I am not the most congenial person. In fact, I'm more likely to avoid people than stop to chat, which can feel a lot like having to talk when at the dentist...

But I'm learning, I think, to be a little more open and friendly as I get older, though I'm still picky about who I choose to spend time with. Honestly, my favourite place is sitting quietly beside my wife, no matter where we are.

That said...

We live near a lake that has a really lovely walk around it. It's 1.32 miles around, and it's covered in ducks, geese, swans, cormorants, etc. I love this walk. It's easy on my arthritic hips (how old does saying that make me feel?) and it's tree lined the whole way. The fact that there's a Costa coffee along the way doesn't hurt either. I'd rather do this walk than just about any other form of workout these days.

This morning, I was on my wander at 7:45 am. People on this path are always friendly. There's always a smile and a good morning and a hello. Plenty of dogs who want attention will stop for a snuggle. This morning it was a bit extra. The people who are used to seeing me actually stopped to chat.

"Is the world flat?" the tall man with the grey goatee asks as his grey muzzled German Shepard leans against my legs as though weary of this discussion. "If it isn't, why is that lake completely flat?" He grins at his mate, whose Collie stares up at the sky like he'd rather be anywhere else. "I'm John. This is Mo. He's a rockstar." It turns out Mo plays guitar in a band at the local pub.

Two guys who smiled more often when I started wearing my rainbow watch strap walk up and John stops them to introduce them to the American. "It's bad there, isn't it?" one says, looking at me with pity. We descend into a discussion of how awful it is that the phrase American Refugee has come into existence.

I'm nearly to the end of my wander when John-2-the-photographer raises his hands. "Hello there! How was your trip to America?" I haven't seen him since June, and Peaches, at 11 years old and with fur like an old dish brush, glances at me and huffs as she lays down. She knows the drill. Me and John-2-the-photographer won't be going anywhere for a while.

He shows me some photos he took in Cornwall, explains why he took them, shows me the way the light is playing on the forest path ahead of us, and tells me about how he's going to give a twenty-something girlfriend of a friend photography lessons. "But I'll make sure someone is there with us, you know. I don't want anyone saying I did anything I shouldn't toward her, you know?"

I finally make it home an hour and a half later, after stopping at the store for Pepsi for my wife and raspberry jam donuts for my father-in-law.

These connections are the ones I pull on when I'm creating characters in my books. They're the weird and wonderful, the ones with stories you'd never imagine having just walked past them. They're a reminder that if we look around, if we turn off our earphones for a second and take a moment to chat, there are connections available that remind us we're part of something bigger.

Even if we aren't the most sociable people around.

Audible news

There is nothing like hearing your story brought to life by a pro, and we just finished listening to the audiobook of Fragments of the Heart by my other pen name, Ally McGuire. I was floored, honestly, by how it made me feel. The narrator, Savannah Rivers, brought every character to life and very much matched the way I heard the story in my head. If you like audiobooks, I hope you'll check out all of the Ally McGuire titles (all four have been picked up by either Tantor or Podium, and Abby Craden is listed to narrate The Heart Remembers.)

Also, check out Helena Harte's new audiobooks!

My wife has audiobooks out too! How's that for a ton of great things to listen to while you're doing the laundry or pretending to pay attention to the neighbour droning on about how great her kids are? Two of the Windy City Romance series are available, and if you want to immerse yourself in romance and found family, these are amazing books. And an Art to Love is so achingly beautiful...

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And now, the favour...

Book sales are taking a huge hit right now. Sales via the big A have been cut nearly in half for almost all LGBTQ authors, and believe me when I say...ouch. As it was it wasn't a lot more than a couple coffees a month, but now my addiction has been reduced to the powder stuff that looks like gravel and tastes like the roadside sweepings after a storm.

YOU can help your community of authors. Honestly, you can. Word of mouth remains the largest factor in an author's sales. That means you can tell someone about the book you just read, and that person might go grab it. Reviews, and even just mentions, can REALLY help.

If you have a FB page or any other social media, just popping in an image of the book can make a difference. You don't even have to say anything! A step further would be throwing a review on Goodreads or Amazon. A simple, "I really liked this" can be enough to make it so the dreaded algorithm monster takes notice and moves that book into other people's perception.

Below is the link to my Goodreads page. If you could take two minutes to rate any of my books you've read, I can't tell you what it would mean to me. And if you post anywhere on social media, please do tag me in. Maybe we can trade weird connection stories...

In an overt attempt to bribe you into leaving a review... If you do, screenshot it for me and send it over. You'll be entered into a contest to win an audiobook version of Where the Heart Leads before it's officially released...

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Thanks for sticking with me. I'm looking forward to a full year of stories, travels, coaching, and adventures.
Also, I'd love to hear from you. So much of writing is solitary, and hearing from readers reminds me that I'm not alone at my keyboard.

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Brey Willows

BlueSky