Wench-wear and Shameless Marketing

The New Hampshire Highland Games are one of my favorite venues for selling books, and just pretending to be Scottish. I make no effort to hide the fact that I'm not a Scot, sad as it may be, but some people choose not to believe it, which is fine with me. Some say the red in my hair makes me look like a Scot. Ok.

I had just finished setting up my table of books, postcards, pamphlets, and other pertinent paraphernalia, when my husband rushes over with one of those looks in his eyes. "You have to come see what I found!"

Hey, I game for anything, so I follow him across the expansive parking lot of Scottish vendors. We stop in front of a gorgeous outfit befitting any Scottish wench wanna-be. A black bustier with white gauze peasant blouse over a Robertson tartan skirt. "You need to get this outfit!" he tells me.

I give him one of my own looks. The one that says, really?

"Just try it on," he says, which quickly summoned a perky salesgirl all too willing to get me into the tight-fitting top. It has the true corset styling of rigid heavy fabric and a lace-up front.

"Are you sure I can get into this thing?" I ask, eyeing the tiny-waisted vest. "My Victoria's Secret won't be a secret in this thing," I tell her.

"Oh, no, you can't wear a bra under it, they tend to fight each other."

I then begin to doubt this entire excursion. She (the salesgirl) has no idea what Victoria's Secret keeps in check. But I agree to try it on and endure the measuring before being shuffled into the make-shift dressing room.

Off comes everything (freeing, to say the least in the 35 degree morning), and I slip on the peasant top. Nice. Soft. Loose. Then I put the bustier on over the top. I begin the lacing up process when I hear the salesgirl from the other side of the curtain telling me not to fret over the laces, she'll help me with them. I'm thinking to myself, how hard could this be?

I finish tying the cord at the top, then do a bit of adjusting of the "girls" before showing the world what I would have looked like in the 18th century.

My husband smiles, impressed. We all know what that means.

The salesgirl comes over and begins the torture process of yanking the laces together so this wee bit of vest closes tightly. I find that, like my protagonist, Catrìona, that I'm not thrilled with this fashion. I can no longer breath, and when I tell my masochistic tender she says, "You need to learn to breath from your lungs, not your stomach. You'll get used to it."

Tcha! When hell freezes over, perhaps. Then she cinches the deal by bringing over the mirror. I have to admit, it really did fetching.

Then she tells me to bend over and lift and scoop.

"Honey," I say, "there's no way these babies are getting that much air time. They're just fine where they are right now. I'm working here, not vying for suitors."

She just shrugged like, your loss.

So the salesgirl rings me up and puts my comfortable, loose-fitting, warm sweater in a bag, and I go back to the clan tent. Apparently, wench-wear is very popular with most men. I was looked over a subtly as possible by the clansmen in the tent, all to approving nods.

My husband's job was done there, so he shed his heavy flannel shirt for the custom-made t-shirt he was wearing. Here's a picture of Dan working the crowd. I actually got a couple sales from that shirt! He's such a good sport. That and the fact that he likes the idea of being a kept man. Who wouldn't!

Giving Talks

I'd baked some chocolate-covered shortbead and a single malt whisky cake for a talk I gave last night at my local library. Hey, when you wish you were in Scotland, the least you can do is eat like you were!

Nearly all the faces in the group were friends supporting me and my craft. I talked for almost an hour, reading a few pages from Sightless, then taking questions. The taking questions part is the most interesting. I'm always amazed at the intelligent questions people will ask. They really want to understand the writer's mind.

Why Scotland? was the most challenging question of the evening. It should be easy to answer, and it is for me, but to say it without scaring people in the audience is tricky. I truly feel a connection deeper than just a desire to see the place. How easily I can transport myself to the windswept moors blooming with heather. The rugged mountains, perhaps snow-covered, in the distance. I can literally smell the land, hear the quiet, and feel the peace. Can I do that anywhere? No. But I know I've walked the place and have known its secrets. Its people.

How did I answer it? "I feel Scottish and it has always been a passion of mine."

When I spoke about my screenplay for Eyes of Garnet, which always gets people perked up, a woman said she was very pleased to hear it was written because she could visualized each scene in the book and could clearly see it becoming a movie. Someone else asked if I'd cast it yet, and I told them who I could "see" playing the major parts. Some were pleased, some were surprised, a few thought they'd make a fine character. One never knows.

After I explained what haggis was, and why I won't eat it, we broke for goodies and coffee. The single malt whisky cake was a raging success, as always. I signed a few books and packed it all up again.

Is there another way to get your book "out there"? Yes, and I try to do them all. But reaching out to people one-on-one spreads like wildfire. If they like what they read and hear, they tell their friends, who will hopefully buy your book and pass along that they enjoyed it as well. It's a slow process, but when you're a newbie author, it's the only way to go.

Maine Writers Blog

Just a quick post for today to let you know to check out my week of blogs on the Maine Writers and Publishers website.

http://www.mainewritersandpublishersalliance.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Ahhh, the Games...

