Flood warning!

          

           In Iceland they call it Jolabokaflod or Christmas Book Flood.
           Books have been the gift of choice for Christmas since WWII when currency restrictions limited imported giftware. Now Iceland publishes more books per person than any country in the world. The Iceland Publishers Association puts out a catalog every year. When the catalog shows up in every mailbox, the excitement begins. People select the titles they think will please each person on their list. 
            Christmas gifts are usually opened on Dec. 24 and everybody spends Christmas Eve reading. It's a tradition!
             This year I am taking a tip from Jolabokaflod. Each day in December, on the Sue Merrell Books Facebook page, I will recommend a book by a local author. There's a flood of good stories out there, something perfect for everyone on your list.

Miles and marketing

      

I'm part of the lunch bunch generation. Meeting for lunch was the way we made business connections when I was working. Now that I'm retired, it continues to be my primary way to connect with friends.  That is until fellow author friend Janet Vormittag came up with a more healthy option.
         Janet is currently riding a wave of success with her latest book "You Might Be a Crazy Cat Lady if..."  Last spring she asked me to meet for lunch to discuss book marketing ideas. It was quickly apparent this was going to take more than one session, so Janet suggested meeting at Johnson Park and discussing marketing ideas while we walked up and down the wooded hills.
          Over the summer we talked and walked at least once a week. We read and discussed "Online Marketing for Busy Authors" by Fauzia Burke,  which influenced changes in our Websites and Facebook pages. We came up with totally off-the-wall ideas such as my traveling shoe posts and her Crazy Cat Lady parties. We signed up for book events such as the Pumpkin Fest in Montague and the Trail of Michigan Authors in Muskegon. We both did radio interviews with Zinta Aistars.We even explored a new walking trail in Ottawa County.
        Now the trees have turned, the leaves have fallen, and this morning we sought refuge from the cold wind by walking at the mall.  No doubt we racked up more miles than book sales, but the walks impacted more than our Fitbits. This weekend Janet is featured at the Novi Pet Expo, an idea we discussed on our very first walk back in May. And next weekend I'll participate in the Local Author Jamboree at The Book Nook and Java Shop in Montague, something that's been on my bucket list for years.
     To paraphrase Robert Frost, we have miles to go before we rest, miles to go before we rest.
       

What time is it anyway?

            
           

Does the very idea of turning the clocks back every fall (and forward in the spring) make you fighting mad? Maybe that's why Daylight Savings Time was so popular during WWI and WWII.
            Things could be worse. When New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson first presented a paper on the idea in 1895, he suggest turning the clock ahead TWO HOURS in March and back two hours in October. Imagine trying to adjust to that! Ten years later a British builder, William Willmett came up with an even more complicated plan: move the clocks up 20 minutes on each of four Sundays in April and back again on four Sundays in September.
            The whole idea didn't really catch on until April 30, 1916, when Germany set their clocks ahead an hour to conserve coal during WWI. Not to be outdone by the enemy, the United Kingdom and France followed suit a few weeks later. I mean it could be really confusing for spies to leak the time of a bombing raid and the Red Baron shows up an hour early.
             Daylight savings time went away after the war and then came back in WWII. It  was used year-round. FDR called it War Time. Spring forward, fall back became the law of the land in 1966, although the dates vary a little over the years.
             This year the time change coincides with a full moon, so your biological rhythm should be extra confused. When you find yourself with an extra hour on your hands this weekend, use it to download the Kindle version of Full Moon Friday. It's on a 99 cent special Saturday and Sunday. Celebrate the craziness.