Spring Weather

Well, today it feels like spring in Southeast Kansas, even if it might be temporary.

I think the weather might be a reason I had a somewhat low turnout for my book signing: a lot of people probably had outside activities planned. For the first hour, sales were zero. I held on for the second hour, though, and ended up selling 8 books. That's not great (I sold 14 last year) but it's much better than zero!

I want to thank everyone who came out to see me. I really appreciated it! I also want to thank the two people who don't know me but still took a chance on my novel. I hope you'll like it!

I don't want to forget to thank Hastings for hosting me. They provided me with a place near the front door and agreed to keep copies of both novels on consignment.

(I was in a good spot because I was right in front of a rack full of DVDs of "The Big Bang Theory.")

And thanks to my kind husband for keeping me company during the slow times.

Now it's back to work on the third novel!

Reminder

Please don't forget that my book signing will be a week from today at the Hastings store in Pittsburg, KS, from 1:00 to 3:00. I'd love to have you stop by and say, "Hi!"

I ran around town yesterday and today, getting permission to put up my posters about the event. Most of the people I encountered were very nice. A barista at Starbucks offered to tell her regular customers about me. A man told me his wife's first name is the same as mine and introduced me to the woman running a small bookstore in the mall. A librarian moved a few posters to make room for mine on the bulletin board.

This all reminded me of a fact: I am not just a writer. I am also a marketer, as uncomfortable as that title makes me. I don't have a whole team of marketing specialists writing copy and putting my name out where everyone can see it. It's just little ol' me, setting up a book signing and posting away on the Internet.

But it's really not just me. It's you, too. I can sit at a little table in Hastings with a stack of books beside me, post as often as I can and even stand on a street corner waving a sign with the titles of my novels (although I haven't resorted to that last one yet), but it won't do much good if the word doesn't spread. In that sense, YOU are my marketing team. That's right: you! This doesn't mean you have to get Oprah to read one of my novels. It means that every time you mention one of my novels to a friend or relative, the word has spread that much farther. Maybe that person doesn't want to read my novel, but that's okay; maybe that person will mention it to someone who does want to read it. Maybe that person will mention it to two other people, who will mention it to two or three other people... See how that works?

This doesn't mean I'm going to sit back, put up my feet and wait for the world to rush to my door. What it does mean is this: I'll keep posting to this blog every week, but it's about time for me to start concentrating on writing again. Marketing is important, but it's not why I got into this. I did it because I love to write, so I'm ready to go back to that. I suspect my characters have a few more tales for me to tell!

Thanks for all of your support. I'll be working on the third novel!

Closet Spaceship Part 6

[Here's the latest installment about when I met the captain and his crew. Have you been thinking about what makes a good leader since the last installment?]

   I was afraid Captain Lamont was going to banish me from his ship, so I knew I had to be persuasive.
   “Look at it this way,” I said. “You and your crew are doing something important, something good. I know you’re not in this for the fame, but it’s a good thing if people know what you’ve done. If nothing else, they can see what happens to crooks like Mallock and Beckman, right?”
   “There must be other criminals you could focus on,” Lamont said.
   “Oh, I’m sure there are, and there are lots of people out there trying to stop them,” I said. “But they don’t have Reggie and Nick and people like that helping them. Let’s face it: you’re all interesting!”
   “There are times I’d rather be boring,” Lamont said.
   “I know,” I said. “I think there are times you’d rather not be so determined, too, aren’t there?”
   He didn’t respond for several seconds. Then he said, “I looked you up.”
   I waited.
   “All right,” Lamont said. “I won’t interfere if you wish to drop by occasionally. It sounds as if I couldn’t stop you anyway—but I have a few conditions.”
   “Go ahead,” I said.
   “Don’t put yourself in the middle of a gunfight,” Lamont said. “We have enough to do without worrying about protecting you.”
   “I promise,” I said. That was easy.
   “Don’t ever appear in our living quarters again.”
   “Okay,” I said. I’m glad he said “appear” so I could still be there without being observed.
   “Don’t ask us to describe how anything unfamiliar works,” Lamont said. “I don’t know the exact rules of time-travel, but I don’t want to change history in any way by describing technology that hasn’t been invented in your time. That also means you can’t ask us how any events in your time turned out.”
   I smiled. “You mean, I can’t ask you if the Cubs ever win the World Series?”
   He almost smiled, too. I wish he would have, but instead he said, “Don’t tell any of my crew what will happen. If you know anything about our futures, keep it to yourself. I’m very serious about that.”
   I nodded. There were already things I knew about their futures, and I wasn’t about to discuss any of it with them.
   “If I or any member of the crew tells you to leave, I want you to leave,” Lamont said. “If any member of the crew doesn’t want to see you, avoid him or her. Respect us.”
   “I have nothing but respect for you,” I said.
   Lamont sighed. “Tell me what it’s like sometime.”
   “What?” I asked.
   I expected him to say time-traveling or observing the crew, but he said, “Writing.”
   “It’s the absolute greatest,” I said. “I can’t imagine life without it and I’ll be doing it until I die. You should try it.”
   He shook his head. “Maybe after I retire. Not now.”
   I was sorry to hear that. I imagine he’d have something worthwhile to write, but I wasn’t about to push my luck.
   “I accept your conditions,” I said. “I’ll let you get some sleep now. Thank you, Captain.”
   “Last condition,” he said. “Call me Ben.”
   “I’ll try,” I said. “Goodbye for now.”

Book Signing for Another Shot

Yes, it's time for me to do another book signing! I just set the date yesterday: Saturday, April 26, 2014. If you're anywhere near Pittsburg, KS, on that date, stop by Hastings at 2806 N. Broadway. I'll be there to autograph copies of both Another Shot and Outsider. I'd love to have you come in and say, "Hi." As an added incentive, there will be free refreshments!

My last book signing was a lot of fun, after the initial stress of preparation. I put up posters around town and even had an interview in the local newspaper, The Morning Sun. A lot of my friends came, so that made it enjoyable. (Thanks to all who attended last year!) I hope to have another good response this time. It's another way to show your support!

See you there!