The Dangerous Straits book launch tour is taking a break for ten days, so here are some odds and ends that are relevant to my books.
A NEW website to share for book lovers
It’s called Shepherd.com and it showcases curated “recommended books” lists by participating authors. My list is “The Best Mystery-Thriller Debuts of All Time.” Of course, it’s my opinion, which opens the discussion for debate. Please check out my list, and read some of those titles if you haven’t already.
For more intriguing lists like this, go to Shepherd.com and start browsing.
YOUR VOTE COUNTS
I’m so excited because my book was just nominated for the 2021 Readers Choice Awards contest by TCK Publishing!
Please vote for it at https://www.tckpublishing.com/
The thriller category is #9, so please scroll over to that category to vote. Thank you!
Recent Sales Events
Had a wonderful time at the Rustic Mamas’ Market here in Owatonna. I’ve never seen so many artsy, craftsy, talented folks under one roof. All sorts of things you can buy for your home, office, lake home, or wherever you want to decorate. Lots of other merchandise as well. Fortunately for me, I was too busy selling books to check out all the other booths! Had my best sales day ever in terms of the total number of sales! Thank you, Steele County and other visitors.
Then on Monday, I gave my “Meet the Author” PowerPoint presentation to the Owatonna Area Retired Educators Association (OAREA). What a pleasant group of retired teachers. My people, because I taught instrumental music for six years. And they bought a lot of books too! 🙂 The respect and appreciation I have for those who made a career in teaching can’t be expressed in words. All I could say was, “Thank you for your service!” They are truly front-line heroes. Without teachers, we are all ignorant illiterates doomed to failure as a society.
Next Event
- SATURDAY, MAY 21, 9 am – 4 pm. Mainstreet Day, downtown Hopkins MN.
Weather permitting, this is always a fun event. It’s a street festival at its best. Food, music, games for the kids, arts and crafts, dozens of vendors, thousands of customers. I’ve participated for several years and always love returning to my old stomping grounds. (As a once and former St. Louis Parkite, I spent a lot of time in Hopkins when I lived there growing up and then back in the ’80s and ’90s.)
Audiobooks?
I’ve talked to a fair number of customers/fans who ask if any of my books are in audio form. Regretfully, not yet. Since I’m something of a perfectionist, I want to produce the best possible product, which means I need to pay for a professional voice actor and engineer. Much like self-publishing, I could record audiobooks in my office with my voice and do my own editing, but I guarantee you no one wants to pay money to hear me talk for ten hours! 🙂 If sales improve to the point where it’s feasible to spend $3,000 to $4000 or so to produce a first-rate audiobook, I’ll certainly look into it. Absent that, does anyone know a great voice actor and audio engineer who’ll work for a case of beer and a gourmet dinner at my house?? 😉
KEEP THOSE REVIEWS COMING
Reviews for Dangerous Straits are trickling in, but I’d love to get 20 or 30 more in the next few months. I hear so many people tell me they enjoyed the book and they’ve told their friends about it, and that’s fantastic! But I’d like to reach a wider audience than readers in MN, so I need more reviews for Dangerous Straits (and my other books too) so readers across the country will be interested and buy a book or two or three. I only advertise “locally” and through social media. So unless someone in California or Massachusetts or Florida subscribes to my newsletter or follows my blog, they won’t even know I exist and have published three terrific (according to my readers) books. So spread the word, but also please take a few minutes and post a review–good or bad–on Goodreads.com or Amazon.com. If you’ve already posted an online review, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I TRULY APPRECIATE IT.