Stage Whispers & Squeaky Wheels Pay Off

Now yesterday I put out a shake the tree posting on FB to try and bump the Amazon ratings/reviews number for The Wise Ass from 6799 to 6800. I know, its just one review, but when you check out the book on Amazon, the number goes from the summarized 6.7 to 6.8. And that looks substantial.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=671426319248835&set=a.116892268035579

So, anyway, it turns out that that the wonderful person who answered the call, was my Postmistress Nadean Leverock. Who is also a friend on FB. https://www.facebook.com/nadean.leverock

I have known Nadean since I started mailing books all over the world from the Berthoud Post Office. Nadean has facilitated the mailing of a lot of books and each one of the five in The Claire Saga.

Over the years I have watched how Nadean has expanded her family. She is a cool person, great wit, lots of fun to chat with, and has a great man and beautiful daughter.

I have tormented her throughout the years to read The Claire Saga.

Well, yesterday all of my bedevilment paid off. After killing myself cleaning the basement (more later), before I went to bed, I dragged this old and tired body to my office and checked my FB page. There was a post to my post, from Nadean.

So, I then raced to my Amazon page, and there it was in all of its glory. 6800!

Followed by the review that put it over the top.

Now, 6800 Amazon reviews/ratings is surpassed on many opening days by the big shot writers who publish with the Big 5 Publishers – Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, and Simon & Schuster – who throw lots of money at marketing their authors and have connections with the writers of The Sunday Times Book Section and can tout their recruits as the next best thing.

But for an old writer who’s best luck got him published by a small, independent publisher, and who has contributed out of pocket, directly and indirectly, to the marketing expenses of getting his writing out there, 6800 is a decent number.

Most of the best marketing for me has been slow and steady word of mouth. I call it my whisper campaign. Nadean has played an intricate role in that campaign, because every time I’m in line at the Post Office I engage in stage whispering with Nadean about the latest on my books and all of those nosey poor bastards listening in on line at the PO have heard that dialogue, and often joined the party, asking about the books. Big Fish, small pond.

That has sold a few books along the way.

So, thank you Nadean for stepping up at a perfect time. Best to you, your beautiful daughter and wonderful man.

Now, let’s go back to yesterday.

It started out with the wonderful face spa at Anna the Barber’s in Berthoud, which, btw, is located directly next to the Berthoud PO. https://www.facebook.com/p/Rustic-Rose-Beauty-Lounge-100057225408565/

That magician turned me from looking like this,

to this.

Which is not a major improvement, but is much harder than it looks.

I love Anna, who is also a big fan of my books. Indeed, she read along with WTLLM as I wrote it.

And she knows all of my secrets.

So, that small section of Berthoud, right by the rail road tracks, has been very good to me. Indeed, the Berthoud Public Library – who sponsored my first public reading – and the restaurant/bar, Side Tracked, which appears so prominently in AAA and KMAG, is right across those tracks.

https://www.facebook.com/sidetrackedbar

After a most magical hour plus in Anna’s chair, she gently placed lipstick on this pig with the artistry of Don Corleone’s mortician, Amerigo Bonasera.

https://youtube.com/shorts/x-YjwcxxdRQ?si=xPAKa47-J492GVwl

Anyway, after Anna transformed this old bastard, I returned to Casa Claire, where I was greeted at the driveway by Claire and Honey, under The Ladies,

And inside by Bandit,

and Smokey,

who still looked better than this old dog just from the bath they received at The Dog Ranch.

And, given that I didn’t succeed in my attempt to permanently pass to another dimension while astral projecting in Anna’s chair, I went to work channeling generations of Irish Scullery Maids and cleaned the Casa Claire basement.

https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/u-s-slavery-history-not-as-black-and-white-as-you-might-think/article_4359743a-2453-11e6-9111-efa89f83584a.html

I have to say, hours later, and back knackered, it turned out well.

And by late afternoon, I dragged myself up from the basement, into my loyal and comfy recliner chair, and did not move until dragging myself up one more flight to bed, and quickly falling unconscious on my new grounding sheet, where I slept like a log.

But today I still have my outdoor chores to do. So, I better get to them.

You fine, five readers get out there and enjoy your Sunday. Restfully reading one of the books of The Claire Saga in some obvious place like a park bench, or beach chair, where strangers can observe you laughing and crying, and ask “what are you reading?”

That is the kind of whisper campaign I need to sell enough books that Hollywood will notice, option the series for an exorbitant amount of cash for Netflix, Amazon or Apple, which will allow me to hire that French Maid for the scullery work at Casa Claire to sooth my eyes and save this aching back.

And no matter what else we get up to, let us make today a great one.