Do this...and this...and this....

Decorations from Saturday's book signing--I particularly loved that copy of an ancient basal reader, The Story Road, that topped the decorative stack of books in the foreground. 

In the current economic climate in our nation, budget cuts have impacted every sector.  Publishing companies have handled this financial stress by placing more responsibility on authors' shoulders to publicize their own books.  My agent has encouraged me to aim for 100 positive reviews at Amazon, because Amazon fuels book sales not only at their own site but across the internet as well as with book sellers.  If people want to help spread the word about this or any book, writing a positive review at Amazon is the most powerful way to do it (if you like The Children Are Tender I'd appreciate your taking a few minutes to review it--you don't have to have purchased the book from Amazon to write a review there). 

I want to do a good job promoting my book, really I do; but I honestly am uncertain of the best way to begin making those connections that seem to be so vital in the book publishing world today.  I find it disconcerting that all of these marketing strategies I'm trying to learn to utilize take  time and creative energy away from the writing/caregiving/grandmothering/farming that my life is truly about nowadays.   

My creative muse is fed by time on the farm with my husband, John, but the stress of preparing for a recent book signing took me away from farm excursions and chores for two weeks.  As I fielded emails from my publisher, composed news releases, and set up for the book signing I felt fragmented and stressed.  It reminded me of a scene from the final Twilight movie.  Newly transformed Bella is being instructed on how to act like a human.  She receives so many instructions from so many people that she ends up looking somewhat like a comic book character as she follows each command in quick succession. 

That's how I feel. 

I'm praying today for wisdom about how to allot my daily writing time efficiently!