Several weeks ago I received a letter from Bear Creek, Wisconsin.  I don’t know anyone in Bear Creek, Wisconsin.  I don’t even know where Bear Creek, Wisconsin is located in our fair state.  I opened the envelope and a check for $20.00 dropped to the floor.  The check had been wrapped in one of the forms I used for people to order books while I was at the Oshkosh Irish Fest in May.

There was a note in the bottom right hand corner of the form:

“Rex, I hope your offer is still good.  I just found the form in my jacket pocket.” (July 23, 2015).

I laughed out loud.  Who would expect a person to find the form months later and still want to buy my books (she wanted in on the Two Books for Twenty Bucks deal.

I remember talking with the young woman and her husband.  She had a desire to write and wanted to know how I had gotten started.  I shared my story and was impressed that her husband was extremely supportive of her dreams.  In addition I learned that her husband is a skilled carpenter and cabinet maker, skills I may need to hire soon.

This is an example of a connection writers can make with readers only by looking them in the eye.  I know the common wisdom is to rely on social media to market and sell books and I do some of that.  Yet, nothing, nothing can replace talking directly with readers, looking them in the eye, exchanging viewpoints and experiences.

For me, one of the best aspects of the writing life are connections.  Without writing I never would have met this young family.  I hope I offered enough encouragement for this young woman to follow her dream.  I’d like to buy her book some day.    

An author friend, Valerie Biel Johnson, stated a book club in a pub in Columbus, Wisconsin several months ago.  The idea was to support local authors by having the author sell books in the pub and at the monthly meetings the author would talk with readers.  Valerie called the club Books and Beers.

I was the third author to speak to the book club on Thursday, August 6th.  When Lynette and I entered the pub it was packed, people were standing four deep at the bar.  When we visited in July there were only four folks having dinner and they left once the book club meeting started.  About 15 attended the book club meeting.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk over the noise of the patrons and began to worry that the book club meeting and my presentation would be canceled.  I searched for Valerie and couldn’t find her.  About 6:45 Valerie arrived and we searched for the pub owner, Sandye to ask for a place for the club to meet.  Sandye told us that earlier in the day she and her husband, Aaron, decided to close the pub – TONIGHT!

Word of their closing spun around town and well wishers were there for their last beer and a bit of pub grub.  Sandye suggested the group meet in a room upstairs.  The upstairs office was hot and musty smelling as if it hadn’t been cleaned in the last century.  Our small group of seven persevered for an hour and I autographed books.

We all returned to the pub after the meeting.  A couple introduced themselves to me, they had been waiting in the pub, and no one told them our group had moved upstairs.  I had a nice conversation and autographed their books.  The party went on to closing.

The next morning I received an e-mail from other Sun Prairie friends who had arrived late the previous night and also weren’t told the book club had moved upstairs.  It happens.

I still sold more books in a single month that I have ever sold at an independent bookstore in a year and a half.  Entrepreneurs always struggle and working as an independent author I empathize with their challenge and obstacles to success.  Thank you Sandye and Aaron will miss the Hydro Street Brewing Company.

That evening Valerie began the search for another location for the foundling book club to meet.  She is an ambitious and creative indie author and I’m confident that in September the book club will have a new location. 

   

  

I am fortunate to have a small following of fans.  For me a fan is a person who has read both Murphy’s Troubles and Out of Darkness.  I even have a few fans that don’t want to purchase my books on Amazon but purchase them directly from me because it’s more personal and of course I always write something in the cover and sign it.  Please understand, I don’t have many that fall into this restricted definition of a fan.  Of those that are fans, I listen to them when they comment on each book.

Two of my fans have made the exact same, surprising comment.  They feel that Out of Darkness concentrates too much on Ian’s love life.  One fan thought that Ian was too amorous and that Irish men don’t behave that way (this fan is 100% Irish male).  Another fan said there was just too much sex in the book.

Really?  Too much sex?  Trust me; this book is not 50 Shades of Grey. 

I did want to show how a middle age man can fall deeply in love with a woman of the same age and how their life experiences mold the unique love they develop.  Certainly one aspect of a love relationship is physical intimacy and I didn’t want to avoid that in my book.  To be honest, I don’t like writing sex scenes.  I once took a class at UW Madison Continuing Education on how to write a sex scene in a novel.  It’s not about body parts; it’s about intimacy, sharing, innocence, vulnerability, laughter, joy, etc. etc.

I also wanted to demonstrate in Out of Darkness that having an honest, open, empathetic love relationship was healing and helps Ian fight his depression.  Love brings balance and a new perspective into Ian’s life.

 It’s not about the sex but good sex is a part of any healthy, balanced, loving, relationship.  What is most curious to me is that these comments came from men.  Who would have guessed?           

As with any relationship my relationship with my former publisher, Mischievous Muse Press was a learning experience for me.  Soon after the contract was signed suggestions for improving my manuscript were made.  One of the owners edited the first three chapters and instructed me to use her edits as a guide to re-writing the novel.  I followed her suggestions; however, my learning style requires constant exchange and a lot of questions. 

My re-write based on the suggestions of the first three chapters was only moderately successful and represented some growth and improvement in writing but I admit, not a great deal.  After reading the first re-write another owner suggested I purchase and study the book Word Painting – A Guide to Writing More Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan. The instructions I was given for the next re-write was:  Show me Ireland!  I purchased the book and decided to read it carefully before embarking on the second re-write.  The chapters include:  What is Description?; The Eye of the Beholder; From Eye to Word; The Nose and Mouth and Hand and Ear of the Beholder; Figuratively Speaking; Bringing Characters to Life Through Description; The Eye of the Teller: How Point of View Affects Description;  Descriptions of Setting;  How Description Shapes the Narrative Line and finally The Big Picture. 

I took weeks studying McClanahan’s book.  My habit is to extensively underline both to help me to remember and to look up and find key passages months later.

McClanahan’s book has had a profound influence on my writing.  I must admit when I worked on the second re-write I realized my plot took place in a vacuum.  I hadn’t described characters by their appearance or mannerisms or what they ate and drank.  I had also omitted all but the most scarce detail on physical setting. It was a different manuscript when I was finished. 

All of the reviews I’ve received and comments from readers and book clubs extol the sense of actually being in Ireland when they read Murphy’s Troubles.  I’ve been complimented for capturing what it’s like to be in Ireland both from the characters and the landscape.