SECUESTRO on Audio

Gosh, I think I'm on a roll. Just received this e-mail from Dr. Joe Taylor, publisher Livingston Press, University of West Alabama:

I’m going to go forward with putting Secuestro on audio Books. Joe 

WHMD RADIO

WHMD Radio - I guess radio stations like to catch people in the car while they're driving to work, because their interview programs start at the crack of dawn. Tim of WHMD and Johnny, WFPR/WHMD are very popular in the early hours. After talking about SECUESTRO on both their shows, people stopped to tell me they'd heard the interviews. Johnny and Tim are both veterans of the radio waves and I had indispensable Mary with me, an old cohort of theirs.
Tim was intrigued that I once knew Fidel Castro and Dictator Batista. For many years I had the Castro/Diaz Balart wedding invitation, but my kids kept taking it to show and tell and one day it went to show and it never came back. It would be a nice souvenier to have now that the Cuba books are published.

November Starry Night.

The Crescent: Ricky sets me up at a high table, left of the entrance door. Up goes the big poster of Fidel Castro in his mountain retreat. Mary P. is busy stacking SECUESTRO books. We have a new gadget--a phone charger. Away with the old swiping machine. Technology moves much faster than this old mind. (When high-tech konks, Mary returns to swiping). There's Andrea from William's office arriving early to make sure we get it right.
So much fun! People streaming down the sidewalk, stopping for a drink, buying a book. Friends I hadn't seen in ages. Friends I see all the time.
SECUESTRO is having a good night. Katie is having a good night. Thanks Ricky!

St. Tammany Writers Group

Thursday, Nov. 15. St. Tammany's Writers Group. I don't arrive here in good shape. I'm driving at night across the Causeway in a rented SUV supplied by Enterprise because Collision is fixing the fender bender I had in the Berry Town lot--someone backed into my parked car. I'm innocent. I go from my little Toyota Cambry to this monstrous machine. I can't figure out how to put gas in it; where the lights are; how the wipers work, and it doesn't come with instructions and I'm driving from New Orleans to Mandeville, bumper to bumper traffic and when I finally get there what I really need is a stiff drink, but since I have no co-pilot I refrain. The group does two critiques each month, and Andrea submits some awesome poems, and Joe, the new member submits a story that gets minced to pieces and I worry that he might get upset, but he takes it pretty well. I'm just happy I don't have to smile anymore. I'm not much of critiquer, after all except for two, they're all highschool and college teachers and who am I to say? My expertise is real estate and marketing, commissions and square feet, and for some reason, that knowledge doesn't apply here. Doesn't seem to apply to publishing in general, either.
You know when you're old? When you accept the fact that the event you most look forward to, is getting home and crawling in bed!   

Isodore Newman School

Thursday, Nov. 15. I find it interesting that Isodore Newman School is located at 1903 Jefferson Street and was started in the year 1903. Like in the Quarter, there is no place to park. It's a hassle. The Book Festival takes place every fall and I was kindly invited to participate. I'm not very good a plugging my own work to a bunch of strangers, Mary P. does that for me in a most superb manner. I won't sell one book and she sells 5, and she wasn't at Newman with me. Melissa was off with Noli and little Gary, those kids love to read and wanted to buy every book in the store. So, I'm sitting there at a table with a stack of books and a fake smile, thinking I should take up knitting when Noli comes up with a little friend and says, "That's KK! She an author!" and there was such pride in her voice, as if she was showing off just the very best relative she had! Turned out the little girl (and I can't remember her name) was Ann Mentz's great niece? Carli's granddaughter. The Lamantias and the Mentzes were Hammond families for many years. It's a small world!
Then along comes Christie and STeve Kennard and Christie. They're grandchildren go to Newman. She has an E-Bay business called Spannar (that's close, not sure)  a combination of Spangler-Kennard and she picks up a book a says, "I"m putting this on E-BayThat's the way to go. The wave of the future. Four million people hit on E-Bay every day. Certainly at least one will want to buy your book!"
What can I say? Go for it! The lesson in this is, there's always a nugget of something that comes through. The hours spent sitting and smiling aren't a complete waste. All I have to do is give myself an attitude adjustment!

801 Royal

FRENCH QUARTER Thursday, Nov. 15. I love the French Quarter, the narrow streets, the ferns and potted plants hanging from the balconies, the kooky locals, the tourists clutching maps and cameras, the horses clip-clopping around Jackson Square. My intentions were to attend a session of the Faulkner Literary Festival at the nearby Hotel Monteleone, but first Melissa Wainwright and I dropped in 801 Royal for lunch. 801 Royal is a medium-priced restaurant with nice decor, friendly staff, and a well-stocked bar, recently opened by friends of Melissa and Gary. They converted and old run-down grocery store into an airy place, lots of mirrors and windows and the food is great. We were joined by friend Rodney, who just moved back into the Quarter, and we had one of those Southern conversations I truly love, into everybody's business, y'know, crabcakes and gumbo, sweet potato fries, etc. and more etc. and  a fried tomato sandwich? To die for bread pudding with rum sauce compliments of the owners,and before I knew it, time flew by and there wasn't time to hit Faulkner. Instead of gaining much needed education, all I did was gain another pound!

For the Faulkner Novel competition I sent in a manuscript called Pohainake Parish, but it didn't win, place or show. Nothing I ever write wins. When I go to the casinos I  never win. When I enter sweepstakes, I don't win. I think I won the lottery once, but I could never find the ticket. Imagine, I could probably be a millionaire today if I could remember where I stash stuff.

Wednesday, Nov. 14th.
Rosa Dunn, KSLU Radio - I am surrounded by cheerful, efficient people who know what they're doing and help me muddle through. Rosa, interviewing me about Secuestro is a real pro. Sitting next to me, patting my shoulder and saying "it's going to be all right. you'll do okay," is another pro, Mary Pirosko. I am so blessed. Rosa read the entire book and had four legal pages of notes. She knew more about the story than I could recall, because once I'm through with something, I wipe it out of my mind, since I have limited brain space. I wrote Secuestro in 2010, the publishing process began in 2011, the actual book came out November 2012. Publishing business is slow. How they ever function in the real live business world, I have yet to figure out.
The book about a kidnapping is divided into seven days of captivity. Rosa said she almost quit reading after a particularly harrowing scene on Day Three, but was so caught up in the adventure she couldn't stop. She was very complimentary about Secuestro and I am grateful. Y'know there's so many books out there, I'm always touched when somebody reads my baby and likes it!