Excuses...

 I tried to work out going to London to support APoS-Derry at the book fair, but it would be about $2500 and I'm just plain too broke. Too deep in debt. That sent me spiraling into self-flagellation over all the mistakes I've made in my life--wrong turns--to get to the point I can't afford a trip to another country to do...well, honestly, I don't know what I'd do while there. Except walk around like I belong.

If the London Book Fair is like others I've been to, publishers give out free copies and take orders; they don't sell the books. Not unless they've set up a signing, as well. Which isn't what this fair is about. When I worked at Sam Houston Books, in the Galleria, the manager and I flew to a big book fair in New Orleans and paid for the trip by grabbing as many free copies of books as we could. I was along to provide an extra bag to ferry them back to Houston, in.

I think my two suitcases weighed a good 120 lbs. That was the limit total for checking two bags. And I carried some onto the plane. Same for Greg, the manager. He worked it out, and we were ahead by $175 while making plenty of orders, too, for the Christmas rush.

I found an amazing cookbook that coming out and had to basically threaten him to order 25 of them. When they came in, he wasn't happy...but it was just before Thanksgiving. By the end of that weekend, they were all gone. He ordered 50, and we sold all but 3, by Christmas.

On another occasion, when Stephen King came out with a special limited edition of The Stand--signed by King and I think the illustrator, and priced at $800, if I remember right--we got a copy. Sold it the day it came in, but we couldn't order more. They were being doled out across the country. However, I learned the Rizzoli Book Shop the other end of the mall had one. We talked them into selling it to us with a courtesy discount of 20%, marked it up to $1000 and sold it in a week.

But that was all dealing with books put out by major publishers, and major writers. It's what I'd hoped I could work up for A Place of Safety's 3 volumes. Dreamed about. Build the interest and excitement. Lots of publicity. But not gonna happen. I don't have the ability or resources...or audience. 

Dunno why I'm rambling like this, except I'm down in the dumps. Melancholy. And craving a hostess Cinnamon Bun with cherry filling, which they don't make anymore. Which makes me even sadder.