An Active Author's Autumn

 Happy no-longer Halloween, everyone!

We had a successful talk at the Community Learning Center in Kendallville Thursday, once I got over being intimidated by the size of the room.

I mean, they put us on an actual stage, and handed us microphones. Two dozen people were there; we sold eleven books, and signed two others that had been previously purchased. That's pretty good, when you consider they had to pay $15 to get in.

That makes two live presentations, a book signing, a radio station interview, a TV interview, and a podcast, and we're exhausted. Emily and I are what people now call introverts: When we're out in public, especially when attention is on us, it drains our batteries. It didn't help that we had to fight off a cold during this period.

And yet it's good for us to get out, and we've made sales. We even got a sale from out of the area after our radio interview with Jack Hammer, at WXKE.

 I'm not that good at public speaking, but I think I held my own.

I expect sales of Haunted Noble County, Indiana to drop now that the spooky season is over. Sadly, I don't have books named Thanksgiving In Indiana or A Hoosier Christmas, but it is that time of year when I try to push book sales for gift giving season. The number of authors who never have to worry about promotion is probably in the low three digits, these days.

 On a related note, if you've ever bought any of our books, please leave a review! Amazon only allows reviews from people with an account who've spent $50 in the last year, but the book does not have to be purchased there. Goodreads is good, too. It's in the name.

You can't imagine how important reviews are to the success of a book. It doesn't have to be something long and complicated.

 

 So, what's next? I mean after recovery, because being out in the cold and various allergens has left us sniffling and exhausted. Next step for me is to start working again on the Hoosier Hysterical sequel. We want it to come out early next year in honor of America's Semiquincentennial, which is a real word, I think. I should probably just call it our 250th birthday.

Meanwhile, Emily is going to reformat and make a new cover for Radio Red, which we're re-releasing after getting the rights back from the original publisher. It's a fun romantic comedy set in Michigan, and I think people will like it. Sadly, very little was done to promote it earlier.

Then we have to finish the Albion Fire Department photo book (send pictures!), publish a Storm Chaser prequel, continue submitting half a dozen finished manuscripts to publishers and agents, and write more. Granted, writing is not a spectator sport, but for us it's an exciting time coming up.

 

Even introverts can be extroverted on the internet:

·        Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

·        Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

·        Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

·        Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

·        Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

·        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

·        Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

·        Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

·        Substack:  https://substack.com/@markrhunter

·        Tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

·        Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

·        Audible:  https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

 

Remember: Book sales are how we afford caffeinated beverages, and we’d be no fun without them.

I Was a Big Time TV Star For Ten Minutes

 My interview with Eric Olson of 21Alive's "21 Country" segment went pretty well, other than that TV cameras are really good at picking up bald spots. Here's the link:

https://www.21alivenews.com/2023/10/26/21country-haunted-noble-county/

 

Thanks to Eric, who's interviewed me three times now since I first got published in 2011. (I believe the last time was 2017.) I didn't think about it when he contacted me, but interviewing someone writing a book called "Haunted Noble County" pretty well fits in with the season, doesn't it?

Now I have to write the darned thing.

I'm actually progressing well on the research, and I've written some of the text. I'm running behind on going out to actually talk to people due to some ongoing time and health issues, but catching up is my middle name. (My middle name is actually Ketchup. Long story.)

• Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
• Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"
• Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter
• Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/
• Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

Remember, not reading can lead to your being haunted by a dead author. They smell like ink and desperation.

 

 

Another TV Interview Coming Up

I was interviewed Friday by Eric Olson of Fort Wayne's 21Alive News (He's the 21Country Reporter), and he says it will come out this Wednesday, October 25th. Now, I don't know if that means morning, noon, evening news, 2 a.m news break ... or if some horrific thing will cause it to be rescheduled. Eric doesn't think so, but the last time he interviewed me it didn't air on the scheduled date. Fingers crossed! Here's some info about him:

https://www.21alivenews.com/authors/EricOlson/

This is the third interview he's done with me, and the fourth TV interview I've ever done. This time it was not about our books, but our book to be: Haunted Noble County, Indiana. I'll put up a link to the interview when it goes up online. As for how it went, I have confidence in Eric's ability to edit out my throat clearings and verbal face plants.

He interviewed me at home, and also took some video footage at Albion's Rose Hill Cemetery, which I told him has some history of hauntings, and the Old Noble County Jail Museum, which I told him looks like it should, but doesn't.

The above photo shows him in action at the cemetery, while the below photo gives us a glimpse of the Old Jail as taken from the cemetery. 

We cleaned up the office for this. Seriously, check this out:

This is where Emily's editing/cover design/formatting/correcting my screw-ups happens.

And this is where I do a lot of my research work, although the actual writing often happens on the living room couch. The wallpaper pre-dates my ownership of the house. (So does the carpet.)

    

• Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
• Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"
• Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter
• Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/
• Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter
• Substack:  https://substack.com/@markrhunter
• Tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

Remember, whenever you don't buy a book, a stack of manuscripts start to build up on writing desks. Save the trees.