Grandpa Lymon and June Bug Grandpa Lymon ran a store because he loved to socialize with folks. |
As
you may know I have a book coming out this winter. The
Adventures of June Bug Johnson is the result of many years of hearing,
collecting, and embellishing funny stories.
Writing this book was a labor of fun, the editing and other things that
followed were more a labor of love.
Emotionally,
I feel like this book ought to be the center of literary universe; it is almost
like seeing your child do well. Other
writers may feel differently, but I have become deeply invested in these
stories. In my mind I know this book is
no Gone With the Wind, Great Expectations, or That Hideous Strength but that doesn’t
change the way I feel.
The
problem is that as a no-name author of a collection of funny stories the
well-read world of fine literature is not beating my door down asking for
interviews, movie rights or book signings.
I would love to have Barnes and Noble or Books-a-Million sign me to a
book tour that would guarantee large turnouts at every store. So far, I have not been able to get past
their phone tree and talk to a live person.
I
am, however, booking tours, and so far there are no events scheduled at major
players in the book industry. For
example, my first retail outlet event is at a gift shop/drug store in a little
town in a rural county. This county is
so rural there is only one traffic light in the whole county. This store still delivers drop orders, the
pharmacist calls customers by their first name, the clerk at the cash register
chats with folks about their kids, grand kids, and great grand kids. It is the kind of place where the heart is
larger than the numbers.
While
I would certainly like to book an event that would sell 500 copies, I think I
will enjoy a casual, easygoing afternoon in a small town, drug store more. This is a book about stories, with one of the
central characters being a storekeeper name Grandpa Lymon (pronounced Lemon)
who runs a small community store. It is
about being a part of a caring community and the relationship that guide us
through life.
From
chapter one about the worst Klan rally ever:
Lymon felt that the real
value of a store was the friendship between the customer and the
shopkeeper. He would treat a man with a
$75 order no different than a child buying a penny candy, except that he would
occasionally give the candy away.
Lymon loved people and the general store was just a way to be around
people. When taking an order he would
let folks talk as long as they needed; both by disposition and habit, he did
not rush. Among the shelves of canned
meats, chewing tobacco, string, pistol and rifle cartridges, the one thing
folks came for most was the friendship.
I
believe Grandpa Lymon would be right proud that I am launching this book tour
at a store in a small community where people are what matter most. I may end up doing a book signing at a major
outlet, but the chances of making a long-term friend are much better in a small store than in a book
signing frenzy. So, I am going to make a
point of loving the small things.
If
you want to schedule a book signing for you event large or small email me
dirently or go to the book’s website www.JuneBugJohnson.com,
look around, and drop me a note.