Ups and Downs

What a stressful and exciting few days at the Gourley Homestead. New granddaughter has joined the world. She's perfect and beautiful, but she took long, difficult route to get here. A long labor that ended with a C-section made things rough for the new mother as well as a few additional complications. All is well though an extra day or so in the hospital is required. As a parent, there's something really special about seeing your own child become a parent.

It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace. When a man’s mother holds his child in her gladdenarms he is aware of the roundness of life’s cycle; of the mystic harmony of life’s ways. – Christopher Morley

I found time to enjoy a local writers' meeting. We had a great speaker. Geri Krotow is a very successful novelist and a retired naval intelligence officer. Geri spoke about a variety of things, but mostly about finding your own path as a writer. Even as successful as she is now, she shared all the failures and missteps she made to get where she is today. Geri is one of those writers who is always willing to give back and help other writers.

Did you see this article in Publishers Weekly about Barnes and Noble? As much as I love the small independent bookstores and shop at the only one near me, I still really enjoy visiting a big bookstore. I think I cried when Borders closed. And now B&N is barely hanging on. My most successful book signings have been at Barnes and Noble. I've never left that store without buying something.

One of my favorite shows returned last night, Once Upon a Time. I'm thinking it might be the last year for this show, but I really won't mind because the characters have grown. I'd rather it end now instead of dragging on and becoming boring. Lots of shows that go beyond 5 or 6 seasons lose what made them good in the first place.

I'm being optimistic here, but I might finish my WIP this week. Next week at the latest. It's only the first, terribly rough draft, but I love typing the end.

The time changes next weekend, Spring Ahead. I always hated that when I was teaching. I really don't like getting up early though I've had to for most of my life. Now that I can sleep in a bit, I can enjoy the time change that gives us light later into the evening.

Will you miss B&N if they close? Can you think of a TV show that stretched on too long? Do you like Daylight Savings Time?

Sunny Friday

After days and days of clouds, rain, ice and some snow, we finally are having a second day of at least some sunshine in a row. And the temperatures are warm. I usually enjoy a white Christmas but after the last few gloomy weeks, I'll take the sun. And the family time together was sunny also.

We're very fortunate in that all our children get along and really, really enjoy all being together. They look for excuses to get together and Christmas is a big one. The gift giving is a very small part for us. They play games of all types, enjoy watching football together and of course eat. If your past two days were half the fun and joyful as mine, you had a great holiday.

Though lots of people stretch this holiday time from Christmas right up until after the New Year, I have so much to do, I'm back to work on my writing. I can't even list the hundreds of things I need to do but somehow I'm going to fit in a visit to my local Barnes and Noble. My dear husband always gets me a B&N gift card for Christmas and it's just the excuse I need to hang out in a brick and mortar store.

A couple of new gadgets in our house for Christmas though none for me. My daughter already bought a book on her new iPhone and my husband loaded a game on his new tablet and his favorite newspaper app.

As a writer, I hope lots of people received Kindles for Christmas as the majority of my sales are through Amazon.

Happy Boxing Day to my Canadian friends. Hope you're getting some sunshine too.

Last bits of wisdom from my 2014 Old Farmer's Almanac Planner:

Be humble or you'll stumble.

In cold weather, blood flow to a reindeer's legs becomes restricted to preserve body heat.

In case you're worried about missing all those factoids in the future, I purchased my 2015 Old Farmer's Almanac and will shamelessly share what I learn each week with you.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." Sally Berger
And I'm going to use that quote to get myself moving on all those things I need to get done during the first half of 2015.

Are you still on vacation? Are you back to work on your writing or your day job? Did you get a new gadget for Christmas? Get any gift cards for books?

A Happy Thought

Though I write romance as Susan Kelley, I make sure things are not smooth sailing for my protagonists. I can't claim to create storylines as diabolical as on Once Upon a Time where no one ever gets a happy ending but I like to make things tough on the good guys and gals.

I like my own life to be happy like most people and for my last post of August, I'd like to share some happy moments. Like my son working at the Broadmoor in Colorado and feeding the giraffes. He's one of those guys that children and animals love. Though maybe it was just the lettuce.

James at the Broadmoor Zoo

Tomorrow I'm taking my daughter back to Boston University, much to her delight and my loss of companionship. But I know she'll be happy. In the meantime, she sent this to me (from the living room to my office) and we both wondered why it can't be this way.

From facebook

What was your happy thought this week? Ever feed a giraffe? Do you text or email members of your family when they're just in the other room? Ever have anyone buy you a drink in a coffee shop just to meet you?

