Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less
- akentuckybard
- Jul 25, 2019
- 2 min read


So what have you been up to this summer? Typical summer stuff like cookouts and swimming, you say? Cool. Me? I’ve been filling my book promotion schedule, experiencing a successful book signing and selling fiction, all of which contributed to missed blog deadlines.
You know: normal stuff.
OK. You see through my cool demeanor, don’t you?
What I meant to say is, “Hot damn! Sorry I’ve missed a blog earlier this month, but I’ve had some freakin’ sweet things happen recently!”
Here’s the thing: ever since I switched days for my blog earlier this year I’ve had trouble hitting my deadlines on occasion. I even missed my July 11 blog completely.
The new blog schedule still throws me off. Add to that the fact I spent a good amount of time making preparations for my first in-store book signing at Barnes & Noble as well as continued efforts to sell my work.
Several months ago I ramped up my efforts to promote my book “A Fable of Freedom and Other Stories.” I began filling my 2019 calendar with reading and book signing events.
The most recent event was my first ever in-store book signing held July 13 at Barnes & Noble. It was a four-hour event. In preparation, I created a Facebook event page, sent hundreds of invitations, posted frequent reminders and shared the event to my three other pages, where I also posted reminders.
I have to say, as I headed to the book signing I expected a good amount of down time. After all, it was four hours long and the book had been out for more than a year. On top of that the previous two events this year, while good publicity, had yielded no sales. I had even told Rebecca, who agreed to come along with me to the Barnes & Noble event, that during down time we could discuss some plans we were in the midst of.
We never got that down time.
When we got to Barnes & Noble, a friend was there waiting with book in hand, ready for me to sign it. In the four hours that followed I sat down only a few minutes. A steady flow of the best friends and supporters dropped by. It was truly overwhelming and humbling.
At one point, I had a line of people with my book waiting for me to sign their copies!
I had a line!
I had a line!
Uh, I mean, it was, you know, cool. I’m cool.
Two days later, before I came down from that proverbial cloud, I was notified a magazine wanted to buy and publish the short story I had submitted to them.
I sold another short story!
My 2019 calendar has three more readings and book signing events on it. Additionally, I have been contacted about a possible event in 2020.
I hate that I missed a blog this month.
But I’m sure you understand.
I had a line.