Why Avon Isn't Calling at my House

I think I'm down to the last bit of my last Avon product, and then there will be no more.

I started using Avon when I was in my early teens. My mother had a good friend who was an Avon lady, so she ordered a lot of product. And they were nice products. I was just starting to wear make-up, and they had a neat blush on a stick. It was like an over sized lipstick. And they had nice perfumes and colognes too. But then I started noticing something I did not like. About the second or third time I would go to order my products my mother would come back and tell me it was discontinued. And I would be disappointed. So about the third time Avon disappointed me I switched brands.

Many, many years later an Avon catalog showed up on my doorstep one day. I thought for sure the folks at Avon would have stopped that stupid practice of discontinuing their products just as soon as they found a customer base. Again, I ordered products that I really liked, and sure 'nuf, about the third time I would go to re-order my favorite one I would be told it was discontinued. Once again, I would be a disappointed customer. Sometimes my Avon lady would warn me ahead of time so I could stock up on my favorite product, but once it was gone it was gone. Again, frustrated and disappointed, I quit buying Avon and switched to other brands.

Awhile back I found some old Avon in the back of the backroom cabinet, so I've been using it, but I have no intention of contacting Avon to order a refill. Be a waste of time anyway. Odds are it's all been discontinued.

The other day I said something about Avon to one of my friends. She immediately piped up.

"I can't stand Avon! They kept discontinuing the products that I really liked!"

So it isn't just me. For the life of me I can't understand the business model that says, "Let's keep our customers disappointed. Stop making the product as soon as it gets a following." What kind of nonsense is that? How does Avon stay in business? The only thing I can figure is that Avon must be constantly looking for new customers, because they sure don't seem to be interested in keeping their repeat customers. That may work for Avon, but that's not how I do business. And that's why Avon won't be calling at my door again. I've discontinued Avon.

My thought for the day.

GM

Halloween Magic

I have a good friend, whom I love dearly, but I don't always agree with everything she does. She does not believe in Halloween. She's very religious and she thinks it's a "devil's holiday." I feel bad for her three-year-old son. He's going to miss out on the fun of trick-or-treating.

When I was a kid Halloween had none of the controversy that it has today. And even if it did, my parents didn't let us know about it. And when I was a kid, Halloween was second only to Christmas on the fun scale.

Halloween was that one night of the year when you could be whomever you wanted to be, and boy oh boy did a lot of thought go into it. Many times I would be my favorite movie or TV character, and it was always fun putting together a costume. It was a real social event too as it was always a hoot to see what kind of costumes your friends came up with. And then there was going trick-or-treating. We always carried big brown paper grocery bags, and we didn't come home until we had them filled up. And that Halloween stash was always something to be proud of. The next morning my brother and I would go through it item by item as each piece of candy was a little trophy. And I'd still be nibbling on it well into November.

While my intent is not to knock anyone's religion it's a shame that some (but not all) Christians have villainized Halloween. Now I'm not into the macabre myself, nor am I a pagan, but I certainly see nothing wrong with allowing children to don costumes and go trick-or-treating. Halloween is one of those memories that lasts a lifetime.

You Have to Draw the Line Somewhere

People, especially kids, can say and do the funniest things at book signings.

Book signings are one of an author's tools for selling and marketing books, and for the most part they are a lot of fun. It's a great opportunity to meet the public and introduce prospective fans to your work, but sometimes you have to be careful about what you do.

Back when I was first getting started in this business I did a book signing at a historical event that school kids would be attending. They got curious and stopped my my table, and when I explained that I was an author signing my books they looked at me like I had two heads. I always hand out free bookmarks at my signings, so I gave them each a bookmark. One kid came back a few minutes later and asked if I would sign his bookmark. Being inexperienced and naive at the time I signed it, and my way of being thanked was for dozens of kids suddenly surrounding my table all demanding that I sign their book marks too. Needless to say, none bought a book as I had just killed the incentive for them to buy. It was a real learning experience for me and a mistake I will never make again.

While you always want to be on your best behavior at your book signings you do have to draw the line somewhere when dealing with the public, otherwise people can and will take advantage of you. There are some requests which you simply have to firmly but politely say no to.

At a recent book signing at a school I again had several youngsters come to my table and asking for autographs. I smiled and told them if they bought one of my books I would certainly be more than happy to sign it for them. I also offered them some bookmarks, which were, of course, not signed. Turned out they didn't want to buy any of my books--they just wanted a free autograph. So I explained that I could only give an autograph to those who purchased a book, and yes, some of them got a little ticked off, but that's too bad. I'm there to sell my book, and it's not fair to the person buying my book if someone else gets my autograph for free.

So my advice to other authors out there is to have plenty freebies; candy or bookmarks or what have you, but don't sign anything for free. Likewise parents and teachers please explain to youngsters that when an author is signing their books it is very bad manners to ask for a free autograph.