I had a great day at the Maine Highland Games on August 16th. I sold a good bunch of Eyes of Garnet and Sightless; not nearly as many as Diana Gabaldon did at the Grandfather Mountain Games in North Carolina a few weeks ago (she signed and sold 1606!! I could only dream of that notoriety), but I was pleased and that's all that matters.

As with every signing, there are bits of hilarity I need to share, and this was no different. A wonderfully enthusiastic woman who had bought Eyes of Garnet earlier in the summer was preparing to purchase Sightless. From the side of us where a short row of porta-potties was lined up (some called it the MacLoo clan's space!), emerged her husband who had just donned his kilt and he was adjusting it.

"I did just what you told me to do," he said to her. "I left my underwear off."

If you haven't already guessed my reactions to such devious behavior, I burst out laughing. I think it may have been more due to the evil twinkle he had in his eyes when he attempted to look innocent after that statement.

His wife turned various shades of pink and started fanning her face to cool down, and kept looking down in the vacinity of where his sporran should have been.

"We'll be back later", she told me, then exited at a rather quick pace. Her husband followed, but not before he turned and gave us a wink.

Sightless Release Date

It's finally here! Sightless is out on amazon.com and soon to be everywhere. Its timely release will be just in time for the Maine Highland Games on August 16 in Brunswick, Maine. Since Sightless is written mostly about Maine, it should be an easy sell at the Games.

I plan on getting a leather bound limited edition in a few months for those who like to collect. They really are pretty, but a little pricey to get printed.

I'll be sending around a formal email in a day or two to those who've requested a head's up on the release date. I'm waiting for it to show up on Barnes and Noble and on my publisher's website. I'll be making a link on my site foe easy ordering, as well.

Thanks for all your support through the long months.

Happy reading!

Mary

I Could Get Used to This!

For the second weekend in a row I've had a book signing with great results. I could really get used to this! This past Saturday, I was in Castine, Maine at the Compass Rose Bookstore. Sharon, the owner, has sold more books there than any other bookstore Eyes of Garnet resides in. I have now become the bestselling author in Castine! (Hey, I'm taking any award I can get at this point!)

Now, Castine is pivotal in Sightless, as this town is what was known as Pentagoët, where Cat and Greame have settled. Technically, Brooksville is where they built their settlement, but before Brooksville became a town in the early 1800's, all of the area in Sightless was know as Castine/Pentagoët. From what I've researched, a town was only considered such when a church was established in it.

Then to round out the weekend, my husband and I ventured over to Belfast, Maine for their Celtic Festival. It was a perfect Scottish/Irish day. The sky hung low to the water, releasing sprinkles for most of the afternoon. The masts of the many sailboats anchored in the harbor danced in the gloom as lobster boats came in with their hauls and caused a wake.

I'd brought an umbrella large enough for two (yes, I'm not one who enjoys getting wet. It's my husband who's the Scot, remember?), and we sat on the lawn and listened to Bohola and Prydein, the Celtic bands playing under the tent.

I'm a watcher of all that's around me. The color of the sky, the ripples the raindrops made in the otherwise calm sea, the cry of a lone gull as it swept over the land in search of a tidbit of food a youngster may have dropped on the ground. All these things I store away for scenes in my stories to help the reader feel as though they are there. Many people are oblivious to such subtleties and I always marvel at their lack of enthusiasm at everyday nature. Did they notice as they passed the beach roses that the Japanese beetles were eating them? What about the starfish that had attached itself to the oak piling just under the dock? Was I the only one who noticed it? Perhaps that's the reason a well written description goes a long way to making the heart smile. It's what someone else took the time to note and pass along so everyone else may enjoy it.

I'm going to be a Guest Blogger

I'm a member of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance in Portland, Maine. They're a wonderful writer's resource and put on several author events throughout the year. I just participated in the Books and Blooms multi-author signing in Boothbay Harbor, Maine last Saturday.

The weather was perfect and the people came to buy. Always a great combination for authors. There were about 70 of us! I had a very nice sales day and there was lots of interest in the Sightless pamphlets I was handing out to perspective customers. If that's any indication of the sales my second book will generate, I think it will be a very good seller.

To get back on track, the MWPA sent out an invitation to its members last night for weekly guest bloggers for a new addition to their website. I jumped at the chance and was chosen! My week is going to be Aug. 24 -30. They ask that I post at least 3 blogs during my week. At this time, there won't be a chance to comment directly, but inquires can be directed to my email and I can answer them in the next blog. It should be fun and I can basically talk about anything, just as long as it's PG rated and not political. No worries there. I hate politics! And I'll try my best to refrain from my vulgarities ;•) Check it out at http://www.mainewriters.org/news.html

For the most part I will be ranting on about the publishing business, the movie business and whatever else is filling my head at the time. Perhaps not to the extent JA Konrath rants, though I visit his site everyday and always manage to get some great information from his blog. Much like Tess Gerritsen's blog. These two fine authors are making a great attempt at teaching us newbies the ropes of publishing. You'll find that even being at the top of the pile isn't always what it's cracked up to be, but I'd sure like to make it to the pinnacle and let you from there!