Costco Book Signings Going Well, Kiln Shed Nearly Complete

I am tired. Exhausted is really more like it. I have been signing 3-4 days a week at Costco and in my spare time, I have been constructing a new kiln shed. This one is nearly 20' X 20'. I still have to build a new kiln too, but one step at a time.

I fell off a ladder yesterday. I'm not sure how it happened. I was just standing on top of the eight foot ladder, working on the roof and the next thing I know, I was on the ground, tied in a knot around said ladder. Somehow, the fall broke the window in the studio. I missed all my vital organs, but have some bruises on my arms and legs to write home about. I thank the heavens it wasn't worse.

On Monday, I harvested my honey. I have been a beekeeper for the past three years. I got 120 pounds of honey this year which is quite impressive considering that I have only one hive. I got away cheap this year, only two stings, one on my chin which made me look pretty funny, and another on my elbow which I didn't discover until later that evening when the swelling caused my elbow to appear nearly twice the size. I'm not even allergic. My brother Abe who is highly allergic got stung on his lip a week ago when he was harvesting his honey. He looked like a cartoon character, and not a good one. The swelling usually stays for three to four days.

I just got off the phone with my friend, Mike Ramsdell, the author of the Train to Potevka. He is on his way home from San Diego where he was meeting with a literary agency to handle his book. He has pushed it hard and has been signing books at Costco for over three years. He has sold something like 150,000 books through Costco and has finally signed a contract with this agency to take his book to the big leagues in New York, to take it to auction. He kicks himself for already having sold the movie rights to another group after the agency told him he could have done better. Live and learn I suppose.

So, I have personally sold nearly three hundred books at Costco in the last two weeks. The first edition is officially sold out except for a handful I have here. The second edition is pretty cool. Nicer cover, a little more art inside, a lot less--hopefully no errors. People are starting to come back and buy copies to share with their friends and family and the Christmas season hasn't even started yet, even though you would guess it has from the looks of Costco and the early snowfall we recieved today.

I'll be in Bountiful tomorrow and Ogden on Friday. See you at Costco. Come and I'll buy lunch. Cheers. Ben