A Southern Missive

Today is my birthday, the first day of fall. Unfortunately, I won’t get to goof off like I had planned. I have a long list of tasks that must be accomplished today because I have such a busy week ahead of me. Monday: After I teach my ULM classes, I must drive to Assumption Parish. Tuesday: I have a presentation at two schools, then one for the Friends of the Library there. After I finish that, I’ll drive back to Monroe if the weather is not too bad. Otherwise, I’ll get up early Wednesday and drive back. Wednesday: After I teach my ULM classes, I must go to Jefferson, Texas for the Friends of the Library there.   Thursday: I have 3 or 4 presentations with the Honey Grove, Texas ISD.  Friday: Another signing at the Sherman, Texas Books-A-Million. Saturday: A signing at the Hastings bookstore in Mount Pleasant, Texas. From that signing, I’ll drive back to Monroe.

Yesterday, I had a signing at the Books-A-Million in Bossier City, Louisiana. It went very well. Another sell-out. Every book of mine in the store signed and sold. From these successes, I’m building a large circuit of stores I can return to with future books (and of course, they’ll order some earlier books too.) This can’t do anything but drive up my royalties. Promoting my book is hard work, but I’m having the time of my life. I am unsure about access to wireless on my trip, so blog posts may be scattered. One thing is certain: I’ll have some stories to tell.

Today I took a profitable road trip to Louisiana Tech at Ruston, Louisiana. The university library is now going to carry my books, Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House and Stories of the Confederate South.  In addition, the university bookstore manager said he would order about a dozen.  I also met with some of the staff in the English department, working on future readings here. I’ve known a couple of the English instructors here for many years.  I then dropped into the Lincoln Parish Library hoping to catch the Vivian McKain, the director, but she is out attending a library meeting somewhere. Vivian has always been a fan of my writing, and very generous and helpful in many aspects of my writing career.

Tomorrow, I am at the Books-A-Million in Bossier City, Louisiana. That signing will start about 10:00 a.m. and as usual, I plan on it lasting till all the store’s books are sold. Sunday, September 23, the first day of fall, is my birthday. Sigh. Last year’s birthday is still firmly planted in my mind, and the gifts I received and the memories of those who gave them are still with me.  I think last year’s birthday was one of my better ones. I  looked at a poem I wrote the day after. I won’t post the whole poem for fear of it causing me to slip into bathos. Here are two of the lines:

Today was my birthday,
And the first in a decade I haven’t hated.

I hope this year’s birthday will be as good as that one.

Today was a grunt work day. I scrambled to get ready for work at the university, scrambled to prepare for the classes, muddled my way through them, and came home to more work than I can possibly do. Rat race of the mind.

Things are going well with my writing work. I now have events scheduled every weekend (and many week days) between now and Christmas. I had one weekend left and I set up signings in Mobile, AL. Two Barnes and Nobles stores. One store has booked me twice. Once on Oct. 16, a Tuesday, for an Educator Appreciation Night, and then again in November on the 16th and 17th. As soon as I get the details, I have a massive publicity campaign to begin.  I’ll also post them here on my blog. I really want the signing in Mobile to be noteworthy. Long story here. If you know me well, you already know it. Well, on to the editing work! In the words of Lawrence’s story, “The Rocking Horse Winner,” which I taught to my 102 students today, “There must be more money!”