Something To Hold On To

 

Something to Hold on To

by Ann Hajdu Hultberg

 

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GENRE: memoir/anthology

 

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BLURB:

 

In life we hold on to our faith, family, friends, our sense of humor, our memories, and our promises. As a child, it might be a make-believe world. Sometimes it’s something physical like a prayer card or a twist tie, a school bag or a rosary bead. Maybe it’s a photo. Everything we hold dear brings us hope and comfort during both good and bad times.

 

I write what I and others have held on to; I recount my experiences as a late Baby Boomer raised in rural Pennsylvania, and most importantly, by a Hungarian father, an immigrant, who escaped the Soviet Invasion in 1956.

 

I hope that you the reader will connect to some of the stories and the things we hold on to.

 

 

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EXCERPT:

 

from “Mom’s Girdle”

 

Mom was always losing or fighting with her 18-hour Playtex girdle. It seemed as if this contraption had a mind of its own, wanting to be seen, calling attention to itself, almost like a neon light flashing from a bar window. The trampoline like material sucked in all the fat so clothes appeared smooth and seamless without the ripples of excess pounds.  From waist to upper knee, this apparatus was popular with my mom in the 60s and 70s. Her belly was flattened and thighs were made to look slimmer, something she said she needed after birthing four kids. These ghost white undergarments were a staple in mom’s underwear drawer. 

 

The first time Mom lost a hold of her girdle was when she was out shopping, and the elastic, which had been shriveling on the waist band, probably from its years of wear, let loose. Like a broken rubber band snapping off a pony tail, the entire garment fell to her knees. Though in public, with many eyes upon her, mom simply shimmied the girdle down to her ankles, like a girl slinking down a fashion show runway; she peeled it off her ankles, and with a kick, tossed the girdle in the air like a spinning pizza crust. She grabbed at it and stuffed the undergarment in her purse as carefree as she would a wad of Kleenex. She continued on with her shopping.

A Word With the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author?

I remember entering writing contests in grade school. So yes, it was always my desire to publish a book. I love to read and always have since I was very young. I think the two go hand-in-hand. Also, I was an English teacher for 40 years, so my time was devoted to editing thousands of student papers. After retirement, I had time for myself. 

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

It took me four years to publish my book. I started out submitting my individual stories to various literary journals and magazines. Many were accepted and published. My friends then encouraged me to take these essays and arrange them in a book, which I did! I never sought out traditional publishing because so many of my essays had been previously published, which is a big no no.  Plus my 40,000 word book was short of the 60,000 word standard. I chose Bookbaby as my publishing company and found a local graphic artist to design my cover. 

3. Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

My genre is nonfiction/memoir. I will have to go plural with this question:  David Sedaris, Cheryl Strayed, Roxane Gay, Margaret Renkl, Gail Caldwell, Elizabeth Gilbert, Kiese Laymon, Christina Sharpe, and I’ll stop here! And I would pick Sedaris’s Naked as my favorite book.

4. What’s the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part is talking to my readers and hearing what stories are their favorites and why.  I love to hear how their lives are connected somehow to the stories I have written. They understand what it is like to, for example, lose a beloved pet or raise a teenager or bury a parent. They shared with me the stories where they laughed and where they cried.  The worst part is promotion. It’s hard work to sell a book. I have to be active on social media, attend book signings, speak to various groups in the community, design posters and business cards, and be available for radio and newspaper interviews.  I have to push, push, push. There is so much competition out there; it’s hard to be heard or seen. Amazon loads something like five- thousand new books a month. How to make myself stand out is the tough part. 
5. What are you working on now?

I am working on what’s called a memoir in pieces. I am writing in depth about my dad’s life during WW II and the Siege on Budapest. I am going into detail about his escape from Hungary during the 1956 Uprising and his trans-Atlantic voyage to America.  I am incorporating background history into the pieces, of what life was like for the Hungarian people during those times, things my dad would have experienced. Because it is a braided memoir, I write other stories that share similar themes of survival.  Right now I have about 100 pages written, 15,000 plus words. I have a long way to go! 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Ann Hajdu Hultberg, born in Buffalo, New York, grew up in rural Bradford, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and St. Bonaventure University, Ann spent 34 years teaching English at Limestone, NY, and Allegany, NY, School Districts; she was also an adjunct college composition instructor and student teacher supervisor at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford for 15 years. She and her husband split their time between Bradford and Naples, Florida, and visiting with their daughter and son-in-law. Something To Hold On To is her debut book.

 

Ann can be found on Facebook as Ann Hajdu Hultberg. Her Twitter handle is @HajduAnn and Instagram is annelizabeth59. https://www.facebook.com/ann.hultberg

 

Her book is available on:

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Hold-Ann-Hajdu-Hultberg/dp/1667856413/ref=sr_1_1

 

and Bookbaby  https://store.bookbaby.com/book/something-to-hold-on-to

 

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

 

Ann Hajdu Hultberg will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway