A Funny Thing Happened to Me

Aren't we all authors or aspiring authors? Haven't we all experienced the difficulties of book marketing? We all want to crack the code. There must be some sort of formula. Or not.

Last summer, I took a solo trip to the bread basket of America. Beginning in Maryland, I traveled to twelve different states and managed a 4-day visit with an old school chum who lives in a place called Terlingua, TX completely off the grid. It was one of the best vacations I've ever had. 

Along the way, I left business cards promoting my children's book, That's Ridiculous, Said Nicholas. The cards have a brief description of my book, website, and business phone number. I thought they might help drum up interest in my book for a mere $30.00 paid to VistaPrint.

Last week, I received a mystery message from a handsome stranger and a beautiful young girl who appeared to be his daughter. How do I know? They sent a picture of themselves outside of a purebread store. 

This is odd, right? Along with the picture came the following texts:

"Hello Cheryl"

"How are you doing?"

"Remember"

Mind you, no, I do not remember. I have no idea who these people are, but their sheer chutzpah intrigues me. So, I decided to play back. Every few days, I send them a reply:

"Tom?"

"Robert?"

"Richard?"

They have yet to answer. I'm wondering how I can make them answer. The man is very good-looking and I'm single, very single. Might he also be single and looking? Why doesn't he answer me? Should I keep trying to reach out? These are the questions that plague me.

I know I can do a reverse lookup on the phone number. I'm not there yet. I'm having too much fun trying to get a reply.