’s a 50/50 chance readers will like it.

And when you think about it, those are actually pretty good odds.

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

I can’t remember the last time I was a ‘hot new’ anything! 😂

But hey, it’s great to be #1!

And, in TWO categories!

It’s also lovely to have a couple of 5-star reviews already 🥳

Thanks to each of you for your support in this adventure, especially to those of you who’ve already purchased a copy of “A Storyboard Life” — you really are the wind beneath my wings.

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

In the midst of the cyclone of all that happened in the world at large last week, two things happened to me personally that stood out from all the other noise:

1. I (accidentally) published my book, “A Storyboard Life” and,

2. I read an article in the New York Times about the publication woes of the novel, “Murder Bimbo” by Rebecca Novack.

These two events may seem unrelated, but in my sideways-thinking mind there was a connection. Well, perhaps not a connection per se, but rather the germ of an interesting idea.

“Murder Bimbo” is a satire. It tells the story of a sex worker who assassinates a right-wing politician. (Writing about it for the Times, Elizabeth A. Harris takes pains to point out the novel “skewers all its characters, not just those on one political side, and they aren’t modeled on real-life figures.”)

Published by Simon & Schuster, pre-release galleys of the book arrived last August at the publisher’s midtown Manhattan offices. Galleys are paperback copies printed before final publication and sent to booksellers, influencers, and the media to drum up early interest and buzz. On the cover of each book—in boldface capital lettering—were the words: “SOMEBODY HAD TO DO IT.”

A few weeks after the galleys went out, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated.

A similar convergence of events had happened to me a decade or so ago when I was publicizing a documentary called “Tattooed Under Fire.” Filmed in Killeen Texas, it was scheduled to air on PBS stations all over the country the same week the Fort Hood shootings happened. In our case, the timing was lucky because we had a documentary airing that profiled the lives (and body art) of the soldiers at Fort Hood. Viewers gained empathetic insights into the kinds of individuals the victims were.

But in the case of the timing of the Kirk assassination and the release of “Murder Bimbo,” it was a publisher’s and a publicist’s nightmare.

Curious, I read on and saw this:

I had to read that line in the middle twice, maybe three times.

Simon & Schuster—the publishing company co-founded by musician Carly Simon’s father—mails out 800 galleys to booksellers!? And this is just the start of their efforts?

How on earth can I possibly compete with that kind of marketing might and budget?

Reading further, I discovered author Rebecca Novack grew up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and upon graduation from college, spent four years working toward her priesthood in the Episcopal Church.

Wait a minute—the author of “Murder Bimbo,” a novel about a sex worker killing a politician, started out as a priest?? (I wondered what author Madeline L’Engle’s thoughts might be on that….)

Novack says she changed her mind about going to a divinity school graduate program when she saw the price tag—at least $150,000. She walked away from the priesthood and found work in academic and technical publishing instead. And in her spare time, she wrote novels, five of which have apparently gone no further than her computer.

She says she began writing the sixth one, “Murder Bimbo,” during the Biden administration, well before the 2024 assassination attempt on President Trump.

Last night, I went to bed with that taunting number—800 galleys—burned into my forehead, mocking me in my dreams throughout the night. How in the world can an indie author compete with that kind of marketing budget?

This morning, while brewing a cup of coffee I saw a cheery Facebook message from a friend who’d just received my book. She’s the second person to buy it. Another friend also received my book yesterday, thanks to a mistake I made in the timing of the release. They both sent me photographs of my book—the book I haven’t even yet seen! 😂

Even though I’d checked and re-checked it a dozen times, I realized I’d accidentally hit ‘publish’ instead of ‘schedule-pre-release’ when finishing up the long form Amazon requires you to fill out. And now, here were photos of two of my friends holding copies of my book before I even saw the author proofs!

Pondering this, after the restless night of “800 galleys,” I realized I needed a viral plan. And what popped into my mind next were these words:

I told two friends about it, and they told two friends about it—and so on, and so on, and so on.”

If you are old enough to recall the Faberge Organics shampoo commercial with Heather Locklear [the above image of it was the best I could find], you may remember it conceptualized the idea “going viral”—two friends at a time.

It revealed the simple insight by which to measure a product’s success: referrals.

“Referral data is the ultimate truth-teller,” Jerry McLaughlin wrote in a Forbes Magazine article about the commercial back in 2012. Of course, sometimes the truth is a harsh one. If your referrals aren’t happening, then neither is your book. And that’s that. But referrals can also bring good news, he says. He calls them “the beating heart of a well-built brand.”

And so, I have decided to use Faberge shampoo as my marketing model. Estimating the powers of two—if I’m doing the math correctly—means that somewhere between the 9th and 10th powers, I will hit 800.