IWSG: Where Are We Headed?

Welcome to August's edition of the Insecure Writers' Support Group. This awesome group help each other out with advice, support and sometimes just by listening to each other vent. Alex Cavanaugh is the brain behind this endeavor. You can get an entire list of participants on his blog.

My inspiration for this post came to me when I visited my local Barnes and Noble this past Sunday. My daughter and I went, not because either of us intended or even wanted to purchase a book, but because we love hanging out in bookstores. We arrived around ten in the morning, shortly after they opened. The parking lot was already filling up as we made our way inside. We parted ways inside the door and then met in the café a short time later, each of us with a stack of magazines and books that caught our interest. Of course, we had to get a drink. Like many B&N, maybe all, the café is actually a Starbucks. I stood in line behind six other customers and there were that many more behind me when I ordered. Every seat in the café was filled when we decided on one book to purchase and went to the checkout. At the checkout, no one was in line. No one was buying books.

Where is our industry going? The book I bought at B&N was the first 'real' book I've purchased in at least two months. All my other purchases have been ebooks. I'm sure many of us started out writing hoping to see our books on the shelves at a bookstore one day. Maybe going on a promotional tour. But more and more, writers have their books come out only as ebooks. And in my personal experience, if you're working with a small press, as an author, you're going to make most of your sales and your money from ebooks.

How long until all books, except from a few select writers, are paperless? How long until bookstores close their doors? Will I ever go to Starbucks again if they aren't located inside a bookstore?

Don't forget to visit more blogs here and share the joys and miseries of being a writer.

Insecure Writers Support Group

Thanks to Captain Alex Cavanaugh for organizing this fun group. The first Wednesday of every month a large group of bloggers (can't keep up with the numbers) share a short post about something they worry about or want to share to help other writers. Get the entire list over at Alex's blog.

Recently I heard the news that Barnes and Noble were going to close up to one third of their stores. Their sales numbers were way down over the recent holidays. I guess they'll keep their college affiliated stores open but if you've ever been in those, you know they're not like regular B&N stores. I'm still mourning the closing of Borders and the BAM that moved in to replace isn't soothing the grief.  What will disappear next? The local library? The book isle in Target and Walmart?

I buy lots of ebooks but I still love visiting the brick and mortar stores. I love browsing the new arrivals and searching the shelves for an author I've never read before. I like  carrying an armful of books into the cafe and skimming a few pages of each to see if I enjoy the author's voice. Will I always be able to do that?

When I started writing I dreamed of having my books filling a shelf in Borders. I have had the chance to see my books on the Barnes and Noble shelves but will my next book end up there? Will my B&N be there? Where's it going? Traditional dreams of success may have to change whether I want them to or not. I often wonder where the industry is going and the only way to measure success is in the sales report from online retailers.

Do you wonder where things are going in the industry? Do you feel confident in your ability to predict what will happen next?

Alex is also featuring movie quotes every Wednesday with a different genre highlighted. This week is Crime/Thriller quote week. I hope I'm not showing my age with this one, but is there anything more classic than Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in Sudden Impact saying "Go ahead, make my day."

Please go visit Alex for more great quotes and to share your insecurities.

What It Means

My local Borders lingers still.  It has a few shelves of books.  The adult fiction section would fit in my living room.  I often do some shopping in the center where the store is located so I go in and check it out.  And then I walk out empty-handed.  The best buy I've found in the last few weeks of its slow demise is the stack of AP study guides my daughter needs for her current high school classes.  The store is filled with cheap, but still over-priced, towels and other things that have never belonged in a bookstore.

I miss sitting the cafe and if it was still open, I would  likely be writing this blog post there with an iced latte sharing the table with me along with a stack of books I was considering purchasing.  Instead, I've visited my local library on a more regular basis.  Nearly every two weeks I stop in and see what new releases they have and prowl the aisles in search of new authors.  Their fantasy/scifi offerings are limited and they seldom updated but I've discovered some mystery/thriller writers I've quite come to enjoy like CJ Box and Jonathan Kellerman.  Of course the library doesn't carry their earlier books so I've turned to online sellers.

My husband bought me a Kobo eReader for Christmas last year and I was thrilled with it though I often wish I'd asked him for a Kindle instead.  But it's easy to purchase books on and I like reading on it.  So I'm still buying books and spending less gas to do so.  I make a lot of ice coffee at home and do nearly all my writing at my own desk. 

So though Borders is gone, I'm not reading less though I've bought no physical books for my own reading pleasure in the past few weeks.  I'm probably going to buy the next Preston and Childs book tomorrow to read at lunch at work this week.  I'm over my sadness at the end of Borders and only worry that I've adjusted so well.  If all brick and mortar stores go extinct, will I get over it so quickly?  Will you?  Do you see the end in sight?

