ONE STEP AT A TIME

"I couldn't put it down! I stayed up way too late last night!"

"I read the whole thing in one sitting. You really touched on my experience in that era; it was an amazing time!"

I am truly humbled by the number of folks who have already given me positive feedback, and so grateful to them for shelling out the purchasing price. They've stopped me on the street, called on the phone, and flagged me down in the local cafe.

After my initial two appearances, I felt an old identity rearing her head, the one that could sell anything to anyone. I used to say I could sell coffins to teenagers, but there wasn't any objects I really wanted to sell, except maybe comfrey, but that wouldn't pay the bills. So that shining Venus woman, full of light, humor and persuasiveness went underground. Now she's back. I am so delighted to read from my book, share stories, and chat with folks about Sun Bear that I'm totally looking forward to a full spring and summer of appearances. The book is so valuable to share, in a format that is easily accessible; the time is right.

So far I have appearances in Missoula (2), Seeley Lake, Spokane, WA (2), Darby, MT (gotta get a date for that one!) and a time frame for Kalispell and Whitefish, north of Missoula.

I'm actually considering attending a Medicine Wheel Gathering in North Carolina in July to share the book with folks, and see how Bear Tribe looks now, 39 years later. It would be a stretch, given transportation, housing, and shipping books, let alone the humidity! But what a kick, and what a great market for MEDICINE ROCK. Of course I'd blog daily about the adventure.

When I first considered the marketing task I felt discouraged, my primary passion being the writing itself. But now I'm into it, see how important my personal touch is and am getting my sea legs calling bookstores cold. The worse so far was Barnes and Noble in Missoula. They don't take "print on demand" books; it's their store's policy. Is it a national policy? She didn't know. Too bad, their loss. The local bookstore made over $60 from my books in just two hours. Not bad for lunchtime, no extra staffing. The other frustration this week is getting the website up on the web. I switched from godaddy.com (don't recommend their website builder) to Intuit, but this last step of it actually making it to the web has been challenging.

Also, in all honesty I need to say that all but THREE of the 50 books I've sold have gone into the hands of my friends and acquaintances. Bless their hearts!

Now, how do we get them to the East Coast??!