GM

Living History and Period Correct Language

One of the many controversies happening in the town of Tombstone lately has been the one of the reenactment groups coming to Helldorado who use so-called period correct language in their skits.

Spending a lot of time on Allen Street performing and signing books at these various events has given me a lot of opportunity to watch a lot of groups, and their idea of "period correct" is more like the show Deadwood. Now they're not dropping the f-bomb, but it's certainly "R" rated dialog, and yes, I've watched people's reactions, and yes, some people are offended.

The purpose of living history, first and foremost, is to educate the public about history, and that would include using as accurate of language as possible. There are, of course, some limitations. If you're doing ancient Roman living history you'll certainly be accurate if you speak Latin, but no one will understand you. So you have to modify your presentation for what is appropriate for your audience. And that's the key point here, what is appropriate for your audience.

When I first started doing living history I was working with historical museums, and most of the audiences I performed for were schoolkids. And while the museum education department had high standards for historical accuracy they were also very clear that all the performers have material that was age appropriate, and some material, despite being historically accurate, simply was not suitable for young audiences.

The Old West period occurred during the Victorian era, and this was a time when certain words were never uttered in polite company, particularly when women and children were present. I'm sure the cowboys and miners who lived in those days may have used some colorful metaphors on cattle drives and in the mines and bordellos, but NEVER in the company of women and children.

It's one thing to perform your skits for an adult audience, it's quite another when Grandma and the kids are watching. Sure, they can make their announcement at the beginning of their performance, but when you're doing street skits you don't have a captive or static audience. People are coming and going, and should Mom and the kids step out of a shop only to hear inappropriate language being shouted from street performers that they weren't expecting to hear it doesn't go over too well and they shouldn't have to put up with it.

While I'm a big proponent of the right of free speech I am also aware that with free speech comes certain responsibilities. There really is too much profanity out there, and too many kids are being exposed to things they really shouldn't be.

My thought for the day.

GM

And That's What Makes it All Worthwhile

I had to go to Casa Grande last night for a book signing at a literary night event at the middle school. (Casa Grande is a little town roughly half-way between Phoenix and Tuscon.) Book signings are one of the crazy things that come with the territory of being an author. Like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes the event will be well attended and you'll sell a lot of books and feel like a movie star at the end of the day. Other times you'll spend a few hours twiddling your thumbs while the handful of people who actually showed up at look at you like you have two heads, and when it takes you over an hour's drive to get there you really, really hope it won't turn out to be the latter. Most of the time however I've found it usually ends up somewhere in the middle.

This event turned out to be one of the slower ones. It was from 5 to 7 pm, the time of day when most kids are home having dinner and doing their homework, so not that many showed up. There were a few teachers there, and they were all enthusiastic about my books. A few even bought some. That's always a good thing. But here's the really encouraging part. As has happened before, I found that many of today's youngsters like the old west. To them it's new and different and interesting.

Along about 6:30 I had decided to start packing up and bugging out early. One of my buddies in Casa Grande was there and we were going to go get ourselves a steak dinner. And I wasn't feeling well that day so I was anxious to get back to Tucson as soon as I could. And that's when the really good thing happened. A gentleman walks in with his granddaughter in tow and is asking where the author is.

It turns out his granddaughter is a 10-year-old budding author, and she wanted to know all about how I write my books and how I get them published. So I gave her as many tips as I good. Her little face would light up and her eyes would round like a pair of saucers. It's really kind of neat seeing a kid get all excited like that. We hear so much in the news about all the really rotten kids out there that we forget about the good ones, like this young budding author. I'm sure she would have loved to have hung out with me for the entire evening, but before long it was 7 o'clock and time to shut down. Before they left her grandfather bought her a copy of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War. I'm sure she'll treasure that book for years to come. That little girl made my trip from Tucson worthwhile.
GM

James Gang Cover Art

I am working on the cover art for the latest Luke and Jenny novel, Riding With the James Gang. Once again Wes Lowe, my illustrator, has outdone himself.

I don't know exactly when the book will be released, but stay tuned. It will soon be ready for pre-ordering on Amazon.

GM

How to Get Children Interested in Reading

The other day I was talking to a gentleman who told me his son had no interest in reading. How sad. Books can open up a whole new world for children and inspire their imaginations. I am also of the belief that children who read get higher grades in school and are more likely to go to college than children who don't read. But I've heard this complaint before -- "How do I get my child to read?"

I think it starts with you, the parent. You need to read to your children, and you need to start while they're young. Are you too busy? Make the time. It only takes a few minutes to read a children's picture book. Don't have money for books? Try a used book store or your public library. You don't like to read yourself? Your kids don't have to know that. Read to them anyway, if for no other reason than it's a bonding experience

Bedtime is the perfect time to read to your kids. So is nap time. I can even remember my mother reading to me when I got home from school. Be creative and make it fun. And once you make it fun chances are you'll have a child who enjoys reading too.

GM