Where Do We Go Now?

I know many of you are mourning the loss of your local Borders store the same as I am.  I don't have the fortune of having an independent book store near me.  There are two used book stores not too far away but one is inconvenient and the coffee out of the range of even an addict like me.  The other is so tightly packed with books one can't move let alone relax and browse.

My daughter and I visited our beloved Borders yesterday as they started their clearance sale.  The cafe and even the bathrooms were closed.  All the tables and chairs, even the soft ones scattered throughout the store, were gone. The things I usually buy in Borders, fantasy and mystery, were only be offered at 10% off, so I didn't pick up any books.  I thought to look for a new planner for 2012 or a great calendar but they were no where in sight.  The special coffees and really cool mugs were also missing. I guess those poor overworked souls who usually hustled around behind the counter in the cafe were the first to lose their jobs.

My daughter picked up three books, two she needed for her AP classes in the coming school year.  The only great buy was 40% off of magazines.  I picked up one fitness magazine, one cooking magazine and three for writers.  My daughter found three for herself. 

The man who checked me out has worked at the store as long as I've shopped there.  I gave him my sympathy for the loss of his job.  He told me our store was actually a great money maker for Borders but it was going down with the rest of the ship.  He also gave me so hope by sharing the rumor that Books A Million might move into some of the stores spot that have had great performances. 

As we walked to the car, my daughter talked about how sad it was.  We can still drive for 25 minutes over crowded highways to visit the nearest Barnes and Noble but it won't be like having the bookstore ten minutes away.  The B&N has always been crowded and will be even more so now.  I won't retreat there to work on edits or my blogs when the homestead proves too distracting.  There are no coffee shops I know of to use as a quiet though public office.  It was sad.

Are you losing your local Borders?  Do you have a bookstore you visit for no other reason than the wondrous feeling of being surrounded by books?

The Day After

I meant to post the day before Thanksgiving but preparations for the family get-together interfered. I have to admit yesterday came off quite perfectly.  The birds (yes, I roast multiples) were moist and perfectly tasty.  Everything was ready at the same time and set on the table in steaming serving dishes.  And best of all was the conversation.  The older children have obligations to the families of their significant others so they were in an out all day.  Between watching football we played card games, ate cold turkey sandwiches and finished off  the apple and pumpkin pies.
Today is the day after the big feast and one of my favorite days.  Shopping held no temptation for me but sleeping in did.  An unhurried hour browsing at the local library made for a fine afternoon though when I'll have time to read the three books I picked up...

Tomorrow I'm headed to Barnes and Noble with my birthday gift cards.  I hope to get there in time to snag one of the precious tables in the cafe.  There I'll work on my blogs for the next two weeks and sip expensive coffee.

I'm thankful for the day after Thanksgiving.  It's always a day off for me but I know many people had to work today. I caught up with all my friends who blogged yesterday or earlier today. I submitted a book to a publisher I trust to handle my romance novels and hope for a positive response to that. So though I had the day-job off, I worked on the job I wish was full time.  When I miss even one day online, I feel like I fall behind. Yet I don't usually get on my computer at all during the big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Easter.

How about you? Do you take a holiday from your writing during certain days or is it a 365 days per year job for you? 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Some good things happened over the last seven days.  I shared a book signing table with Jon Sprunk, author of Shadow's Son at Barnes and Noble in State College on Sunday.  We had a great time.  Jon shared many great insights and his impressions of where the future for authors and books might be leading.  If you haven't heard of Jon yet, you will some day.  His first book is terrific and the second one will be released in June.  Expect to see an interview here closer to his release date. 
Bad things are of a more personal nature.  If someone had asked me what appliance I couldn't do without I might have had to think about it.  Well, less than a year ago I had to have my washer serviced and it was frustrating waiting for the parts to arrive.  Five days ago my dryer lost its will to dry the mega loads of laundry I do on nearly a daily basis.  I don't like laundry to pile up and do at least one load a day.  Now horror, as it piles up, as I hang it about the house and on the meager lines outside.  There's little daylight left when I get home from work.  Repairman came today and said it couldn't be fixed until Friday!  (Insert curse words here!)
And the ugly?  I didn't make my writing goal again though I did better than last week.  About 5K for the week and the next week is very busy also.  I need chained to my computer chair.
So this week, I'm going to be more reasonable with my goals.
1.)  I'm going to write no less than 8K this week.  I really, really mean it.
2.) I'm going to continue making the contacts for my blog tour around the upcoming release of Beyond the Gate.
3.) I'm going to put together a list of reviewers I would like my publisher to send this book out to.  There are many online reviewers I think could really help promote my book who were overlooked for the last one.
And one last thought on this week's report.  I want to thank everyone at B&N for their kind welcome.  James, the Community Relations Manager, was especially helpful.  Jon and I had a great time.  I also want to thank the customers who talked to us and some even bought our books.  Two ladies bought my book on their Nooks.  Exciting.
Have you ever done that? Met an author at a book signing and then downloaded their book on your ereader? How many of you are expecting an ereader for Christmas?  I hope you all get them.