If my first two readers like my book enough to tell two friends, I will get to the second power of 2. And if enough friends and readers like it enough to tell 2 people, “A Storyboard Life” could eventually surpass the 9th power, at which point I will begin to level the playing field in battle for reader attention against the financial might of the Goliath publishing houses.

If you’d like to be part of this fun experiment, and if you would like to also like to have a copy of my book (before I do), I’ve heard you can order one here! 😆

And if you enjoy it, would you please tell two friends?

By the way, after reading the NYT article, I downloaded an audio recording of “Murder Bitch.” Novack’s a great writer and I am already swept up in the story. I can see Jennifer Lawrence playing the main character if they make a film from it, which I have a feeling they will.

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

Hardback and paperback versions will also be available shortly, but in the meantime, for our Kindle lovers, you can be first in line!

Why pre-order? 📚

Pre-orders help authors in a bunch of very real, very practical ways. To begin with, most retailers count all pre-orders as release week sales. This means hundreds (if I’m dreaming) of orders hit all at once! That can boost bestseller list eligibility—and how darn cool would that be?!

The algorithm is watching 😎

Online stores, including Amazon, use pre-orders as performance predictors, which boosts the algorithm’s confidence in your book. Which in turn inspires more prominent placements, recommendations and inclusions in emails, etc.

There are other ways this helps, but most of all, pre-orders give indie authors (like me) a real boost in both emotional support. 🥰

If Kindle’s not your thing, the paperback and hardback version of A Storyboard Life will also be available for pre-order very soon. Like hopefully next week 😅

The cover is a thing of beauty. Even if you don’t read my book, it will look really pretty on your shelves. Or your coffee table. Or in your favorite café. The possibilities are endless….

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

Can you imagine if this happened to my book cover each time someone browsing in a bookstore picked it up and held it in their hands?

It would be so magical and Harry Potterish 🪄

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

Now that I find myself in that squirmy, unfamiliar space between having a written a book—(a very personal one)—and its release out into the world, I’ve been wondering how exactly to “be” in this moment. How to settle the constant stream of what-ifs in my brain and either quiet them down or distract them into something more tangible and productive. (Those of you who’ve already been through this know it’s a BFD.)

This morning, it occurred to me (for reasons unknown) to look into the metaphysics of releasing a new book. What came up was both intriguing and oddly reassuring.

The first words I came across were: “The metaphysics of releasing a new book lives in the space between intention and surrender” as it moves from the author’s abstract thoughts to a concrete form which can be shared with others.

Yes, that’s it exactly! I thought. But how to navigate this weird space?

For more ideas, I turned to the collective hive for inspiration. Here’s the surprising and calming action plan Chatgpt came up with for me:

• Understand your intentions, then stop defending them. The mistake, it said, is projecting that intention into outcomes—trying to imagine or control how the work will be received, rewarded and remembered. “Once intention has shaped the act itself, continuing to defend it becomes anxiety, not purpose.” Great advice.

• Treat this surrender as an active discipline, not passivity. It’s not giving up, it’s the practice of non-interference. After your book’s release, your job becomes to resist the urge to control. For example (according to the collective hive): 1) do not correct every misreading, 2) do not chase every reaction and, most importantly, 3) do not re-author yourself in response to feedback.

Here’s the challenge: True surrender requires as much strength as intention—sometimes more. The practice of letting go. LiTFG.

Suggestion: shift from wondering what does this mean? to simply observing what is happening.

“Intention asks for meaning. Surrender watches phenomena.”

And when reactions arrive—praise, silence, criticism, misunderstanding—“notice them without immediately narrating them into your identity or the work’s worth. Ask yourself instead, what patterns are emerging? What is actually happening in the world, not in my fears?”

Stay in observation mode, rather than self-judgment mode. (Easier said than done, especially for me, but still definitely worth a try.)

• Let feedback inform craft, not self – what Chatgpt calls “the middle path between defensiveness and collapse.” This alone is excellent advice.

“Use responses to refine your skills, not to renegotiate your legitimacy.” Craft can certainly improve and evolve but essence does not need to be renegotiated every time someone disagrees or fails to notice.

Essence does not need to be renegotiated—this could be the most important lesson of all. More specifically,

• If feedback points to clarity, pacing, or structure—listen.

• If it points to taste, projection, or identity—release it.

“Every meaningful act has the potential to be partially misunderstood. This is not a flaw, (this is) evidence that the work has entered other minds.” I love that thought.

Note: if your work were perfectly received, it would be inert—too obvious, too closed, too controlled. Or even worse, completely uninteresting!

Another provocative thought: “Surrender also means allowing your work to be used in ways that may not have occurred to you.” That sounds intriguing.

Know when to re-engage. “Surrender is not permanent abdication” and the moments to step forward might include the following:

• to clarify factual errors

• to speak when silence would distort your ethics

• to create the next work

Guideline: Re-engagement comes from clarity, not reactivity.

