On October 10th and 11th, I attended the Maryland Writer’s Association Conference where I sold my book in the book store. It’s not easy selling a book to other authors. One author had 14 titles to sell and had zero sales. I sold two copies of Ona’s Tears. A New York Times Best selling Keynote Speaker was our competition.
Last week was Banned Books Week. Here is an excerpt from Part Two of Ona’s Tears.
Helena - “The Tsar’s men questioned us. They tried to trick us into speaking our tongue but we know Russian. The Okhrana are after the book smugglers. They threatened us to report smugglers or we would join the ‘King of Lithuania’ in prison.”
Bobute - “Jurgis Bielinis has been arrested five times and is too smart for them. The Okhrana know if they ever sentence him, we will rebel. They are not the first fools to think they can kill our spirit. It is nothing new, Helena.”
Helena - “I know, but something is different this time. I feel it in my bones…. I have more to say about Russians banning our books and speech. We will never betray the German Smugglers who publish the books our poets write. I am so mad my blood boils the cold from my body.”
Seven page Banned Books Master List
Ones I read or wanted to read:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The by Mark Twain
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Both Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, The by Mark Twain
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Call of the Wild, by Jack London
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Color Purple, The by Alice Walker
There are many more titles that start with “D” to “Y” including Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford.
Deal with the Devil
When I wrote Ona’s Tears I never thought it would become a cautionary tale for today.
This is a quote I heard last week, “There doesn’t have to be a competition of tears.” My historical novel portrays Russian Genocide which is being repeated today in Ukraine. Putin has his sights on the Baltics and his goal does not stop there.
As a 100% Lithuanian I have a vested interest in Putin’s war. As I listed in my post last week, there are many victims of genocide today. The Holocaust is another cautionary tale we think will not be repeated.
Meanwhile our president has made a deal with the devil to lower diesel prices before the midterms while our Secretary of War wants to live stream an execution by firing squad. Heaven help the people who watch it. They will either be scarred for life or friends of the devil.
We must not lose hope over what we can control
My thanks go to all my subscribers who have read my book. One thing I learned at the conference was to ask people for book reviews. Here is your opportunity to post one in the comment section - no spoilers please.
Meanwhile, I have book signings to advertise and attend. Think about what you have control over, like reading a banned book. Please share in the comments list. We can all support each other.
Ona’s Tears is available through Ingram Spark for direct purchase by individuals and book stores.
