Well I'm on my way...finally. I've done pretty well and sold almost 75 books either through myself, word of mouth or the Internet. Many of course are friends, but a number are people I didn't know well, that decided to take a chance. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from people who swear they are telling me the truth - they enjoyed the story and couldn't wait to finish it! Even the most hardened english teachers have overlooked my sentence and formatting errors to just simply enjoy the book. That is testimony enough for me!

And true it isn't a 100 or even 500 or a 1,000, but for someone who didn't think they could sell 10 that's pretty darn good!

So next week is my first author appearance. Of course it is a bit biased since it is during our book faire at the community college where I work. But I am not alone since I will have two other authors joining me: Carolyn Miller who is an author, poet, novelist and ghostwriter in her own right; and Dr. Ana Nogales is a psychological counselor who writes a column for La Opinion newspaper and has written a couple self-help books on latina/latino relationships and personal success.

My second is sort of a signing, but more like a book club review. My girlfriend Lorraine's hairdresser works in downtown Lomita, an area where they are trying to bring in people. They have some coffee shops and small restraunts now (in other words "a night life"), and her hairdresser wanted to start a book club with her clients. So they will read my book and then the following month I will appear at her salon in the evening and answer questions and sign books if that is what they want. It looks like the last week of June. Lomita is a not so small town outside of Torrance where I was born and raised and lived until 6 years ago. My brother lives there, my uncle lived there, my co-worker was it's mayor at one time and is still on the city council.

It may seem small, compared to say a book signing at Borders...but it's a beginning. And as for Border's a friend of mine is trying to hook me up with one in Missouri, I've just been too swamped to contact them. But I promise I will!

Well I made it home after an hour and thirty minutes of turbulence. It wasn't horrible, I've heard much worse stories, but for someone who HATES to fly, it was enough for me to appreciate the ground I stand on. I don't get pilots, or people who like to fly on a regular basis - just an FYI - you're all weird!

I need to contact the manager at the Borders in Missouri, and I need to make that flier I mentioned in my last missive, and I need to order another box of books, and I need to...I am still recovering from an hour time change. I slept for 12 hours last night and I am more tired now than when I went to bed! To think my family and I drove across country for four weeks, hit three time zones and I am woofed from a one hour change for four days. Getting old is awful.

I have three books waiting for me to read...when do I have time for anything anymore? I actually finished one before I left (Died in the Wool), I'm halfway through the current one Puss 'n Cahoots) and I have one waiting for me down stairs. Not to mention I still haven't finished Wicked, but have seen the musical (highly recommended). My current book editor has finished two chapters and then when that's done I get to make changes on my laptop. If I can make a little more money I can have that one printed maybe at Christmas time. But we'll see.

Oh how did Salt Lake go? Not bad. But it's going to be a while before I go again I think. I love my genealogy, but those film readers for 8 hrs a day get to you after a while. But that's okay because I was able to document some more events in my family's lives. There is always hope, and a lot more story lines to create.

Well Here I am in Salt Lake City on the second day of a 4 day genealogical feast and I've done so-so. I always hope for the magic record, the one that will open another set of doors. I thought I might have it this time. I found what looks to be the marriage record for my great-grandfather's parents. I didn't find his baptism, but there is still hope. Of course now that I've written this I probably have the totally wrong set of people...

I need to make fliers for both the May and July signings, so when I get home I know what I am doing...as for home...Well the kids are fine but my car isn't. I have a nice 3 inch paint scratch on my right rear fender.  Here I was expecting to do it. That's life. Just for that I think the genealogy gods owe me one - Peter Stewart and Annie Bartie's marriage would be an excellent start.

And as for my plans to write while I'm here? That's been right up there with my yoga CD which is still laying in my suitcase.

Well I have an editor for my second book. A teacher who is in the process of getting her Ph.D. but is still willing to give it a shot. I have already started re-reading it for the last time and have cleaned up some sections quite a bit. I've gotten rid of some repetition and needless wordings. It really is amazing how much one learns when they have the preparation of one book already under their belts.

I should be getting ready for my jaunt to Salt Lake next week but I have done very little. I made some lists, printed out pages of the FHL catalog so I don't have to run back and forth from computer to reader and have ideas of what I wanted to do, but other than that I have not performed my normal preparation. I plan to write while I am there anyway, and with Mom's side I'm sort of at a dead end anyway maybe I am just sort of letting some of it all go. The writing is a lot more fun anyway because I can determine the outcome of a family history - unlike my own.

Oh yeah...I got my first on-line review on Amazon. Check it out and send in your own!!!!