Category Archives: Memoirs

Photos from The Early Days

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve added five more photos from the earliest days of my almost two-year tenure in Laos.

Anou Hotel_EK_0216 copy

My first home in Laos: Chao Anou Hotel

In chapter 7 (Nice Town, Nice Guys) of HOTEL CONSTELLATION: Notes from America’s Secret War in Laos, I described where I spent my first night in country.

The Anou Hotel was that odd mixture of Vietnamese, Lao, and French commerce. It was named for the last king of the Lao Kingdom of Vientiane, not to be confused with other Lao kingdoms, Luang Prabang, Champassak, and Xieng Khouang. The Anou cost more than the Nong Khai dive we stayed at the night before ($3.60 vs. $1) and had fewer amenities: The cold water shower was down the hall, and despite the ceiling fan running at takeoff speed, my room was hot, stuffy, and noisy.

HOTEL CONSTELLATION is available online at: Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Scribd | Smashwords

Also available in paperback at Amazon. BUY THE PAPERBACK, GET THE EBOOK FREE!

Self-Pub Aftermath 3: Unexpected Traction

Posted on by
Reply

Look what my nephew, Marc, found at the end of the Space.com coverage of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch today. (Not the young woman! On the right.)

image I’ve been promoting HOTEL CONSTELLATION: Notes from America’s Secret War in Laos everywhere I could, but I haven’t bought any advertising yet. (I’m looking at a one-day ad on kboards for its next “Book Discovery Day.”)

So, go Scribd!

And thank you, Marc. (Great job, SpaceX.)

 

Self-Publishing Aftermath 2: Still To Do

Posted on by
Reply

A week after self-publishing HOTEL CONSTELLATION: Notes from America’s Secret War in Laos, I realize the aftermath is mostly about future math.

Did I hit all the available marketplaces?

No, but I’m working on it.

BookMark B small-FINAL

Bookmark 

It’s for sale online through:

It’s been submitted to the following distributors worldwide and should be available soon.

  • Baker-Taylor Axis360 / Blio and Baker & Taylor / Follett
  • cloudLibrary
  • Gardner’s Extended Retail and Gardner’s Library
  • Inktera Page Foundry
  • Overdrive 
  • Torino

I’ve been accepted as a Google Play Books author, but it’s taking forever to get everything exactly the way Google wants it. I have no clue what the issue may be.

For the record, Amazon controls about 85 percent of the online book market.

Have I sent it to all the review sites that might be interested?

No, but I have started the list, and I’m sending out queries today.

I’ll definitely post reviews, and I encourage readers to give it at least a thumbs up or thumbs down on Amazon and Goodreads.

How many books sold?

A lot.

I’ll let you know when I break even.

In the meantime, join the Hotel Constellation ORRRR Club. Order it. Read it. Rate it. Review it. Recommend it.

Tnx.