Revolutionary War

The day did not look too promising. A thick gray cloud cover spitting rain and dropping tails of fog into the Hudson Valley clung to the eastern sky. I crossed over the Champlain Canal and the Hudson River in Schuylerville, New York, where the Battle of Saratoga is considered by most American historians to have been the turning point of the American Revolutionary War as well as one of the most decisive battles in history judging from its consequences. The defeat and capture of a British army in the Saratoga campaign by American forces secured the northern American states from attacks out of Canada as well as preventing New England from being isolated and defeated in detail. It also convinced the rulers of France (and later Spain) that it was worth extending a significant measure of their military, political, and diplomatic support to the rebel American colonies.

However, if you live in Shelby, South Carolina, you would argue that this is the place of the Historic Turning Point of the Revolutionary War, 1780. The Battle of Kings Mountain, which took place on October 7, 1780, is considered the turning point for the Americans in the South. Frontiersmen from the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia gathered to defeat Lord Cornwallis and end the British advance into North Carolina. The Loyalists and English Army were forced to retreat back to Charleston, ultimately to lose the war.

Since I am from New York, I will stick with the Yankee point of view.

I was on my way to the Cambridge Farmers Market. There I sold four books, an astonishing feat for a non-book event. My reception was positive, noticed by the other vendors near my display. I have been told that for a no named author I can expect to sell about four books per signing, if lucky. I ain’t lucky. I am blessed. God also kept the rains away, but it was chilly enough that I had to try real hard not to shiver in front of my local patrons. I hate freezing. I kept eyeing the coffee being sold two booths over from me, but had no idea where I could pee, so I refrained from seeking its warmth.

One lady spied my display set up under a tent borrowed from Paul Gowen, local artist. She made a quick fly by and then returned to take an even quicker sneak peek at my photo album. She looked a little agitated and left. Moments later she circled back around and picked up my book. I read somewhere that when a customer has a book in hand and is reading, do not speak, let them read. I stood patiently and she spoke. She told me she lived with a guy for twenty-seven years. One day he up and sold everything she had, bought a boat and left without a word. Whoa. She checked out the photos again. This sort of looks like him she continued. She put the book back down, said something to the effect that I was crazy for sailing and walked off. Bad memories.

A guitarist, Gary Moon http://www.garymoontunes.com/ who sounded just like James Taylor, but maybe a little better, asked me how many miles per book do I get in my RV. I think it is 45 pages per gallon of gas and the RV gets 17 miles per gallon. You do the math.

Several people asked if my book was available at the local bookstore. The bookstore was located right behind the market, so all I had to do was jump over two sets of railroad tracked and walk around the corner of the building. The sidewalk in front of the building which also housed a lawyer’s office was a replica of the board sidewalks in the Wild West.

Margaret Waterson, one of the two owners of Battenkill Books, an independent bookstore, happened to be in the store with some visiting friends. It wasn’t officially opened, nevertheless, she welcomed me into the store and asked me for a copy of the Last Voyage of the Cosmic Muffin. I wasn’t expecting to sell it to her, but she offered. Except, I did not know how much to sell it for; I have not sold any books to a book seller, yet. She explained several options including consignment, but said that the normal price she paid for books from the distributor was 40% off of retail. It sounded good to me. So I now have my book available in a bookstore. YES.

The encounter was also valuable as I had another book seller email me wanting to know how to order books. Ordering wasn’t the problem; I just did not know what the industry practices were.
I could have skipped all the way home. Instead, under clearing skies, I drove north along the Hudson River enjoying the lush greenness of the valley’s corn fields. The air was clean, free of the oppressive humidity that had permeated the air for several weeks. A change was coming. A turning point perhaps?