Hey...YOU! Thanks!

 Well Now! and a big ol' MERCY! Just checked the stats on the ol' bliggetty blog. (I knew there was a way to do it - I'd just never bothered before) Almost 1300 people have been reading it this month alone...and it's only the 18th! That gets a big ol' WOW! from me. As internet numbers go, that number isn't particularly high...but I'm also extremely lazy and not really interested in self-promotion. That's always been the case. I never cared for the business end of anything I've been involved in. I'm NOT a salesman. Sure, I might post the occasional link on antisocial media or share a link with someone...but where 1300 people are coming from - I just don't get it. I've written a few things in Bulgarian, and those seem to catch people's attention. Maybe folks are just nebby and hit the old 'right click - translate to English' to see what I'm rambling about. Like I said, I just don't get it. I can only hope I get numbers like these when my book comes out. According to my stats, I had over 100,000 readers last year - still not huge numbers in the digital world - but I'd be thrilled to sell that many books! (or CDs, or whatever!) In the meantime, I'll keep writing even y'all ain't reading it.

But for those of you who are reading.... THANK YE KINDLY!!!!! People rarely leave comments, so I usually have no clue if anyone is reading this at all. That's OK. I write mostly for myself. If you've been following along on the home version, you know my gray matter ain't what it used to be - so writing is just another one of those 'exercises' I do these days. Occasionally, someone will send me a message (via email or the aforementioned antisocial media) to let me know that they read some of my scribbles. Always nice to get those message - even though sometimes I have to ask myself, "Self, did we write that?" 

OK...the aforementioned book. You might be wondering "is he finally publishing the NOVEL????" Short answer, no. Yes, the novel is finished but for now, I'm trying to decide what to do with it. It's a heckuva read, if I do say so myself. I'm pretty proud of it and honestly believe it would be a moneymaker for a publishing house. I'm pretty sure every writer thinks that way about their own scribbles. I might just be a tad more pragmatic. I spent years in the recording industry (which is only slightly less vicious than publishing) and I usually have a good idea what will and won't be commercial. (NOTE: My music ain't exactly commercial - again, OK by me) 

So, what book (you may or may not be asking)? I've written a collection of 30 dark short stories. Why? I like this sort of stuff! Why short stories? Why not a full novel? Simple. Not all stories need to be dragged out to fill 2-300+ pages. I'm also often reminded of my old buddy Danny Gatton. While he wasn't against reading, his lifestyle was such that he usually only read where most men do: the bathroom. He liked "shit house reading". Short, to the point, easy to digest. Keeping that in mind, I write a lot of stuff in that format. The new collection could well be read in full, or in chunks. I think the stories are good and will stick with the reader. Hell, who knows - I could be wrong. But I'm willing to give the book a chance...so I'm going the self-publishing route with it. I promise I'll try to promote it...just not sure the best methods for that. Live and learn, I guess.

Until the next time I get to scribbling, THANKS AGAIN! for reading the ol' bliggetty blog. I really had no idea how many of you are out there giving it the proverbial squizz. I'll call it an early birthday present! Seeing those numbers really made my day. Now, can I keep myself from obsessing and monitoring the data, now that I know where to find it? Only time will tell.  

One last thing. If you do enjoy my scribbles, feel free to share them. I write for myself, but like anything, if I think it's worth sharing with you, I think it's worth sharing with everyone...I just don't know everyone and have no clue how to go about it. So, as Crippled Bobby Hawkins always said, "Can ya help a brother out?"