Take That, Penn State

Well, I had my book signing in State College yesterday in direct competition with Penn State's spring football scrimmage, the Blue/White game. Fortunately for me, there are lots of people in Pennsylvania who read and some of them wanted to read The Keepers of Sulbreth.

I have to thank a few fans who showed up and helped me get through the day. Elizabeth Delafield not only showed up, she took this picture for me and brought her father along. My friend, Patty and her husband, Skip, brought more of their family, Molly and Carol, along so for a little while it looked like I'd drawn a crowd. My son, James, and his friend, Harry, both PSU students dropped in before going to the aforesaid football game. Then a friend I hadn't seen for nearly 16 years stopped by and talked for a while. More about her in a later post. All these wonderful people helped me relax and enjoy the day.

Danielle, the Community Relations Manager, for that B&N was so kind and helpful. She checked in with me often and made sure I had everything I needed.

Then all those wonderful strangers who stopped by to talk and bought my book. One took the time to show me her brand new Nook and then purchased my book on it. Really cool. And I can't forget the gentleman named Dave. He walked in the front door and right up to me.

"I'm buying your book."

Dave wanted no conversation. He told me he was on his way home to Connecticut and was going to read my book while his wife drove. Great. I hope it helped the miles pass for him.

It was a great day. My daughter went along with me and sat in the Starbucks Cafe, a perfect day for her. We visited my mother for a few hours afterward. I changed my clothing to sweatpants and sneakers at her house.

And did I mention, I sold a lot of books! How good can it get?

More Than Expected

As most of my loyal readers know, I had my first book signing for The Keepers of Sulbreth this past Saturday. I was extremely nervous and changed my outfit selection many times. When I arrived at the shopping center I couldn't find a parking spot. On any other day I would consider that bad luck. But on this day I wanted the huge crowd. Surely in a crowd of a couple of hundred shoppers passing in and out of the store a few might want to buy my book.

The welcoming and efficient staff of Barnes and Noble set a table up for me right inside the front door. They had a large poster in a stand beside my table and another smaller one in a plastic frame they set on the edge of my table. The manager even offered me coffee.

I had barely spread out my free book markers when a couple walked in the door and right up to my table. After reading the back cover blurb they bought one of my books. Then a number of my friends showed up, writers and none writers. Thank you my fellow romance writers from CPRW and my fellow bloggers from The Susquehanna Writers' Blog.

My two nieces drove nearly two hours to surprise me with their support. How great was that and so was the pizza we celebrated with afterwards.

After two full hours of smiling and selling, all but two of books stocked by the store had been sold. I signed the last ones for them and they were going to put them on the front counter with special stickers on as 'autographed copies.'

I didn't keep track but the store had told me they were going to order twenty books in addition to the ones they had already on the shelves. It was lovely and fun. Thanks to everyone who showed up and those who offered their best wishes.

Don't Let Me Be Alone

Every author nightmare has to be sitting for hours at a book signing and selling no books. I did that once at a coffee shop with two of my friends. Our bad luck was a monsoon like down

pour keeping shoppers to a minimum. But at least I had two friends there to share the pain.

This Saturday, Febuary 13th, I'll be having my very first book signing in a major bookstore. I'll be hawking my first fantasy novel, The Keepers of Sulbreth, at the Barnes and Noble in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Camp Hill is a lovely little town set tight up against Harrisburg, PA. It's the only Barnes and Noble in the Harrisburg area.

I hope a few of my friends make the signing and perhaps a few relatives from near and far. Some of my students are going to be there if they haven't forgotten. Three snow days from school cut into my reminders not that teenagers don't have excellent memories if there's something they really want to do.

What I'm really hoping for is to sell every copy B&N have and then some. Then I'm sure they'll have me back when the second, third and fourth Futhark Chronicles are published.

What is the longest distance you have ever traveled to meet an author or attend a book signing? If you're an author, what was the best signing you've ever had?