I’m happy to be a guest Blogger on Cozy Chicks today, taking Michele’s spot….Okay, now that the booing has stopped, I’ll continue. But I feel I’m only half qualified to post here. You see, it’s obvious that I’m not a Chick and my coziness has been questioned a time or two in the past—I’m working on that—but I am a writer.

Published authors generally distain promotion. But, for me the joy of writing doesn’t stop when the manuscript is completed, rewritten a few times, and finally sent off to the publisher. I guess I’m in the minority because I love it. I relish getting out there and hawking my book. I love attending book festivals, bookstore and library events, and meeting people who read. And now with the TV writer’s strike looming—do people actually write those reality shows, guess so—there might be more readers to woo. Timing is on my side, because my new book, THE BRIMSTONE MURDERS, just popped up on Amazon. It won’t be released until the first of February, but Amazon is accepting advance orders and offering a nice discount, I might add.

Last night I sent emails to family and friends, nice people who had previously expressed interest in my books, telling them that the new one is finally available to order. My friends read the email and responded favorably and it was gratifying to watch the Amazon sales ranking number spiraling lower as orders flooded in throughout the evening. And as pleasant as that was, it had been even nicer to receive emails back from some of them expressing words of encouragement and support.

One email—from my first cousin’s beautiful daughter, an intelligent young woman who’s also a writer—said that she’d just ordered two books from Amazon, mine and the new Russian translation of WAR AND PEACE. I hope Christine won’t be disappointed…with the new translation, I mean.

Prompting one’s book is hard work, expensive, and especially difficult for writers working on a deadline. So, when you walk into a bookstore and see an author sitting at a table with a stack of books piled in front of her, stop and say hello. And if you buy the writer’s book, after reading it, send her an email. Tell her how much you loved it (even if it was lousy) and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve helped make it all worthwhile.

Jeff Sherratt
www.jeffsherratt.com