Six years ago, we read the handwriting on the wall. We looked for an escape hatch. We visited San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage city (which feels & functions like a small town!) in the mountains of Mexico, and fell in love. In January 2020, we moved; shortly thereafter, COVID came. We were safe, in a culture that respects family, community, history and traditions. Everyone adhered to the health restrictions and we had the lowest cases of COVID in the country, far less than in the US. We quickly made more real authentic friends than we'd ever had IN OUR LIFETIME in the US.
San Miguel is a worldwide mecca for the arts (of ALL sorts). This week I'm again participating in the annual (the 20th year!) San Miguel Writers Conference, taking sessions, doing a reading of my books, and pitching agents on my newest novel.
Facebook is how people in this town connect, so although we disapprove of Zuck's Meta, it's a fact of life. I have a lot of "fans" here who buy my books directly from me; those sales don't show up on Amazon, and only a few people bother to write reviews (familiar, huh?). I've received lots of awards but my sales ranking on Amazon is abysmal. I don't have the budget to travel extensively to the US for readings (which is where my books really shine; the discussions are awesome!), nor can I afford a publicist who could set all that up. My hybrid publisher does bupkus for me on promo/marketing (something I really suck at). My novels are "serious" character-driven & somewhat dark, not easy "commercial." So I'll never be a bestseller. Sigh.
But you're doing what you love in a place that you love. I think you have it right, Leslie.
I've hit the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists and won a number of awards for my four books, but I'm hardly a household name. And that's okay. I'd rather chase fulfillment than fame.
Thanks for the comment. Enjoy the conference -- I've heard wonderful things about it!
Six years ago, we read the handwriting on the wall. We looked for an escape hatch. We visited San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage city (which feels & functions like a small town!) in the mountains of Mexico, and fell in love. In January 2020, we moved; shortly thereafter, COVID came. We were safe, in a culture that respects family, community, history and traditions. Everyone adhered to the health restrictions and we had the lowest cases of COVID in the country, far less than in the US. We quickly made more real authentic friends than we'd ever had IN OUR LIFETIME in the US.
San Miguel is a worldwide mecca for the arts (of ALL sorts). This week I'm again participating in the annual (the 20th year!) San Miguel Writers Conference, taking sessions, doing a reading of my books, and pitching agents on my newest novel.
Facebook is how people in this town connect, so although we disapprove of Zuck's Meta, it's a fact of life. I have a lot of "fans" here who buy my books directly from me; those sales don't show up on Amazon, and only a few people bother to write reviews (familiar, huh?). I've received lots of awards but my sales ranking on Amazon is abysmal. I don't have the budget to travel extensively to the US for readings (which is where my books really shine; the discussions are awesome!), nor can I afford a publicist who could set all that up. My hybrid publisher does bupkus for me on promo/marketing (something I really suck at). My novels are "serious" character-driven & somewhat dark, not easy "commercial." So I'll never be a bestseller. Sigh.
But you're doing what you love in a place that you love. I think you have it right, Leslie.
I've hit the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists and won a number of awards for my four books, but I'm hardly a household name. And that's okay. I'd rather chase fulfillment than fame.
Thanks for the comment. Enjoy the conference -- I've heard wonderful things about it!