Lastly, maintain “a private center of gravity” —not public explanations, but private anchoring practices, such as journaling, walking, playtime, music, time with family, friends and pets. Fall in love. Maybe even start a new book.

Creating this metaphysical game plan has brought a surprising measure of calm this morning. I have a feeling I will be using these thoughts and suggestions daily to stay as grounded as possible during the big unknown ahead of me—which could always be, of course, complete silence. A void.

But somehow, with my new metaphysical awareness, I don’t think that’s what will happen. New ideas have been launched and something will happen once my words and thoughts “enter into other minds.”

I just need to sit quietly with the not-knowing of when and what that will be.

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About Kristin Fellows

From cavorting with dragons in Finland to hiking with elves in Iceland and decapitating strawberries at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Kristin tells stories about the adventures of storytelling. She is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $20 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures, now available on Amazon.com.

You can also support your local independent booksellers by ordering a copy through them, or request one at your local library.

If you’re already read “A Storyboard Life,” thank you! Please share your thoughts, whatever they are, on Amazon & Goodreads.

I have just returned from a two-week Christmas (mostly) solo writing retreat in Southwest France, not far from Bordeaux. The charming cottage to the left is where I read through the entire Storyboard manuscript to check for last minute edits before the interior of the book is finalized by the book design team. With side adventures with friends new and old sprinkled throughout the week, it was a perfect setting in which to do this.

I arrived back home in Portugal to a very cold house and the discovery that while I was away, my computer, all alone in the house, had quietly expired. My manuscript was locked somewhere inside its ghostly memory.

My plan for my first day back in Portugal was foiled. Instead of inserting the new edits and sending my Storyboard ms off to the layout team, I spent the morning at the local mall in Coimbra—along with thousands of post-Christmas Portuguese gift-returners—in search of a new computer.

Later in the day, as I began to figure out how to get my new iMac up and running, and find my precious manuscript, I found myself thinking about my old Mac not with anger or irritation, but with love and appreciation, which surprised me.

I did some calculations. I had bought the old Mac in May 2020, which meant it had been my partner in so many things for more than five and a half years. I thought about how much money I’d earned in those years, income that would not have been possible without it. Amortization-wise, it had cost me less than a dollar a day. One of my best investments ever, I realized.

It got me through the pandemic, enabling me to stay in touch with the world, family, friends, and take enough art history courses to receive a certificate from the Smithsonian Institute. It made possible my work on dozens of documentary film projects and was the repository of my many writings and photos from my last two and a half years in Asheville.

I wrote a book and many stories on that Mac. I used it to create my next adventure: Octopus & Garden Press.

This Mac was my partner in establishing a nook and cranny for myself on Substack, garnering more than 1.2 thousand of you lovely subscribers, plus thousands more followers. It safely stored my 60,000+ photos and helped me plan trips to France (3), Poland (3), Italy (1) along with various parts of Portugal. I planned and executed my move to Portugal on it. It helped me buy my 10 properties in Portugal, then flew across the Atlantic in the belly of a plane (alongside Kiitos) to join me here.

All this and so very much more. It’s been the best partner one could ever dream of having, one who quietly worked like crazy to help me keep up with my racing thoughts, dreams and ideas, keeping me organized and productive until, while I was away, it quietly expired in the last days of the year, possibly from sheer overwhelm and exhaustion.

Now, in its place, there is the Baby Mac—a smaller, more sprightly version of the old iMac, ready to tackle the coming years’ surprises and adventures.

Who knows what we’ll dream up together?

Happy New Year and new beginnings to you all! ✨🥂 ✨

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Kristin Fellows is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, owner of Octopus & Garden Press, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $2 to Two Hundred Documentary Films—The Journey of a Creative Person.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

Despite getting caught up in the farmers’ protests on our long drive back from France this past weekend, and despite running over a huge nail which badly damaged one of my tires just miles before we got to Spain, necessitating an emergency stop at a wonderful French tire repair garage which appeared as if in a dream beside the highway just when I needed it, Kiitos and I arrived back in Portugal two days ago.

After unpacking the car and putting things away, I turned on my computer only to discover it had died a quiet death, alone by itself, while I was away.

And so yesterday, instead of printing out a galley for my first press request, I ended up at the shopping mall buying a new computer, then spending the rest of the day trying to figure out how to transfer all my data—including the galley for Storyboard. These tasks don’t come naturally to me, so it was a rather tense afternoon and evening.

Problems solved (most of them, at least), I am now ready to send (via DHL) a handmade ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) to a media friend in Washington DC tomorrow morning.

If she likes it, it will be a great start to 2026.

No pressures.

