King Brian's Stats
Thursday, March 26, 2009

I’m lost in a storm of marketing my first book while trying to complete my third. The realization that I have a responsibility to promote A Band of Roses doesn’t diminish my enthusiasm for the third book in the "Roses" trilogy, but it definitely cuts into the time I’d like to devote to figuring out how Talty and company will thwart the bad guys. I can’t help wondering how the original Brian Boru would have dealt with such a dilemma. Marketing was all important to the ambitious King Brian, who dubbed himself "Imperator Scotorum," the Emperor of the Irish. I suspect he would have gloried in the internet.

I had great fun changing history in A Band of Roses by imagining that King Brian survived the Battle of Clontarf and established a dynasty that still rules Ireland. The fun continues, and I’ve heard from many fellow dreamers who wouldn’t mind if this scenario had actually occurred. While we High King proponents might enjoy a moment’s fantasy about how things might have been, I'm seeking ways to deal with how they are.

A Band of Roses first hit the proverbial streets in March 2008, released in paperback by a now defunct publisher. I got so far as to enjoy wonderful reviews and a book signing at the Barnes and Noble near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but I lost my marketing momentum. Months passed before I found a new publisher. Red Rose Publishing released the story as an e-book in February 2009, and I’m hoping my baby will return in physical form soon. The sequel, Fiery Roses, is in the Red Rose editorial staff’s queue. My heartfelt desire now is to plow forward with Salty Roses, the third book in the trilogy. Yet marketing for A Band of Roses lurks in the background, compelling me to check my web site’s stats each day and making me wonder if I’ve done all I can do to "get it out there." The technology available to authors nowadays is intimidating, at least to me, and though I’ll continue to try, I suspect I’ll never have done enough.

Labels: A Band of Roses, Battle of Clontarf, Brian Boru

Posted by Pat McDermott at 10:23 PM •
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Sipping on Monday
Monday, March 23, 2009

As you may have suspected, my prior post concerning my shamrockivorous felines marked my entry into the blogosphere. My talented and patient web designer spent hours with me yesterday guiding me through the blogging process, explaining how he engineered the gorgeous site that is now my personal blog. "Now create a test entry," he said, panicking me. All the clever writing essays I'd planned abandoned me and I wrote about my cats.

I realize I’m a mere tadpole in the blogging pond, but I’m feeling quite pleased with myself this Monday morning, and not just because of the blog. Monday is Sip day, and Sip rocks. Several years ago a few members of a writing class I attended banded together and formed a critique group we dubbed SWiG, an acronym for Serious Writers’ Group. (We added the "i" for fun and for the glass of wine we enjoyed during our meetings.) After a while, a few members fell by the wayside. We were no long SWiGgers, just Sippers.

For over a year now, we Sippers have met every week, writing, critiquing, and encouraging each other. I’m happy to say I’ve recently sold my second novel to Red Rose Publishing. Heather has completed her first novel and is ready to start sending it out, and Kathleen is about to sign her first book contract. Yes, Sip rocks!

Posted by Pat McDermott at 9:48 AM •
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The Cats Ate My Shamrocks
Sunday, March 22, 2009

Guinness Beef Stew, brown soda bread, Irish music, good friends, and a bowl of blooming shamrocks. All the makings of a wonderful St. Patrick's Day holiday. I figured that when the stew was eaten, the friends gone home, and the music hushed, I'd have the shamrocks for a remembrance.

I figured wrong.

Bite marks appeared on those shiny Irish leaves. Stripped stems and chewed up flowers soon followed.

From left to right, the felons are Milo, Jojo, and Neko. Good thing they're cute!

Labels: cats, shamrocks, St. Patrick's Day

Posted by Pat McDermott at 2:52 PM •
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