Update May 9: all copies of the book have sold. Now I have a few more bucks for my move to Italy, and a few more people have the book. One of them told me they had wanted it for years. That was so flattering. A few copies of The Ecstatic Goddess still remain here. End of update.
Until recently, I didn’t know I had copies left of my self-published book Her Winged Silence: A Shaman’s Notebook.
I found two copies! They were tucked away in my file cabinet.
They are available for purchase.
This little chapbook of about 60 pages was published in 1989. According to records I could find, 500 copies were printed. That fits with my memory of my tiny budget allowing only a tiny print run, plus I know I printed more than I could sell directly to consumers because the online world was small. Instead, I sometimes sold to bookstores.
It’s from different era, when independent writers did not have the publishing resources available now. The book was printed by photocopy, back when photocopying was not slick. There’s even a small piece of paper glued to the back cover. I received a blurb after the chapbook was printed. So I printed the blurb and glued it on the book.
Many independent writers from that time look back and take joy in the results of our economically-based limits. The funky printing jobs are beautiful in their own way and became badges of honor to us because we triumphed by putting our work out into the world regardless of technical limits imposed by lack of money. What counted was the quality of the writing. … Heck, it took a lot more work to publish something on a pittance, and we were proud of that extra effort.
Please note, though the print quality is as described, the quality of this post’s photos is further diminished and does not represent the actual product’s print job.
I was a much younger priestess when I wrote it. Looking at some of the book’s entries now, I think sometimes I achieved depth that was beyond my conscious understanding but that came through me regardless as a channel of the Goddess. There are pieces that I still use in my classes.
Some material is a bit juvenile. Those youthful ideas were seeds of more mature realizations. This adds to the book’s significance for collectors who want historical and other background on my work.
Despite its flaws, I love Her Winged Silence and am proud of this first attempt to complete a manuscript, let alone self-publish it.
Reclaiming Newsletter reviewed Her Winged Silence shortly after it was released:
The chapbooks’ condition is good. I see three minor flaws. To see them, look at the top photo and the two photos below: The books are curved after decades on end in my file cabinet. One book has a tiny stain on the edge of some pages. And one of the back cover’s pasted-on reviews curls up a bit at its end.
Way back when, I signed them with my old name on the back page.
I saw a copy on Amazon for $300. A major London bookstore priced it comparably.
I’m pricing these last two for collectors, but much lower than rare book dealers:
The cost is $150 per, plus $10 shipping. If you want both copies, I will combine shipping.
I ship only in the U.S. to non-military addresses.
Use the drop-down menu to choose one or two books. Be sure to give me your shipping dress and phone number. Then hit the Buy Now button to pay securely through PayPal.