Stay tuned for more in the New Year! And thank you all so very much for your support, curiosity and encouragement this past year—it’s meant the world to me and is the reason I now have a finished book in hand. 🥰

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Kristin Fellows is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, owner of Octopus & Garden Press, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $2 to Two Hundred Documentary Films—The Journey of a Creative Person.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

Once again, I have to rave about my fabulous book design team in New Zealand.

How amazing does this look?!

P.s. I had no idea what that simple call to my local PBS station was about to unleash. If you want to know what happens next, you’ll have to buy the book 😉

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Kristin Fellows is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, owner of Octopus & Garden Press, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $2 to Two Hundred Documentary Film Adventures—The Journey of a Creative Person.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

I woke up this morning to an email from my book design team in New Zealand absolutely brimming with a lovely abundance of social media banners and cover reveals.

Can you hear me SQUEALING with delight over here in Portugal??

It’s all so real now.

I feel like the Velveteen Rabbit 🥰

What do you think?? Let me know in the comments!

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Kristin Fellows is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, owner of Octopus & Garden Press, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $2 to Two Hundred Documentary Films—The Journey of a Creative Person.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

In a recent NYTimes interview, actress Jennifer Lawrence revealed that director Martin Scorsese is in a book club!

Wouldn’t you love to be part of that bookclub? Can you just imagine the conversations? I wonder who else is in it and what they’re reading.

I think there’s an art to bookclubs—but how to find the right one for you might be just as tricky and time-consuming as trying to find the right therapist, only a lot less expensive.

Once upon a time, when I was in a relationship with a Southerner, I got into a conversation about books with his aunt in the kitchen of her 3-story lake house.

Her eyes lit up as she regaled me with tales of how wonderful her Atlanta-based book club was. They’d just finished reading the historical time-traveling, romance series Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

When I told her I hadn’t read it, she paused a moment to search the shelves that lined the hallway for a copy to lend me. Paperback in hand, she returned to the kitchen and the topic of her book club.

“Every summer, we take a trip to France together, without our husbands, just to talk about books!” she told me.

“Wow, that sounds like my kind of bookclub!” I said. I’m not a romance novel reader, but hey, France?!

“I’d love to be part of that!” I said.

Her eyebrows arched at me with that particular look of distain Southerners have for those whose families hasn’t lived in the South for generations.

“Honey, somebody would have to die before you could get into my bookclub!” she said.

I guessed that was a hard ‘no.’

Four and a half years after that conversation, I moved to Europe where I now belong to a book club in Portugal. Earlier this year, I spent an amazing week in Tuscany talking about books with author Emma Gannon and fourteen other interesting women from five different countries.

Dreams come true.

Next year, I’ve already booked a retreat in Sicily for writers who enjoy sketching and illustrating their stories.

I would still love to be part of Marty Scorsese’s New York City book club, however— does anyone know anybody in it? 😉

p.s. Scorsese makes an appearance in A Storyboard Life. Perhaps someone will tell him and I can wrangle an invite.

As they say, a girl can dream.

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Kristin Fellows is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, owner of Octopus & Garden Press, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $2 through 200 Documentary Films—The Journey of a Creative Person.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

[All photos from the Tuscany retreat May 2025]

It’s been a busy summer working with my wonderful editors in Lisbon and Switzerland, who took care of the books’ line edit and copy edit. The legal review has been completed in Baltimore. The logo for Octopus & Garden Press was created in Italy.

The subtitle—which took longer to come up with than the entire book took to write— has been finalized. Finally!

On the other side of the world, the book design is nearly done by the creative team in New Zealand and I cannot wait to show it to you!

A package of ISBNs has been purchased and we are now ready to rock ‘n roll.

As I gear up for the promotion for my memoir, “A Storyboard Life” (coming early Dec 2025), it suddenly feels like a good time to curate the perfect accessories for book club appearances, interviews and webinars, don’t you think?

Can you believe I found a ‘storyboarding’ T-shirt?! (above) And how amazing are these earrings? I’m sure both will encourage readers to buy my book 😆

Over the next few weeks, look for the cover reveal and well as Amazon (and other vendors) pre-order information.

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Kristin Fellows is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, owner of Octopus & Garden Press, and author of A Storyboard Life: From $2 through 200 Documentary Films—The Journey of a Creative Person.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

Photo of Kristin by Zoë McGrane

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The New Zealand team has given me their first round of book cover designs. Of the three, I picked this one👇

Just looking at these colors sets off a Pop Rocks sensation in my brain and makes me feel real!

A few tweaks need to be made – like having the profile actually be my profile – and adding in the words “a memoir by,” but overall I think it’s a great start.

Now imagine yourself in a bookstore, looking around for your next read. You might be stuck in an airport, or browsing the shelves at your local indie bookseller, or roaming through your public library.

Would this cover catch your attention? Would it spark your curiosity? Would you pick it up?

Please feel free to share your thoughts with me, including suggestions for improvements.

[p.s. PLEASE do not forward, re-stack or otherwise share this post – this one’s for your eyes only!]

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Kristin Fellows is an award-winning writer, a well-seasoned documentary film consultant, author of A Storyboard Life: How Documentary Films Led to a Life Unscripted, and owner of Octopus & Garden Press.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

Unlike working with traditional publishing, indie publishing gives authors like me the freedom to pick anyone in the world as their publishing team. How cool is that?! I have taken full advantage of that freedom, choosing my team from professionals in New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, and the US.

Here’s the dream team behind getting A Storyboard Life: How Documentary Films Led to a Life Unscripted ready for publication.

• I knew Kathryn Goldman (above) was the right choice for my legal review the moment I saw this photo of her. This is the woman I wanted on my side. Of course, it wasn’t just the photo, she also came highly recommended by another lawyer/author. But I tend to judge my lawyers by the street art they post in front of and whether or not they wear black leather jackets.

• Leslie Hinson – writer, editor, horse lover, pigeon rescuer, yogi, and kindred spirit – Leslie was in charge of my book’s developmental edit, line edit, and “sensitivity” edit. In addition to her credentials, one of the reasons I chose her was that she’s from Nashville. At the time, I was feeling nostalgic for Asheville, just on the other side of the mountains. Then, when she revealed she’d recently moved to Lisbon (!), and was willing to come up to the casa, that sealed the deal. We enjoyed a three-day private retreat at my place, which has to be the most relaxing way possible to experience an edit.

• Damonza, a fantastic book design team in New Zealand will design the book’s cover and overall design. If you look closely, you’ll see that my buddy, Dean Koontz, is a client. I took that as a sign. And besides, I love listening to their accents.

• A talented graphic designer in Italy created the logo for Octopus & Garden Press.

• Lastly, Caroline Smrstik is a US-educated, journalist based in Switzerland who is in the process of setting up my ms in AP or Chicago style, checking for grammar, punctuation and other forms of correctness.

Behind the scenes, I’ve been taking care of the less fun stuff: e&o insurance, EIN registration, securing a domain (p.s. it’s www.octopusandgarden.com) and purchasing a set of ISBN numbers.

After this is done, I’ll have the book set and laid out via Vellum.

And then, wow, it will be time to push the publication button, hopefully this fall (in time for end-of-year gift giving opportunities 😉)

It’s all very exciting and I’m so happy to have your company along this new Octopus & Garden adventure!

With much appreciation to all my subscribers 💗

Kristin

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Kristin Fellows is a published writer, well-seasoned documentary film consultant, author of A Storyboard Life: How Documentary Films Led to a Life Unscripted, and owner of Octopus & Garden Press.

When not writing, Kristin can often be found behind the lens of one of her cameras, exploring a new city, or playing soccer with Kiitos.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

At times, Substack can feel like an echo chamber, filled with advice and admonitions coming in nearly every direction from well-meaning and experienced book publishing/editing/marketing cognoscenti.

One of the tops pieces of advice is do not write a memoir – even though a few quieter voices are noticing that memoir is actually having a moment, in its own way, these days.

Their other rules include:

• Whatever you do, do not be a woman in her sixties. Nobody is interested in you at this age, and nobody will read your stories, especially not anyone younger – a group that grows in size with each passing day.

• Do not serialize your book on Substack! This often comes from a chorus of people who believe writers should be paid, regardless of what they crank out, even if it’s turning their journal entries into newsletters. Of course, it’s nice to get paid, but should we stop writing if we’re not? I don’t think so.

• Most of all, don’t bother sending out queries. The chances you will get an offer are so infinitesimally small, they are less than non-existent. (Sadly, this does seem to be true.)

Ok, then – let’s break the rules.

While A Storyboard Life is a book of engaging, behind-the-scenes tales about working in film and television – at its heart, it’s a memoir. My memoir.

I am writing this in my mid-sixties. Of course, I am! Any earlier, I wouldn’t have had the perspective that working on more than 150 films with hundreds of idiosyncratic filmmakers has provided me.

And yes *gasp* I am serializing it on Substack.

Why?

I do it because it’s exhilarating. More than 80 chapters into this, I still get butterflies of excitement in my head and chest each time I hit the ‘publish’ key. Who will react? What will my readers say? Will they like it? Which story will the connect with? Will new readers find me?

The response to every single story frame has been a surprise. This is so much more fun and entertaining than sending out query letters and getting ignored, rejected, ghosted, or blown off.

I enjoy the live performance aspect of Substack. I love hitting the ‘publish now’ button and seeing that, within minutes, people all over the world are taking a moment to read my latest chapter.

