Modern day lumberjacks!

If you've read my blog before you know I am promoting a novel called TIMBER; Fire in the Pines by A.L. Sanderson.  It's a historical fiction story set in 1894 in a fictional Central Minnesota town near Hinckley.  So of course, launching and promoting this book I'm all about lumberjacks!  Seeing them in my dreams and hearing about them all over the place!  But maybe I'm not just hallucinating.  Seriously?

Recently I discovered a men's fashion movement called "Urban Lumberjack" or "American Heritage Classics" is gaining momentum around the globe.  These guys are into investing in classic pieces that are made to last a lifetime.  Minnesota is proud to be home to companies that manufacture many of these well made classic pieces.  Companies like Red Wing shoes who specializes in work boots and Bemidji and Fairbault Woolen Mills are two companies who make classic lumberjack buffalo plaid clothing, wool blankets and more.  So it seems these guys are rockin their grandpa's clothing style?  Yup.  Grandpa was on to something cool!

Last weekend the Hennepin County Library and The Minnesota Historical Society featured the work of Brian Miller and Randy Gosa singing Minnesota Lumberjack Songs and music from the North Woods.  Brian is a singer and musical history buff who has researched logging culture and Irish/Scottish songs from way back to the late 1800's in Minnesota.  Their presentation was really interesting.  It included some cool period pictures and facts from that era.  These guys make some great folk music together; find their appearance schedule on their website.  Brian seems to be the spokesman for the duo and last weekend he shared that he was awaiting the birth of his child.  Maybe congrats are in order already!  Visit Brian and Randy's website and music out at www.evergreentrad.com.

 Brian's "Shanty Boy" photo originally on Two Tap Trio

 Brian and Randy's photo from publicradio.org

Of course I do hail from the land of Paul Bunyon so I have the creative lumberjack license in my home DNA.  But the fact is-- that many people all around the globe are still captivated by these legendary lumberjacks!  They're an important part of our American (and in this case) Minnesota history.  They helped build and shape our country.  If you're yearning to go back in time to the 19th century and enjoy a great story about lumberjacks and how they lived and loved you need to read TIMBER; Fire in the Pines!  Author's website is www.alsandysanderson.com

Touching Lives. Kindred Spirits.

Today the author received some lovely questions and observations from a senior who just finished reading TIMBER; Fire in the Pines.  The reader's background: 

She lives in an independent living senior housing community and just finished TIMBER this morning. Because she can't relate to the subject matter in many of the current popular books, so she doesn't read many books.  But TIMBER is one book she both finished and loved! 

Her question and thoughts:

• Did the author grow up on a farm?  The reader is a farm girl and she really felt that the author must be one too.  

• She also has a great fondness for farm life, and loved how the author used the word "privy" and other words and sayings that she hasn't heard in a long time.  

• Especially during winter, she feels nostalgic for the fresh, clean smell of hay and the farm in the summer.   Reading TIMBER helped her recall fond memories of her family's garden and canning vegetables from their farm.

• She feels Ms. Sanderson is a kindred spirit! 

A.L. (Sandy) Sanderson did spend several years living on a farm near Hinckley,  Minnesota when she was a girl.  Most of her family were farmers.  

Sandy writes because she loves to take her readers on a journey.  Her goal in writing is to take her readers "back" with her.  Her "fondest wish is that her reader's enjoy the trip as much as she enjoyed taking taking them there."
 
Did reading TIMBER touch your life?  Send me a note and tell me your story!

Comments, Commerce, Community Centers and Clubs:

Hey EVERYBODY!

We had a great Launch for TIMBER yesterday!  Above the pictures display some of the cool antique tools/artifacts or lumbercamp ambiance.  

Great to see friends, fans and family supporting A.L. (Sandy) Sanderson's first novel.  Sandy signed lots of books yesterday and we sent many ebooks out as well.  If you're reading this and would like a digital copy of TIMBER, please send me a message!

If you're one of the first people to read the book we LOVE comments and reviews about the book.  Sandy really enjoys hearing from readers!  We need you to help us spread the word about what a great read TIMBER is!

In the next few weeks I'll be contacting bookstores and gift stores to personally introduce them to the book and to get the book on their shelves.  I'll also be focusing on the senior communities because we've had such success there and it's been so gratifying to bring the book to them.  Book clubs are another strategic marketing focus, Sandy is willing to meet clubs and sign books! Please contact me if your store, senior center or bookclub would like Sandy to visit.  We're scheduling author visits now. 

Check out Sandy's new website: www.alsandysanderson.com.  We're just establishing the online retail presence for TIMBER.  If you'd like to purchase a book you may do so on that site.  You may also contact Sandy through her site.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

It Takes a Village to Launch a Book!

