Remember Me? An Update

 Do you remember me? Bob Nailor. That author dude from NW Ohio.

Life has tossed me several curves in the last almost four years since my last blog. First was that nasty COVID virus. I was able to avoid it when it first appeared, but then, it got me. I was rushed to ER in Bryan, then transported to Ft Wayne where they didn't think I would make it through the night.

Ha. Ha. Showed them. Two weeks later I was transported back to Bryan to a nursing home where I spent another two weeks habilitating to join society. Talk about therapy!! I had to learn to walk, go up/down steps, etc. Yeah, even throw a ball.

That was Spring. During the Summer I seemed to be doing fine and things were going along; well, almost too well. In September my doctor decided I was retaining too much water and put me on a diet and double Lasix pills. No exercise, per se, but walking (aka running) to the toilet helped to lose weight. I lost 70 pounds.

Then the falling kicked in. Between December 1 and April 15 of the next year (2022) I fell 21 (TWENTY-ONE) times. It took them that long to figure out why I was falling. Seems I had what is called "Diabetic Amyotrophy" which attacks the muscles of the legs to a point of uselessness. That's right; I couldn't support myself and I never knew when the legs would give out. People told me to use a walker for support. When my legs gave out, it was a drop, like a crumbled cookie. I had a walker, but I was down before I could even get my arms to support me.  We had to let the disease run its course.

Yup, back to therapy again. I was almost to the point where I could walk on my own, my heart decided to go into a-fib. So, a pacemaker was 'installed' to give me a bionic aspect. Things seemed to be back on track. YAY! WRONG. I kept going into a-fib and the doctor couldn't 'shock' me out of it. Back to Fort Wayne and an oblation on the heart in an attempt to fix the a-fib. That did the trick, but I needed to again get more therapy. Almost back to walking on my own when my nephrologist realized my weight gain was due to water retention and any attempt to pressure the kidneys to work harder would ruin them even more. 

I was put on dialysis. A port was put into my upper chest (opposite side of my pacemaker) and now I attend dialysis treatments 3X per week for 3.5 hours per session. It would have been nice to be able to do it in my own community, but there is a 2+ year waiting list to get in there; so I go to Defiance which is about a 35-40 minute drive from my home; each way. Talk about a shot day.

All during this time I have attempted to write, my Amish fan base is screaming for the next book. I wrote "The Secret Voice" as a stand-alone book. Wrong. Fans wanted to know what happened next. I wrote "The New York Voice" in hopes of satisfying my fans and calling it quits. Nope. Hence book 3, "The Amish Voice" came into existence. I had my wife read the final copy before publishing. What was her first words when she finished the book? What Happens Next? That's right, I'm now working on book 4, "The Vietnam Voice" and have outlined/wrote a little on the LAST two books: "The Family Voice" and "The Englische Voice" which definitely ends "The Amish Singer Series" - at least, in my mind. If my fans are wanting more, I will need to consider a new series.

I also wrote two Barry Hargove detective/mystery books: "The Case of Eternal Blood" and "The Babbling Sphinx" Yes, I'm working on book 3; "Dragon Feast" which I hope will be a fun read for those who like mystery/detective stories.

And, I'm also working on book 2 of my "Shiyula" series - "The Topaz" which is coming close to being done, IF I ever finish "The Vietnam Voice." LOL. Yes, I have outlines for another few books in this series, too. "The Ruby," "The Sapphire," "The Pearl," and "The Diamond." My heroine, Jewyl, will have her hands full as she attempts to regain her grandfather's kingdom.

Rumor has it I'm also working on a book of Christian meditation... AND a sequel to my best-seller on AMazon "52 Weeks of Writing Tips" entitled "Another 52 Weeks of Writing Tips." I know, so original!

Notice in the above line I said best-seller on Amazon. My big, BIG seller is my Amish series, but it's via me at fairs, book clubs, craft shows and other events.

Which brings me to a moment of realization. With dialysis happening 3X per week, I did an event in southern Indiana - The Covered Bridge - which lasted 10 days. I won't be able to do that anymore. I even question my ability to do the 4 day Pemberville Free Fair event which I really enjoy.

