Reasons for being here

Okay, okay, okay…..Tomorrow I will have been here one full week and all my reasons for being here in Smithers are right on target.  I don’t have television (much less cable television) so there are few distractions. The campground is empty during the day so I can read and write to my heart’s content without any interruptions whatsoever and I have been doing just that.  Thanks to the owner, Rose, I have oodles of movies to watch. I have sold about 10 books which is down from last year but that’s to be expected and still okay. I’m hoping as the season progresses it’ll get better as people are returning from Alaska rather than heading up there so that’s okay also.

I drove into town a couple of days ago and found the library, told them I was an author and they’ll be looking at a possible event for me but not much goes on in the summer. I also met Aileen Norton who frequently runs Author’s Workshops and Retreats and she’s trying to get a weekly get together at the library for many local authors PLUS myself – which would be wonderful.  I’ll also be contacting the head office of Northword newspaper – right here in Smithers because I did write them and say I would be spending the summer here.  So lots of good things happening that I should be pleased with including cleaning the outside of my camper that hasn’t seen a scrub brush in way too many months.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Goudoux here in the campground who sent a message out to everyone in his contact list (or newsletter list) telling them about our meeting and putting a link to my website so I received over a hundred hits in a day.

Today I’ll be heading back into town just to meet up with a friend of a friend (if she’s there) and hopefully make a few new friends here in Smithers…….BUT I’ll confess something…….right now I feel that my being here falls under the category of…..WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING.

I know that I’ll definitely last the month – the summer – well that’s another matter.  Fortunately, because of the July 1 holiday, I didn’t do any signings on my way north – which means I can do them on my way south and after I leave here work my way home slowly.  I’ll keep you’all posted…..but for the moment……Smithers is a lonely place to be.   Joei