POD People: Self-Published Authors Show Us Your Websites!

POD People: Self-Published Authors Show Us Your Websites!

Here you go!

www.gggoncarovs.com

Homecoming

After setting up a discussion to be held in the town I grew up in, thoughts of returning to my old stomping ground flitted through (I know, do thoughts really flit?). The old track where I used to run, the football field that seemed to hold the boyhood dream of playing professional ball, the fabulous band that I used to be a part of, and the wonderful history of the small central New York town that was the Birthplace of Women's Rights.

The town has changed, and so have I. Many of the dreams I left with have vanished into middle age mediocrity with the exception that I have three wonderful daughters, each of which have worked hard to realize dreams - dreams that were once mine, now theirs to fulfill.

Going home will be a welcome diversion, if at least for a little while, I will again be an ambitous young man in a small town in the Finger Lakes.

A welcome time in Connecticut

Thanks to my new friends at Borders in Waterford. It was hectic to say the least, but enjoyable. My measure is that if I can sell half of the books to people I did not know before the signing, it is a success. And so it was!

If you are near the Crystal Mall, stop in and say hi to Katie and Dawn and the rest of the staff - they are great!

Great seeing some old friends to catch up on old times and what's new in everybody's life. It was great to know that those old friendships developed so many years ago now still hover like swettnes wafting off a gardenia in bloom.

And it was great meeting some other folks that were intersted in Convergence.

Coming home with an empty suitcase was not only comforting on my shoulders, but heartwarming as well - the story of Convergence is soon losing its secret status. I salute you, courageous mem of the HL Hunley. Your courage has touched more souls than you would ever have believed.

On to New Bern!

A hot one!

Looked at BN.com and saw that COnvergence had dropped to 140K! Not to say that is spiralling to the best seller list, but it feels good to at least get out of the 300K region. Granted, probably only one, but I'll take what I can get.

What was left of Alberto passed through this week and left a ton on rain, but now summer is officially here. Tried to get a few things done in the yard, but before I knew it, the sun and heat had beat me into submission - even the water snake chose not to move as I stumbled by in my heat induced stupor. He just looked at me, almost to say "no games today - just walk by, leave me alone, and we can just call it even.

Working in the yard in the morning provides some time for working through some phrases. Today, a penchant for gallows humor passed by - sounds like something to work on. And the title of the next one evolved to Dirty Little Secrets. Catchy. Need to see if that's been taken.

Off to chapter three. Carter returns to the US and uncovers some high level plotting going on. Sounds like something to work on, with a penchant for gallows humor.

Ciao

New Web Site and Other Rambling

After sixteen straight hours, I re-designed my website as well. Once done, all I could do was sit at the tube and watch the bar move SLOWLY as it progressed. With trepidation that the darned thing would blow up as soon as I punched up www.gggoncarovs.com, I gingerly pressed the keys and slowly depressed the enter key. With closed eyes, I listened for and bangs or whoops that would tell me that the house of cards fell down. Much to my surprise - it worked! Now I just hope it will bring in enough business to pay for itself!

The re-design gave ne a respite from haying my front lawn from a neglected spring time. Seems the moles have provided a fine cross-hatch and blend of dirt, roots and thirsty grass. But it's hacked down to manageable height for a weekly foray through the summer, and I look forward to some sweet tea while I ponder which of the four book projects I want to dive into. Perhaps another saunter would help.

I would like to thank Karen at Brightleaf Books for a great booksigning in Smithfield, NC. Miss Karen had a wonderful set-up, I even snitched a few of the cookies, and I met many of her regulars. Even the storms held off to let a few wander in and have a chat about the Hunley, my book, and the rejuvinated Telmenu Saimnieks. Some of the conversations even sparked some other thoughts for some follow-up Southern Fiction that I'd like to get down on paper. If you have a moment when passing through Smithfield, stop off and set a spell at Brightleaf - it is a marvelous place!

Respect for the men of the Hunley

Brian Hicks of the Charleston Post and Courier provided some great news concerning the third and final crew of the Hunley. Finally, Lt. George Dixon, Joseph Ridgaway, James Wicks, Frank Collins, Arnold Becker, JF Carlsen, Lumpkin and Miller, the Hunley's third crew, and the crew that could be considered as the seed that started the submarine Navy, will have headstones commemorating their final resting place at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.

After all these years, common respect for these brave men. As presented in my historical novel about the men, Convergence of Valor, these brave men came together on that one night in February to defend a small piece of their homeland, their homeland either by birth or acclimation. Understanding how technology has developed from that night puts their bravery and valor into perspective.

Great time in Cary

Had a great time in Cary this past week meeting a few folks and signing a few copies of Convergence of Valor. It was great to see the growing interest in Convergence of Valor, and I hope I didn't gaff too much by rambling into the details, but this novel and the topic excites me.

I wanted to take a few seconds to mention a couple of great people I have met while distributing Convergence. Emily at Burry Bookstore in Hartsville, SC and Karen at Brightleaf Books in Smithfield are two of these people I have met recently. Their bookstores are what I remember of the fabulous small town bookstore that I grew up with. The nooks and chairs are set up just perfectly to set a spell and get lost in an adventure in a far away place or a far a way time. Thank you Emily and Karen, and all the other small independent booksellers out there.