Yes, my life has/is changing. I can travel but I must set up dialysis sessions along the way. I was told I could even go on a 10 days cruise. Hm? I can get a cruise for $800/person, but the dialysis (5 or 6 times) at about $1K per session... WOW! For 2 people, the cruise will be less than $2K, but the dialysis for me during that time, like $6K. And guess what!? I have to pay. Insurance won't cover it because if you can afford a cruise, you can afford your dialysis.

Okay, if you stuck with me this far; thanks. I hope to return to blogging.

Until next I ramble on...

False Hope

Just returned from an author's event.  You know the type - somebody organizes the event by getting a bunch of author's together to hawk their book(s) and allows them to meet/greet the public. It's just like a book signing, except in a larger scale.

There is a lot of work getting prepared for one of these. It isn't just a matter of slapping the book on the table, sitting back and raking in the do-re-mi as buyer after buyer throws cash in your face.

Okay, I do stand corrected. There was one gentleman who came to the affair, had a whole table to himself - an eight-foot-long table.  He had ONE book title, three copies spread out in a small arc in the middle of the table.  He sat back in his chair, feet up on the table, and rested for the remainder of the event. At the end, he picked up his 3 books, put them in a satchel and left. Done.

Others, like me, put up a display with books tastefully displayed, colorful announcements, handy business cards, and 'gimmicks' to draw the attendees to the table.  I normally use candy but am thinking of something else... maybe I'll discuss that further on.

Here's a picture of one of my events just a few weeks ago at the Findlay Author's Fair.

You can't see them, but there are about 100 small LED lights under the white cloth.  I used battery operated ones, not knowing if there would be an electrical outlet handy.  Do you see the white-on-white conduit against the wall?  Yes, I would have been the only one with electricity in the room.  Since then, I take along the electric LED lights that can change to any color of my choice, and/or rotate colors and/or flash, too.  No electricity most of the time, but they don't weigh that much.

As stated, the Findlay event was almost a month ago and there have been two other events since. 

The attendees come through, browse the books, talk and talk and really seem intrigued and very interested in the books.  You'd be amazed how many "gush" about how they just love a good Amish story to read.  Uh, but no purchases.  No, but they do ask if it is available online. They want to purchase the electronic version.

Of course, it is online!  Well, DOH!!  No, I don't say it that way to their faces but smile and give them the link(s) to the book(s) for them to check out at a later date.

Okay, not a book purchase at the show, but a potential purchase via Amazon or elsewhere online. It doesn't matter, it's called royalty and it all counts.  I'll take electronic purchases.

I keep checking my online stats for my books - both those I published and those of my publishers. I'm a hybrid author, having some books via several different publishers and some books I have self-published on Kindle/Create Space and at Smashwords.

Need I say?  Yes, the numbers continue to plummet into the abyss.  No online purchases.

Ah-ha!!  Call it the lightbulb going on above my head... OR getting hit by lightning.

It is a ruse by the potential customer.  By stating they want it online, they're not caught in the dilemma of telling me no to my face.  They can give me false hope of a sale and continue on their merry way without feeling terrible.  Maybe they will buy a copy online, but more likely, they won't.

I'm open to suggestions of how to get an event attendee to commit to a purchase.  I've offered beautiful metal bookmarks,  I even had some crocheted bookmarks.  I've offered buy one, get another one at half price. And, I attempted to lure them with candy. Oh, yeah, and I smile a lot.

About the candy.  Someone suggested gum cigars, similar to those the proud dads buy at the birth of a new baby.  They can be purchased, specialized with events or other words to denote, let's say, a book.  Of course, one could buy specially marked M & M candies.  

What else could be given away?  My friend offered a free book drawing. She would give away a copy of her latest book to one of the attendees.  She got four people to sign up.  Not what would I call a real good return on the investment since she didn't sell any copies, either.

Short of knocking the attendee to the floor, ripping the purse open or pulling the wallet from the hip pocket and digging out the money for the book ... any suggestions to help with sales?

My Amazon ratings continue to plummet.

False hope sucks.

Until next I ramble on...