This May Be the Last

I’ve been writing a weekly blog since 2014, with a few breaks every now and again. That means I have over 500, maybe close to 600 blogs out there for people to read. I’m starting to rewrite some of the blogs and publish in an e-mag called Medium and hoping someday to earn a little money from it.

It’s not been a good year for me in terms of book sales. I released a new book on April 1 that flopped tremendously. Perhaps it was the date, but it more likely I was too busy to promote it much. That was when we moved Mom and Dad into assisted living which we’d been encouraging them to do for years. My time and focus was on more important things than promoting my new book.

I had a booth at a local craft fair the first of April, but we delayed our trip home because of the move. I called and cancelled that appearance. Not to worry, I booked another booth from the same people for July 4th. Alas, my dad died the night of July 3rd, and I didn’t have it in me to hawk my books the next day. I cancelled again. They may never let me book a booth again.

I booked myself at Barnes and Noble several weeks ago. People have been encouraging me to do that. People can order my books from them. Why not? I got in touch with the manager there and set up August 8th for a signing. I assumed all was well with that date, but when I emailed him on the night before the event, I got a call back. The man is no longer with them, and they have a new manager who told me another author was having a signing that day. All my advertising and promoting went out the window. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault. Just one of the things that sometimes happens to people. I fell through a crack I didn’t know was there. I’ve rebooked there for next week, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m scared something else will happen, and I’ll have to cancel it too. Besides, who will believe me? I’ve cancelled too many times this year.

With all the stuff going on around me, it’s hard to write. We’ve had unexpected house repairs that need done, lots of company which we’ve enjoyed every minute, and trips to take or schedule. I’m one who needs quiet time to write but had little this summer. The joy of writing a novel has been squashed for a while, but I hope to revive it somehow. It’s still in me; it’s just been buried for a while.

This is a long explanation on why I won’t be doing blogs anymore unless something really special comes up. I’m tired and need to refocus for a while. I hope you understand. Thank you for all your support. It means the world to me. <3