Independent Press Award

Okay, “distinguished favorite” is not the same as “winner.” Think of it as 4 stars instead of 5, this one in the category of historical fiction instead of adventure. Any category is fine by me. Thank you very much for the honor.

Last week I gave an author talk here in Mexico to about 25 people (23 of them “gringos”). It felt rewarding. 25 is much more encouraging than 3.

Only 3 was discouraging. Then the next bookstore I scheduled with wanted to charge me $75 to do the talk and to collect ticket sales at the door. Plus, they wouldn’t stock Shanghaied unless they could buy them from me at 40% off. So, I canceled. Inventorying, selling, shipping, tracking sales and sales tax and expenses, etc…is not a job I want.

But who knows? There may be more encouraging venues out there. And soon I will get my bearings in this industry and stop writing about this.