I love seeing the likes and shares. I love reading your comments and reactions. I love that I now have more than 1,000 followers – most of whom I’ve never even met. I love seeing how quickly posts are read. I love watching the blue line metrics rise with each new story, as if racing to beat the previous one.

I love it when readers share my posts or share stories from their own lives that reading my stories triggered. I love it when they tell me they’ve read every single story frame.

When someone responds in a way that suggests they didn’t grasp the gist of what I was trying to convey, I know I need to re-write a passage to help readers better understand. I even love it when sharp-eyed readers correct typos or suggest a re-write of a sentence for clarity. (Think of the time you’ve saved my editors!)

A book just isn’t as interactive in this way. No one says they’ve read every single chapter of your book. But this is what you can actually ‘see’ by serializing it on Substack.

Hopefully, I will also have Storyboard out there in book format this year. But once printed, it becomes a passive process with readers, apart from reviews.

For me, serializing via Substack versus publication is like the difference between a live stage performance versus being part of a movie production.

On stage, you get instant reactions – good and bad – from the audience. They’re right there, in the same space! Whereas when a film is released, unless you attend a live screening, you don’t get to feel the presence of the audience in the same way.

I have experienced both.

When I was in 9th grade, I won the lead role for the school play, much to my surprise, beating out five others. The play was Up the Down Staircase – a title that seemed to ‘set the stage’ (😆) for the rest of my life. I played the role of Sylvia Barret, the teacher in whose classroom most of the action takes place.

Serializing my book on Substack is like being on stage, but happily without the stress of having to remember your lines. There’s that thrill of a responsive audience out there, you can see them right on your screen. They share their gasps, their laughs, their reactions, their hearts and their thoughts in the comments. And, you can watch that little blue line reaching ever upwards.

And so, against current advice, here I am, a woman in her 60s releasing a memoir, frame by frame, on Substack. I’m doing it because I love the process.

In addition to being fearless and foolishly optimistic, film director Mira Nair’s advice to filmmakers (and writers) includes surrounding yourself with people who believe in you.

You – my critical, passionate, empathetic, funny, and wise readers – you are that for me. This will be a better book because of you.

Thank you for reading my stories. 🥰

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Kristin Fellows is a published writer, world traveler, well-seasoned documentary film consultant and author of A Storyboard Life: How Documentary Films Led to a Life Unscripted.

When not writing, Kristin can often be found trying to learn Portuguese or playing soccer with Kiitos.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

[photo of Kristin in Poznań, Polónia by Maria Heflin]

Overwhelmed by the klusterf*ck that traditional publishing appears to be these days, and inspired by none other than Taylor Swift buying back the rights to her own creative work, I decided to avoid the ‘suits’ scenario altogether and publish A Storyboard Life: How Documentary Films Led to a Life Unscripted myself!

These days, I am assembling a team of creatives literally from all over the world to help me do this! I’ll introduce you to them soon.

The name for my indie publishing house has actually been in my head for a few years now. And this past week, a graphic designer in Italy created a logo for me.

Et voilà!

So how did I come up with the name, you may be wondering…

Those who know me know I have a number of tattoos, most of which were inspired by my travels. To come up with the name for my next adventure, all I had to do was look down at my legs!

With a colorful octopus on one, and colorful flowers on the other, it occurred to me some time ago (massive Beatles fan that I am) that my tattoos were kind of a tribute to the song, ‘Octopus’s Garden’ from their 1969 album, Abbey Road.

George Harrison said 'Octopus's Garden' was Ringo's song. “It's only the second song Ringo wrote, and it's lovely. The song gets very deep into the listener's consciousness "because it's so peaceful. I suppose Ringo is writing cosmic songs these days without even realizing it," he said.

The idea for the song apparently came about when Ringo was on a boat belonging to actor/comedian Peter Sellers in Sardinia, Italy. The boat's captain described how octopuses wander along the sea bed picking up stones and shiny objects with which to build gardens.

Ringo loved this and so do I.

I didn’t plan any of my tattoos with his song in mind, but I love the serendipity of it all. And it seemed like a pretty sweet name for my boutique publishing press 💜

Let me know in the comments what you think of my new logo!

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Kristin Fellows is a published writer, world traveler, well-seasoned documentary film consultant and author of A Storyboard Life: How Documentary Films Led to a Life Unscripted.

When not writing, Kristin can often be found listening to someone’s story, behind the lens of one of her cameras, or playing soccer with Kiitos.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com

One of my favorite things about Substack is how much people share of themselves in their responses to something I’ve written.

This is especially true if you’re a memoirista, as I am. When you tell stories from your heart and your life – and people respond with stories from their own hearts and lives, then we are really creating community.

