Wrinkly Bits
A Blog by Gail Cushman
Today was a first. It’s Thursday and I invited the Cowboy to lunch at my favorite Columbus, Montana, lunch haven. We were early, not too many people there, maybe a dozen, including a group of old guys (white hair, moustaches, coffee drinkers, cowboy hats, just jawing and enjoying each other). The same men sit at the same table every day during the lunch hour, doing the same thing, enjoying life, talking about Important Stuff, like whether the road construction will be finished on time or whether the company will be fined for being late. Or when the first snow might fall. Or whether cows lying down in the field are predicting rain in the next hour. Or about the cougar roaming around. You know, Important Stuff, but nothing they have control over. I didn’t know these men, never saw them before sitting at the table next to them. I don’t know their names or anything about them, except they drink coffee and chat about Important Stuff.
Imagine my surprise when we sat down and these men were laughing out loud, with comments such as, “This is so funny,” “This is great,” “Have you read this,” and “You gotta read this.” I turned around and looked to see what they were laughing about, and there I was. In big headlines in the county newspaper, the Stillwater County News was “Miss Gail’s Ramblings.” It was an article that I had written last week about Uncle Sam’s Eatery.
The Cowboy poked my arm, “They’re reading your column, and they like it.”
If there was ever a time I might be described as gob-smacked, this was it! I immediately stood up and said, “Hey guys! That’s me! I’m Miss Gail and I wrote that article,” and damn near broke into a jig because I was so happy. These old Montana guys are a tough crowd, and I watched the looks of curiosity turn into genuine smiles and laughs as the one old guy with a dingy Air Force logo cap slapped his thigh and raised his coffee cup in my direction, with a wink and a “good job.” Dang, a toast on top of a review, this day can’t get much better.
A lot of people read Wrinkly Bits and comment either with an icon or a remark, which I very much enjoy reading. Many people don’t comment at all, even a “thumbs up,” so I hear nothing but silence, even if they love it. What I don’t see is the smile or giggle or laugh about my sometimes-ludicrous stories, although many readers tell me their thoughts. I love to make people laugh and reading comments is one thing, but hearing a giggle or laugh really makes my day.
Free-lance writers or Indies (Independent writers) need feedback, and I encourage you to toss a couple words my way, in a review, especially with my books on Amazon. As you know, Amazon “arranges” books, and the arrangement helps others know about the book…good, bad, or otherwise…but it helps the author gain visibility. It shows my books to people who might not have seen it before. If you are reading books from Amazon, spend a minute and write a review to help the author. If you are reading Kindle Unlimited, do me a favor and pen a short review, especially if you can add stars!
Note from Cowboy: It was fun to watch Miss Gail’s eyes light up and a big smile paste itself across her face when those grizzled guys were smiling and laughing at her column. Sometimes the littlest things make her day.
Murder in the Parsonage (add pen name Helene Mitchell) is on Amazon, both soft cover and eBook, including Kindle Unlimited.
If you enjoy my writing, please share! gailcushman.com
Book signing in Boise…Friday, December 8, (6—8 pm) Potter Winery, 5286 Chinden, Garden City.
