Author Nancy Stewart Talks About Narcissism

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Nancy Stewart as the special guest blogger today as she virtually tours blogdom with her latest children’s picture book.

Nancy’s book, ONE PELICAN AT A TIME, is a timely read for youngsters who have been watching the news about the gulf oil spill. Here’s a brief synopsis of the book: Bella and Britt love living by the beach.  When they find oil washing to shore from a gulf spill, they want to help but are told there is nothing for kids to do.  But when their old friend, the pelican, becomes covered with oil, they help save his life by their quick thinking and action.

Nancy joins us today to talk about “Narcissism?  Let Me Check My Blog Stats…”

I’ve been thinking lots about narcissism and blogging and attention to one’s website. Is that the very definition of narcissism? Maybe.

Picture books are a passion of mine, and I’ve been writing them for five years. My first one in a series of three, ONE PELICAN AT A TIME, was published by Guardian Angel Publishing last week. All three of them took much time, thought, critiquing from my writer’s group and self-doubt right up to the end.

Never, though, during that process, did I run to the computer after having been away for an hour to look for comments or pour over stats. This realization may say something to, or perhaps, about me. Oops. There goes that narcissism word again…

The shift from creative writing to blogging/website production may carry with it the need to be more personal, more introspective, more in tune with one’s own psyche to convey who we are to our readers and, perhaps, to define our own worthiness to ourselves. And with that may come some narcissism by task default. I certainly hope that’s what it is.

In the meantime, I’ll continue writing picture books, consult with my publisher, meet with my writing group, revise, edit, use my Thesaurus endlessly and only occasionally be deeply introspective. That is, until it’s time to write another entry for my blog. Oh, yes.

And even when it’s posted, I’ll pour over it from every angle, perhaps move a photo a centimeter or two, recheck links to be sure they’re working, read my witty words for the zillionth time and be, well, narcissistic.

Please excuse me now. I have to check my stats.

Nancy, thanks for guest blogging today. I guess when it comes to blogging, writers and non-writers alike tend to be a bit narcissistic about our post but then, that’s part of the fun.

Let me tell you a little bit about Nancy now. After having been an elementary school teacher, a management consultant with New Options, Inc. in New York City and a university professor of education, Nancy now writes children’s books full time. She, her husband and three sons, lived in London for eight years, where she was a consultant to several universities, including Cambridge. Nancy travels extensively throughout the world, most particularly Africa. She is the US chair of a charity in Lamu, Kenya, that places girls in intermediate schools to allow them to further their education.

Nancy is the author of ONE PELICAN AT A TIME and two other Bella books:  BELLA SAVES THE BEACH and SEA TURTLE SUMMER.  All three are published by Guardian Angel Publishers.

She and her family live in St. Louis and Clearwater Beach, Florida. For more on Nancy and her writing, visit her online at www.nancystewartbooks.com or at her blog www.nancystewartbooks.blogspot.com.

Here's a cute book trailer for ONE PELICAN AT A TIME, enjoy.


What are your thoughts on narcissism? Do you check your stats often? Is that something that should be done monthly, weekly or daily?