And so it was through telling my own story that I became acquainted with a lovely gentleman named Gary Gruber, an American living in San Miguel de Allende. If you didn’t know him, here’s a little bit about him:

“Gary attended Princeton Seminary and received his PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University. In 1972, he transitioned into private practice as a therapist, counselor, and graduate schoolteacher. At Choate Rosemary Hall, he taught courses in psychology and religion while also serving as chaplain. He later became Head of The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, then the founding Head of the Bosque School in Albuquerque, NM.

Gary was an active educational consultant, a connector of people across many domains, and a deep thinker committed to helping others realize the possibilities in their work and lives-both personally and professionally. He played a key role in the founding and evolution of the Santa Fe Leadership Center.

Gary continued learning and teaching every day. He loved to travel and made new friends almost everywhere he went. He is remembered for his sense of humor, remarkable energy, and spirit of adventure. His advice to others was often simple, direct, and always heartfelt: Tell the truth. Be kind. Always say thank you.”

I either don’t know, or don’t remember, how Gary found my writing, but I’m extremely grateful that he did. His was a warm voice of encouragement to me when I was new on Substack and releasing stories from my life working in film out into the world.

I first heard from Gary April 2, 2024 in response to the fourth chapter in A Storyboard Life, which tells the tale of how a stranger’s shoes inadvertently led me into the world of documentary film.

Great story, Kristin, because it's personally visible, palpable. I connected even more because years ago, I met Jim Moran, and liked him very much, for many reasons, and his evident Irish spirit was but one. I know the story is more about how you connect so well, with people and I like your style and spirit too.

Over the coming weeks, I continued to get positive notes from Gary in response to various chapters. It was as if I had a warm, knowledgeable, and compassionate mentor cheering me on – part professor, part spiritual confessor. We exchanged messages back and forth.

When I shared a trio of work vignettes that included Dave Brubeck, Desmond Tutu and George Stephanopolis and what I learned from them, Gary responded with another note of encouragement.

You have all the right stuff in this piece, Kristin and those folks are special people because they follow the same maxims as you do. This, for example: "Note to self: regardless of how you’re feeling, show up and do your best to be pleasant about it." Would that more folks be as professional to rise above challenges and discomfort to show up. Showing up with your best self is half the show. The other half is having something worthwhile and memorable to offer up to those who are watching and listening. Thanks for another wonderful story.

And then, after sharing a difficult story about dealing with alligators and my sister’s illness, Gary was there with another encouraging note.

You (are) one of the best story tellers on here. No wonder you were a fabulous documentarian! Is that not a word? How about documentarist? Regardless, you write like a portrait painter.

Of all the many wonderful words of encouragement, these may be my favorite. I wrote back to him immediately.

"I write like a portrait painter?" I responded. “Thank you, Gary – I may even frame it. Or paint it!”

Yes! Paint it and then frame it,” he replied. "I see hues of purple and orange but make it your favorite colors and create your own font. Brilliant idea, of which you seem to have many!”

By June, he was responding to nearly every chapter in my memoir. We bonded over such disparate individuals as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way. In response to my experiences on a film shoot in Italy, Gary wrote:

Another beautiful portrait, in words that are sculpted from your experiences. We are fortunate to see both the work of the artist and the artist at work. Thanks, again, Kristin, for pursuing your passions and inviting us along on this journey.

Throughout July and August, Gary kept me company as I shared memories of the last days of my sister’s life.

No words, only tears, blinking them away as I write this … I keep visualizing your story as a docu series that would touch the hearts and spirits of so many. What I think is that you have the gift of writing as a portrait in time. So, whether a book or a film, it's a powerful testimony to love. A palpable portrait!

When I thanked him, he responded,

You, m’dear are the gifted one, with words that carry us to a deeper meaning. For that we are most grateful, and fortunate to have you in our little community here … You have a gift with words, scenes and senses. Plus your goodness, kindness, love and compassion come through like a shining light.

I would argue that it was me – and everyone else he touched – who were the fortunate ones in “our little community here” on Substack.

By the time September rolled around, in response to my story about French kissing my way back to Italy, Gary began suggesting I turn my stories into a film.

Your writing is much more than writing, it is graphic storytelling at its best. I am not sure why I resonate with the descriptions of details as you put them down, something about immediacy, urgency and intimacy maybe? Anyway, I still think your life story has all the ingredients of its own documentary … A visual memoir....obviously I am thinking out loud and wondering if some amazing memoir could become a documentary ... Book into movie, etc.

In late September, in response to a story I shared about my childhood in London, he told me he’d been a principal at one of the schools I’d attended there. Unfortunately, our years didn’t overlap – but what if they had, and then we reconnected 50 years later, on Substack?!

By the end of October, he was cheering me on to the finish line.

