My year of the book...

Have you been wondering what ever happened to Cooler Near the Lake, my book that was launched this fall? Well, maybe you haven't exactly been wondering...but I thought I'd update you anyway on "my year of the book."  

Just to recap a bit... I ended my DNT stint as a columnist in June and began some other post-retirement writing in the Duluth~Superior Magazine. Also my arm was twisted to finally do a collection of some of my DNT columns in book form. I turned down the offer made by local publisher, Tony Dierckins of X-Communication, to publish such a book previously and was told in June by Tony that this was most certainly the time if ever I was to do this book. Tony took on the publishing of my book and gave me a deadline of September 1st to have a finished manuscript.

This deadline resulted in a lot of hard work and little summer fun for me and my wife. Together we poured over hundreds of clippings of all the old DNT columns spanning decades and somehow finished a manuscript of 52 of the columns just in time. (Fifty-two columns–one for every week of a year.) The rest is history. The official book launch took place in November and throughout the following holiday season, I appeared on TV and in print to plug my book. I additionally was scheduled throughout the holiday season to sign books at area booksellers in Duluth and the Iron Range communities.  It was quite a whirl for me to get the word out to everyone that the book was available with the hope that many of you would buy it. 

I've been told that the book was a good seller during the holiday season and I really have to thank all of you who bought the book. Believe it or not, even though the holiday bookselling season is over, the bookselling goes on. Cooler Near the Lake continues to be stocked in local bookstores and may be ordered on line through the publisher, X-Communication. So if you have a birthday gift to buy or just want to buy the book for yourself, consider a book! 

My wife and I have decided that Cooler Near the Lake is a good "bathroom book." You know... the books that are found in that private room for those of you who like to read there. Fifty-two fairly short columns that can be read in any order make darn good bathroom reading. 

So help me spread the word...a bathroom book for every American! Seriously, thanks to all of you for supporting me in this venture. It's very much appreciated. And... help me spread the word that the book is still for sale!