Choices in the Dark: A Podcast

A woman nicks a car with her shopping cart. No one sees. A ninth-grader struggling with an algebra exam glances up and sees another kid’s answers. The teacher isn’t paying attention. A commanding officer witnesses a friendly fire death in the chaos of battle. There are three witnesses who will do as he says.

The choices we make in such situations say a lot about our moral compass. Truth is, there’s always someone watching.

More in my new JenningsWire Podcast: Choices in the Dark.

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Come blog with me …

Cover the 5 C’s, and you’ll be blogging with more confidence and capturing the attention of more readers. Come learn and try a few exercises in my free webinar on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. The sign-up sheet is here. Hope to see you Tuesday!

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It’s time to break through writer’s block.

You pace. You change rooms. You turn on music, get coffee, and put up laundry. Nothing works; the words simply will not come. The answer isn’t trying to stare down the screen. The answer lies in unclogging the creative channels that produce the ideas and prose hiding within. Join me Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. for a free webinar focused on tactics and exercises that will help you vanquish dreaded writer’s block. The sign-up sheet is here.

Sometimes it’s best to let your work speak for itself.

When someone approaches your booth at a book fair, do you?

Read the cues, enjoy the sales.

A: Greet them and back off.

B: Load them up with book cards, candy or other tchotchkes (defined by Urban Dictionary as “something a burglar wouldn’t steal.”)

C: Quickly engage them in conversation that leads to a sales pitch.

Okay, it’s a trick question, in that the smart strategy is to observe a moment of silence and quickly assess body language. Some browsers want to read your signs and posters. Some want to test the heft of your book. And some want to shake your hand, look in your eyes, and hear the pitch right away.

Your visitors will come in all sizes, so it’s silly to think you can tailor one approach that fits all. A few observations:

Dial It Back, Pal: I once saw an author post himself in front of a booth and nearly accost every person who walked by. “May I give you a bookmark?” he’d say like Forrest Gump. If the kind person accepted, he took it as a green light to pitch his book. Other nearby authors at this book fair wanted to vote him off the island.

Takeaway: Leave the hard sell to those who peddle mattresses and used cars. Readers expect and deserve a more thoughtful approach.

Opposite Bookends: At a recent book fair, I found myself between a woman with a wondrous way of turning new friends into new readers, and the most subdued author I’ve ever seen in public. This guy had good stuff on his table, but he sat behind his table for hours, rarely smiled, and didn’t say a word unless someone spoke to him first.

Takeaway: Think about the negative cues you may be sending to thousands of potential readers who can stop and talk or keep walking. Show some energy.

Time and Space: A guy stopped by my booth. No smile, no hello. He picked up my book, looked over the cover and read the back. I stayed quiet. He thumbed through the pages, looked at me, and then back at the book. “Anything I can tell you about the story?” I offered after a couple of minutes. He said no, reached for his money, and gave me a warm handshake before walking off.

Takeaway: As much as you may want to share the story of your story, sometimes people want to be left alone. Give them their time and space.

Anyone else have a booth story to share? Oh, and here are some pix from a recent festival.

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Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

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Mike Tyson, to paraphrase songwriters Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon, has been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king.

He’s been up and down and over and out, but he knows one thing. Each time he finds himself flat on his face, he picks himself up and gets back in the race.

Question is, what does he want from us? Forgiveness? Understanding?

You decide, and weigh in if you have an opinion, unless you’re afraid Mike might get mad… The story’s here.

Engage, don’t accost …

When you wrote your book, you probably never thought about working your booth. No surprise; you were worried about plot, pacing and protagonists. But now the book is done and published. You’ve made the transition from creative writing to creative marketing. Trade shows and book festivals are a great way to introduce your work to readers.

One thing you’ll find at your first fair is that not all booths are created equal. Here are some tips to get you off to a running start:

- Engage, don’t accost. You’re selling intrigue and adventure, not brakes and mufflers. The pitch should match the product.

- Put the book aside and find common ground. Notice their outfit, or if they’re pushing a stroller or wearing a Mets cap. If you form a quick personal link before getting into the story, your visitor might actually bring it up first. And you’ll be thinking, Glad you asked! This is when you summon your quick, engaging synopsis.

- Use your space wisely. Booth work usually happens in tight quarters. If you’re talking to a couple and another person walks up, step around, open the circle, and invite them into the conversation.

- Make friends with your rivals. Odds are you won’t be appealing to the same audience as the guy in the next booth or the gal across the way. So spend a few minutes getting to know the neighbors. Trade ideas. Snap pix. And steer folks interested in other genres to your fellow authors.