Many of TIMBER's author A. L. Sanderson's family and fans are aware we're having the official book launch February 17.  We'll be missing those who live out of state or can't make it.  Thank goodness we didn't have the event  scheduled for today as the weather is not ideal for driving.  (That's "Minnesnowta nice" for the roads are slippery and dangerous and if we hardy souls had a brain in our heads we would not venture out.)  We're going to cross our fingers and hope for good weather next Sunday.

We're excited about celebrating the launch of TIMBER, 15 years after it was first written.  I wanted to set the scene evoking a feeling of being back in the 1890's.   Since I own exactly none of the things I want so I've been collecting antique and forest or wood elements from my Village.  My husband Charlie is as always a willing and good sport (although he does think I'm nuts) and does the grunt work and contributes a sane voice of reason.  

My good neighbor and friend Stew, new friend John and brother in law Mark all exceeded my expectations providing items to stage the event.  These guys are amazing!  I gave them my irrationally optimistic wish list and they said "no problem" and proceeded to dig out the obscure items from their packed treasure trove AKA their garages. 

I've attached the cedar wood plank from Mark with the book title burned into it.  John provided the wood burning tool; it definitely takes a knack but was very satisfying to see results.  I felt very crafty using this tool to create a signs with words burned onto it!  When I stage everything next Saturday I will upload a photo of all assembled items so if you try very hard and use a good deal of poetic license you may get a sense of the 1890's.

Some of the great treasures we scored for use on Sunday include actual tools from the late 1800's from all three guys, lovely birch branches and a huge tree stump simulating the forest from John's backyard.  Mark provided some log cuts we made other signs with such as the one directing guests to the outhouse!  Stew added special antique items such as an old whiskey barrel and cross country skis actually from the 1800's.

I'm using the burning tool to etch the title onto the wooden plank

It's been a fun adventure to set the 1890's scene and more fully experience the time period TIMBER takes place in.  My thanks to all who contributed towards having a memorable and successful launch!

The Devil's in the Details!

It’s  been a great week in the "MeSellYouWrite" world. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, A.L. Sanderson's book, Timber; Fire in the Pines, is finally out there and we’ve been getting lots of great feedback.

Feedback from readers can be more satisfying to writers than monetary rewards; at least that’s how it seems to be with this particular writer. When people take the time to share their thoughts and feelings it gives the author a unique opportunity to experience their story through the reader's eye. It’s really satisfying to learn that the words they have written have the desired effect!  Imagine the pleasure for the writer when the funny dialog they wrote made the reader smile—or even laugh; or when a poignant scene evokes sadness or tears.

Like many historical fiction writers, Ms. Sanderson spent a lot of time researching her subject at libraries and museums.  She researched lumber camps and lumberjacks and how they lived, forestry practices and how they cleared the timber, and much more.  The hours and hours spent researching is really rewarded when they receive positive feedback from readers.  

The feedback we got from some of the gentlemen readers was surprising; after reading Timber, their responses reaffirmed the power and necessity of writing a well researched book. The first thing one older gentleman commented on was how some of the characters in the book spoke to him. The dialog in the book transported him back to his youth.  Certain sayings and manners of speech used in the book were similar to how he remembers his older family members speaking.  And because a character in the book used a certain brand of chewing tobacco, the reader remembered something he hadn't thought of in a long time; it turns out the tobacco was the same brand this reader had first used when he was nine years old—and that was close to 70 years ago! Talk about a blast from the past! 

Another pleasant surprise came from a 10^th grade boy who was enthusiastic about the story.  Wow!  Who knew?  We're not planning to target high school students yet!

So it seems clear that knowing ones subject may be one of the most important things a successful writer can do to authentically impact a reader. When good research is done when writing historical fiction, it can bring the subject to life and make a book a joy to read.   The devil is—after all—in the details!

And from my vantage point, involved as I am in sales and marketing efforts to launch the book, hearing some of the reader responses makes it easier for me to market and position the book in the marketplace.

In sales and marketing, efforts are likewise guided and rewarded by conducting good research. After all, this is THE AGE OF INFORMATION!  Questions I need to research include: What’s all this new social media about?  Who is our audience?  How do we reach them in a cost efficient way?  What can we do to increase visibility of the book and build our platform?  What can we learn from our reader's responses?  It's these kinds of questions that can keep me up at night! 

We're still in the early stages with this book and I'm listening and learning lots of important details.  It will be these details that shape the plans that help make the book a success. 

It seems a no-brainer that—for both the writer and the publicist—good reader responses and careful research can both help to yield stronger sales numbers! 

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