It is all in your somehow DNA. Your desire was on fire and you didn't just pull it off. You imagined that it could happen and then you created what you imagined,” he wrote. “At least that's how I think it works when we ‘pull something off’ meaning that we meet or exceed the expectations. There is also some not so hidden talent, skill and determination that helped propel you toward your goal and kept you on track in spite of the enormous challenges of time and putting all the pieces together. Well done, my friend!

Gary often offered encouragement by sharing insights into his own life’s challenges and accomplishments.

Yes … ‘From Imagination to Creation’, it’s quite the journey, as you know well. I have had the good fortune to have ‘pulled off’ a couple of creations from nothing but a dream. Xena Jacques said one day, “Nothing ever was before it was a dream.” I kept that in mind in the process of starting with nothing but a blank page…”

Not long after that, things went quiet. Alarmingly quiet.

I didn’t hear from Gary from mid-December until the end of February. In January, he re-surfaced with a post he’d written on his own Substack, lightly titled “Bump in the Road.”

Some people say take your last sentence and make it the first and write from that perspective. Although this is not the first sentence, it’s where I am as both past and prologue. Such is my life, and yours, when we look carefully at where we are and how we got here. I have been immobile for the past month. It is now January 11 , and I am writing from Room #119 at Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena Campus - Henderson, NV.

I arrived here via air ambulance (Lear Jet 35C) January 3rd ... progressive heart disease is a chronic condition and the recent illness was exacerbated by pneumonia which is being treated and resolved ...How much recovery is possible remains to be seen … One thing we know is that as we get older, getting back on track takes longer.

Not surprisingly, he ended his post by thanking us, his readers.

Thank you for your continuing interest and support, as a reader/subscriber, fellow writer, friend and willing learner. I just completed my first year on Substack. It has been a good journey … Hoping for healthier new year and positive changes, planning for some to begin soon. 🙏🏼

By the end of February, Gary was back on Substack regularly. He responded to my posts with discussions about religion, philosophy and Bill Moyers, whom he’d known.

(Bill) and I had some common experience in our backgrounds by way of being graduates of two different theological seminaries. We had a similar understanding of the human condition and spoke a common language about beliefs, faith and hope. Kristin, you could become our Bill Moyers of tomorrow, as you have many of the same qualities and techniques in your good work. And yes to JOY!

In March, Gary responded to my story about the mountains, flowers of darkness, and Appalachian poetry.

I … regard you as one of my favorite writer/creators … One of the things that contributes to your many faceted brilliance is your attention to detail. You are the perfect example of Mary Oliver's "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." And you have many good ways of telling, sharing and showing. We out here in la la land are the beneficiaries of your gifts.

To be told I reminded him of something Mary Oliver had said was perhaps the greatest gift of the many he gave me.

In early April , in response to my story about my mother’s last days, Gary wrote:

Now THAT is perhaps one of the best, if not THE best storyboard life you have written, or at least among all that I have read, appreciated and enjoyed … I have suggested before that some of your stories would make a good movie and this one qualifies, IMNSHO. Imagine the scenes, the characters and the conversations.

He then went into an interesting aside about epiphanies and how they are often generated by ‘a complex combination of experience, memory, knowledge, predisposition and context.’

That was my last note from him. He’d been with me from chapter 4 through chapter 78 – nearly my entire memoir – encouraging and mentoring me. What an incredible gift. If I have confidence in my writing, it’s largely due to Gary – someone I never even met in person.

Gary’s last post on his “Both Sides Now” Substack was May 14th. He’d known what was coming and had prepared – and prepared us, his readers and friends – for it. He ended with thoughts of gratitude.

We take each day as it comes, and goes, do what we can, while we can, where we are with what we have. Gratitude for all and to all who are staying connected. I had several calls from dear friends and we talked openly about this stage of our lives and what it means for the internal life of the Spirit. One friend suggested boldly to me, “you have touched the divine,” to which I said, “No, the divine has touched me and I AM led by the Spirit on this continuing journey.” In some ways this is a playful time if you enjoy playing and sharing experiences and ideas. Anyone who knows me well knows I appreciate these conversations, appreciate each of you for responding to them and thus I am sending you good wishes for a happy Summertime. It’s in our hands now.

I share Gary’s words, not to shine the light on my writing, but to demonstrate what a lovely and giving soul he was. I share them with deep appreciation for Gary’s friendship and his many words of encouragement. I also share them to encourage everyone to take the time, if you can, to nourish the relationships that can bloom at any stage of life, even here on Substack 💐

Gary Gruber [1937-2025]

Kristin Fellows is a published writer, world traveler, well-seasoned documentary film consultant, and author of A Storyboard Life: How Documentary Films Led to a Life Unscripted.

When not writing, Kristin can often be found listening to someone’s story or behind the lens of one of her cameras.

More about Kristin @ kristinfellowswriter.com