It’s Starting to Move
Things are getting real. They might be getting real scary, but the winds of change blow. It is up to
us to hoist the sails and ride them where they take us. Fellow Bumbershoots Writers Society
member Gil Miller and I had a joint book signing at ABC Books in Springfield, Missouri this past Saturday.
I only sold five books. Not heartbreaking at all. It is five more than I would have sold had I
stayed home instead. Remember, we’re going to war. That means we have to be out on the
battlefield. That means being in the places readers visit and frequent like ABC Books.
Thank you to Cyndy Miller for setting it up—and for making another appointment for us to be
back there in the new year. Thank you to Valerie for hosting us. I found myself wandering away
from the table a few times to peruse the shelves. Thank you to Venessa Cerasale for riding
shotgun on the four hours in the truck.
ABC Books in Springfield, Missouri
It doesn’t stop there. No rest for the weary. I have a day job? So what. If I’m not at work, I need to be pounding either the keys (or scratching away with pen and paper typically) or the pavement, writing or selling.
My wife and I just spent five days in Iceland and eight days in the UK with day trips to Edinburgh, Scotland and Paris, France. I spent three years of my childhood in Iceland. Shannon Vance was a neighbor of mine. She also is a high school English teach in Denver, Colorado. She also wrote a blurb for my book of poetry Newspaper Reading.
We met her and her husband Ed for breakfast in London. They happened to be there on holiday like us. It made the perfect opportunity to give her a copy of the book, thanking her for her support. Later that day, we wondered to Stamford Bridge and watched my favorite football team
Chelsea play Arsenal.
Stamford Bridge
The next day we took a train up to Newcastle to visit with Louise Thomas and her husband Steve and their children Jessica and Matthew. We enjoyed Sunday roast within site of Hadrian’s Wall, hiking along it to Sycamore Gap—where some insensitive person took a chainsaw to the tree that had stood there for countless years less than a fortnight before we arrived.
They took us to The Botanist for a wonderful dinner that evening. While I waited for my lamb kabob and fries, I gave Lou a copy of Newspaper Reading. She has been a dear friend over the years, reading a lot of my poems and stories before many others. She also gave me a blurb. So, I flew thousands of miles to give her a copy. It was worth it.
Enjoying dinner with Louise and Steve.
While we walked through downtown Newcastle upon Tyne, I slipped one of my cards into the Waterstones bookstore across the street from the restaurant. I have learned to always have a card and to always be willing to share it. Lou showed us around the quaint village of Durham. What a great day. Not to mention the cupcakes she made for my birthday!
When we arrived back in the states, we knew we were going to miss the last flight back to Northwest Arkansas. So, we spent the night in Chicago. The next day, we enjoyed lunch at Goidarnos with Marlon Hayes and his lovely wife Traci. Best damn pizza I’ve had in a long time.
Good thing they didn’t support the White Sox. Cubbies all the way!
After lunch, Marlon and Traci dropped us off at the airport. Great times with great friends.
While we waited, Chrissi decided that she needed a chair massage. What a way to end a
vacation, right? On our way to the gate, I stopped in a bookstore—go figure.
Barbara’s Bookstores has several locations throughout O’Hare airport. Earlier in the day, I had
written a poem. The worker behind the counter asked if she could read it. I opened up my laptop
and presented it to her. She told me she wanted her store to carry my books!
She took my card and contact information, telling me that the next time I came through she
hoped they were selling my books. And she wanted to know if I would be willing to do a book
signing there. Of course, I said I would. She just has to run everything through her general
manager. Here’s to hoping that turns into a great working relationship.
What did I learn on this trip? I have been in sales a long time, and there is an old adage that fits
perfectly if you want to get your writing out there so people can find it: Always Be Closing. Or
always be selling or presenting. We’re going to war. These are the battles that must be waged.
Take care, and thank you for being a part of this journey. My signing at Barnes & Noble
booksellers is coming up on November 18th . Less than two weeks away! See you there.
