Twice Read!

I am now entering that quiet period with my book sales, which is what I expected. After the flurry of movement following a free promotion on Amazon, the sales figures are fading away. I will be promoting A COVERT WAR & ROSELLI’S GOLD again at the end of the month and will be hoping for better, and I would like to think that my sales figures will continue on an even keel for much longer. It’s a truism that writers have to sell themselves rather than their books. Sounds like something of a contradiction but it has been advice that’s been coming at me from the web for some time now. It’s a catch 22 situation: how do I promote my books if I have to promote myself first when no-one has heard of me and has no idea what I’m like as a writer? But I’ll continue pushing to push myself and my books. Last Tuesday I met an elderly gent who has packed a lot into his life. He’s 87 and lives out here in Spain. He’s a retired architect and the builder of some amazing, model railway layouts and scale models of everything to go with them. He has two track layouts: one in his garden and the other in his shed. Judging from his work I would say he was a perfectionist. (He is also a pianist). He read my first novel, NORTH SLOPE followed by THE BOY FROM BERLIN, my latest. He read them both TWICE! He said they were so well written and enjoyable that he had to read them again. When I get unsolicited reviews like that from strangers, it lifts my spirit and gives me enormous encouragement. Incidentally, this man asked to meet me, so it wasn’t a chance meeting. We’ve had a good week on the non-literary front. Over at friends on Tuesday for a meal and a game of cards; always a good laugh. Following day it was our friend’s birthday, so a little celebration ensued. Thursday was our house group meeting. Friday we visited our sick friends at Casaverde. Saturday we went to a wedding blessing at our local fellowship here in Spain. And on Sunday I was preaching over at the small, Christian fellowship in Pilar de la Horadada. Not forgetting the football either; all in all it’s been a good week. Oh, and my book sales are averaging 37 per day at the moment. This will probably tail off as the month goes by, but hopefully my promotion slot will change that. And I am currently proof reading HELL’S GATE. Always busy! Last thing: this morning we had a lady and her young daughter round to view the house. They are from Hungary, I think. She liked what she saw and is looking at others in the area. Her husband comes over from Hungary at the end of the month, so if she comes back for another viewing hopefully she’ll like it enough to persuade her husband that he likes it enough to part with the money. We have our fingers crossed, but we’re in God’s hands.