- Be smart with posters. You can feature your cover, or you can make a cover poster that includes a blurb about the story. The latter is better, as it gives passers-by a taste if you’re busy with another customer. Along these lines, make sure you hide the boxes and coffee cup, and keep the table neat.

- Go for buzz, not bling. Sure, chocolate kisses will draw plenty of visitors, but most will grab a handful and walk off. Instead, find something to give away that relates to your work, like bookmarks about the book. Speaking of food, keep a mirror handy to make sure nothing you ate wound up sticking to your teeth.

Last, make sure someone who can handle a camera is taking plenty of photos. The shot you’re going for is that special moment when perfect strangers begin looking at you as an author with something worthwhile to say. A good assortment of pix from the show also make a nice Pinterest board.

Any other book show tips to share? Please add them below!

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Less inviting …

True or False? When asked to do a reading, your prose is more important

More inviting …

than your voice, body language, and eye contact.

If you said true, pay closer attention to the crowd. Audiences – even hardcore fans – are making judgments before you’ve read the first line.

Did you walk with confidence to the podium? Fumble with your pages? Make a big thing of adjusting the mike? Did you smile, thank the host, and welcome the crowd with a quick story? Or did you forego reading foreplay and dive right in?

Such items may seem obvious, but the obvious often hides out in plain sight. Some tips gleaned from a reading I did at a recent book fair in Maryland:

- Practice the pages: You wrote the words, and may even have read them aloud before. Doesn’t matter; rehearse at least three times.

- If you feel nervous, go early and turn strangers into acquaintances and fans into friends. Focusing on something besides your performance will reduce anxiety.

- If you’ve practiced, the words will feel familiar, which will allow you to look up more often. People prefer your eyes up instead of always down on your pages.

- When you look up, spread it around – left, right and center. Be sure to look for the friends you made earlier. They’ll nod or smile, giving you steam to finish strong.

- Read a little the way you would read to a child: very expressive, with pauses, exaggerated changes in tone and tenor, and different pacing. Do not try to do unfamiliar accents unless you’ve perfected them at home.

- Last, leave a little time for Q & A. And if you’re reading at a book fair, don’t forget to invite everyone to drop by your booth to chat a little more.

Have some more tips? Please share!

P.S. Check out Pinterest board with pix from Kensington Day of the Book Festival.

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To Hank…

If you could spend Happy Hour with anyone you wanted, dead or alive, who would you pick, what would you drink and where would you meet?

I was warned ahead of time that I’d be asked those questions during a live interview on Big Blend Radio. It didn’t take long to make my pick. I chose Hank Moss. Hank is the missing character from Bella, my first novel. Some quick background before we shift to the bar.

Hank and Bella had only been married a few years when he died on an Afghan battlefield. The military told Bella he was killed by the enemy; an anonymous source said it was friendly fire. Hank, a rising pro tennis player, had joined the Army after his sister was killed on 9-11. Everyone urged him not to do it. Except me.

Here’s how our talk went down over a few beers at a quiet country bar.

SP: So I’m drinking with a ghost?

Hank:  You’re asking if an imagined man killed on an imaginary battlefield now drinking imaginary beer at an imagined bar in an imagined conversation is real?

SP: You’re right; forget I asked that. Was joining the Army a mistake?

Hank: They killed my sister. It felt silly pretending it was still important to hit tennis balls. I didn’t really have a choice.

SP: Seems you did. Seems you chose revenge over your wife and daughter.

Hank: Anyone ever kill someone you loved? If not, you don’t know; so don’t judge.

SP: I’m guessing you know they lied to Bella. What did you think she’d do when she found out it was one of our own soldiers?

Hank: Try to prove the truth. Nothing would stop her. She’s got a side no one knew about. Now they know.

SP: But you’re talking about routine stuff, like which movie or which sitter. This thing put her up against generals and congressmen.

Hank: Fierce is fierce. She’s smart and beautiful and dangerous when she’s angry.

SP: Are you proud of her?

Hank: I love her and what she did for me, so yeah, I’m proud.

SP: Besides being proud, what else would you tell her?

Hank: Watch close over Katie. Don’t let anything happen to her. She’s still a scared little girl. It’s going to be hard for her.

SP: Thanks, Hank; sorry this has to be so quick. I’ll pass it on.

Hank: Tell ’em I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Tell ’em to remember the good times, but to move on. There’s lots of life to live, lots more stories…

Do you ever talk to your characters? Have they ever surprised you?

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Mom on her wedding day

This year 450,000 Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease will die. A number that large is hard to understand, so let’s cut it to, say 40. That’s roughly the number of people I saw a few months ago when I visited the wing of the south Florida facility where my mother now lives. Please read on.

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