Late Morning, Wednesday, September 25, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire
It’s a cold, gray, uninviting early autumn day in my corner of Carroll County, New Hampshire. Currently, the temperature is 55°F (13°C) under cloudy conditions. The feels-like temperature outside is 62°F (17°C), but it’s going to rain soon, so if I venture outside, it will likely be in the afternoon if it is not raining then. It’s not going to be much warmer later; the forecast for today calls for a high of 60°F (15°C).
About Yesterday….
Tuesday didn’t come with the same chill or gloom. Sure, the temperature lingered in the low 60s, but it was a tad clearer, so I ventured out for my routine stroll. Although it was later than I typically do—it was almost 4:30 PM when I stepped out on Huttwill Drive—I had delayed, hoping to churn out a paragraph or two for Chapter 20 of Reunion: Coda. The sky was overcast by then, but it felt warmer compared to today, and thankfully, no rainclouds loomed on the horizon.
“I had hoped to donate this book in person, but I didn’t get a chance to visit because…life got in the way. I’m leaving in October, so I’m sending this via Amazon/UPS. I hope it finds its way to readers! From Alex Diaz-Granados”
Gift Card Message to the Conway (NH) Public Library
Yesterday’s highlight was donating a copy of Reunion: A Story to the public library in Conway, the closest sizable town. I planned to donate in person, but my lack of transportation thwarted that effort. Despite this hiccup, I remained resolute about donating, knowing I’d be leaving New Hampshire without ever stepping inside that particular library. Libraries tend to value donations, especially when those contributions are “gently used” and in good condition, as their guidelines suggest. Moreover, it provided an excellent opportunity to place my book into the hands of eager readers—even if it required dipping into my Amazon rewards points to make it happen.
(Though I’m still bummed I couldn’t hand it over myself, at least I completed my goal.)
Amazon tells me that my order hasn’t shipped yet (they print and bind each copy of Reunion: Coda “on demand” at the nearest facility to the destination), but it’s supposed to arrive tomorrow.
When the folks at the Conway Public Library open it, they’ll find this note on the gift card:
“I had hoped to donate this book in person, but I didn’t get a chance to visit because…life got in the way. I’m leaving in October, so I’m sending this via Amazon/UPS. I hope it finds its way to readers! From Alex Diaz-Granados”
I’ve unlocked a new achievement: mastering Microsoft Office 360 on my Amazon Fire tablet. I spotted the app in my “Apps” menu, and while I have no intention of drafting or editing documents on that device, I can effortlessly read my Word files there, like the manuscript for Reunion: Coda. Isn’t that fantastic?
On Writing and Storytelling: Action This Day
Today, work is on the agenda, and my afternoon will be devoted to making progress on the novel. Monday night’s Remeron dose left me so groggy yesterday that writing anything beyond my usual WordPress post was impossible. I was too sluggish to even draft an outline for Chapter 20’s opening scene, and by the time the mental cloudiness dissipated, it was nearly 5 PM—far too late to get productive.
(Around that same moment, I realized I needed to donate my novella to the Conway Public Library via Amazon, as other methods would require paying for a ride or asking for help, both of which I’m trying to avoid while saving up for my relocation back home.)
Despite the chilly and dreary weather trying to dampen my spirits – I flourish more when nature is friendlier, if not warmer – I’m gearing up to tackle the 20th chapter of the novel. Gone are the days when I’d write on a whim; lately, venturing into the plot without at least a skeletal outline has become impossible. Strangely enough, as Reunion: Coda nears its conclusion, weaving the tale gets increasingly challenging.
I’ll be thrilled if I manage to follow through with my plan and get some writing done this afternoon. Although I’ve given up on finishing the novel before heading back to Miami, my goal is to push Reunion: Coda closer to completion so I can publish it by December – just in time for the holiday season. Beyond wanting readers to dive into the story (and hoping for some royalties), I’m eager to hold the finished book in my own hands and enjoy it!
A Certain Point of View, Too 
Comments
8 responses to “Reflecting on a Rainy Day in New Hampshire”
I think donating to libraries is a good idea. Even if you don’t get paid for the book and on the contrary lose a bit of money, it is a way of advertising the book, and if you are lucky get a review. I’ve never thought about sending a book to libraries straight from Amazon.
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I still get royalties, even if I order the book myself. In this case, I used many of my Amazon Visa Rewards points.
I doubt that the Conway Public Library will review the novella, but I do agree that it is a good method to promote my work. I don’t know if they’ll add it to their collection’s fiction section or consign it to the Little Free Library. I would, of course, be thrilled if “Reunion: A Story” made it to the permanent collection, but if it is not deemed suitable and passed off to the Little Free Library, at least it will find its way to the hands of a reader.
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I should point out that what I was thinking is that a reader borrowing the book from the library may review the book. I know that most readers borrowing from libraries do not review books. I read that it is a 1 in a 100 thing. But it could happen.
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Well, if a reader does review it, will they review it on Amazon, which is its point of origin? Or will they review it on a personal blog? Either way, it ends up getting a writeup, but I might never find out if it’s not reviewed on Amazon.
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Yes, that is a good point. Based on personal experience, I think Goodreads is a good place for reviewing books you borrow from the library, but you are certainly allowed to review books from the library on Amazon, but they won’t say “verified purchase”.
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One of the reviews currently on “Reunion’s” Amazon page is by one of my high school classmates, Maggie Wunderlich. She wrote it on her husband’s Amazon account, so the review has Chris’s byline, and because I sent it to her as a gift a few months ago, it doesn’t have a “Verified Purchase” label.
I would, of course, be over the moon if I saw a review from a Conway Public Library patron who borrowed the book and was moved enough to write about it on Goodreads or a personal blog. What matters most, though, are two things:
1. I made the donation, though not in the most satisfying way
2. It will reach the hands of at least one more reader
(I had hoped, before I was forced to move by the difficulties I’ve faced with the other renter, to stay in Madison, visit the library, give them the book in person, and maybe, just maybe, get an interview in the local newspaper. A silly fantasy, I suppose, but small-town papers love these kinds of stories. And I could have used the publicity….)
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Yes, I think that would be great. It does not hurt to send the local newspaper a suggestion and see what happens.
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If I had donated in person, I might have done that. I’m not going to do that now. For starters, I’m not exactly photogenic now, plus…I’m not going to be a member of the community and foster a long-standing relationship as a local writer. At least I donated the book at no cost to me, and I’ll get the royalties (Amazon treats rewards points as dollars).
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