Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/31

The past two days verified how silly it is to move the floating bookshop elsewhere. Yesterday I set up along the Sheepshead Bay promenade, hoping the holiday would bring out hordes. There were plenty of passersby, many on bikes, but few browsers, let alone buyers. I sold only James Patterson's Cradle and All, to a semi-regular I hadn't seen in months. And there was no shelter from the sun. It was brutal. Today I returned to my usual place at the juncture where Avenue Z meets Sheepshead Bay Road. Not only did I have several buyers - I was greeted by folks I know and many who have come to recognize me. Simone, whose name I finally learned today, saw that the shop was fully stocked and bought thrillers by Dean Koontz, Lisa Jackson and Patricia Cornwell. Herbie, who has been frustrated at not finding any books to his liking, was thrilled that I had three by Harold Robbins. And Ira's mom, a retired teacher and voracious reader, bought Adjustments, as well as three children's books. I happily gave her Paula Zahn's Why I Jumped, an Oprah selection, as a token of thanks. Her son, 42, played high school football at Midwood in the '80s under long-time coach Marshall Tames. I stopped coaching in 1980. I can't remember the last time I'd sold a copy of Adjustments. Thanks, ma'am, and everyone else.
Homestead.com has hosted my main website for a decade. Recently, I've been unable to log in to update it. A telephone number pops up. I'm reluctant to call, leery of a sales pitch. The site has been free. I figured I had links to more than 50 stories and essays there already, so it was no big deal to leave it the way it is. Now 15 of the links to buzzle.com, which has allowed me to post online for a long time, have gone dead. My suspicion is that buzzle is streamlining. They no longer allow a post of something that appears anywhere else on the web. Trouble is, publishers and editors don't reveal that they've posted a story, and usually don't have a direct connection to it. I know of three of mine wherein that is the case. I'd rather have a piece pop up immediately for anyone interested in it. I'm now working to bring my backup site at Tripod up to speed. It will be no frills, just links to my works. I've been posting the missing stories at fictionaut.com, where all will be listed on one page. I hope they don't have a limit on how many may be posted. Be prepared to be frustrated at the Homestead site: http://vicfortezza.homestead.com/

In Flanders Fields

 From: http://www.greatwar.co.uk

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

   Thanks to our veterans, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the preservation of freedom.

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/29

It was a gorgeous day, the temperature ideal thanks to intermittent cloud clover. I was disappointed that I didn't do much business, but at least it wasn't a shutout, and I did gain a lot more books, courtesy of Joanne, who returned from hiatus with two shopping bags full of popular fiction, including one filled entirely with Ed McBains. Uncle Charlie Grizzly Bear has been asking me for weeks if I had any more. Well, I do now, thanks to the benefactor I'd told him had gone missing.
A Chinese man stopped by, curious. He has three books in print too, translations he's done into his native tongue, including one of Hungarian children's stories. He's not selling many, either. Good luck, sir.
About a year and a half ago, a beautiful Asian-American dental assistant, nine months pregnant, bought some books from me. I kidded that she was "Hardcore," working so late into her pregnancy. She laughed, fortunately. I was smitten. She bought books a couple of times more. When I hadn't seen her for months I assumed she and her husband had bought a house and moved. Man, she looks great. No one would ever guess she has two kids. She looks like a 20-year-old college kid. Eat your heart out, Vic. I hope her husband appreciates what he's got. Her son is now on his feet and pulling books from shelves and tossing them about.
I've mentioned my literary angel, Victoria Valentine, several times. She's been on a tear, publishing a book of her own romantic poems, Desert Moon, and expanding her publishing operation at Water Forest Press. She is catching the digital wave and just bought a reader. I will stick with hard copies, although I appreciate that A Hitch in Twilight is available on Kindle. I know it's the future, but I'll leave that up to others. Anyway, in the whirlwind that VV has caught, she has managed to make Adjustments, my second novel, previously available only through me, available at Abe's books. And the price is only ten buck, plus shipping. She rocks. Here's a link to the site: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=vic+fortezza&sts=t&tn=adjustments&x=57&y=18 
Of course, signed copies are still available through me, total cost $15.
Thanks to the kind Russian woman who purchased two romance novels. I should say: Spasiba.

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/28

Carmine, a gregarious, proud Italian-American senior citizen, purchased A Hitch in Twilight about two years ago. Today, outside the Dolphin Gym at 24th Avenue and 86th Street, he raved about it, especially stories Nowak's Dreams and The Dead Pool. He eschewed a handshake and went right to the goombah kiss. "I'm proud of you, " he said, and handed me five dollars. I asked that he take a book, but he wouldn't hear of it. I suspected it would be taken as some kind of guinea insult if I handed the money back to him, so I stuffed it into a pocket. He said the stories should be made into movies. Your lips to a producer's ears, sir. Thank you. And thanks to the kind middle aged woman who not only bought a non-fiction book on police corruption but gave me Tina Zahn's Why I Jumped, an Oprah selection, which she'd just finished.
Karen Hall has an impressive resume in prime time television, having written scripts for MASH, Eight Is Enough, Hill Street Blues, Judging Amy, The Good Wife and other shows.  She is credited for the MASH finale, which drew one of the highest, if not the highest, audiences in the history of TV. I just finished her only novel, Dark Debts. It's theme is demonology. While it pales compared to William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist, it does make one ponder the cause of heinous acts. Of course, this leads to the problem of accountability for such acts. I don't know if she was simply trying to create an effective thriller or wrestling with the perplexing issue or both. I wasn't sold. As usual, I thought the novel way too long at 498 pages. Its length diminished the excitement and did not increase illumination on the troubling issue. Of course, it is a difficult one, as are all of the great questions. My first novel, Close to the Edge, tries to get at the reason for a heinous act. I think I succeeded on an individual level but failed completely on the grand. On a scale of five, I rate Dark Debts two-and-a-half.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://vicfortezza.homestead.com/

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/27

The floating bookshop suffered its first theft today - in broad daylight - when a little girl absconded with a children's book, unbeknownst (is there such a word?) to her mom, who was perusing her electronic device. I chuckled and kept my mouth shut. I doubt she knew she was stealing. I'd bet she assumed the books were there for the taking.
For a long while it seemed that would be my only action. I was finally shooed from my usual nook, as someone from the building's management, which is not on the premises, happened to show up. I didn't argue. I'm not out there to make enemies. I've been expecting it. I set up about 75 feet away, just past a bus shelter. I received a two-book donation from an 84-year-old veteran who gets books from the VA, and five more from one of my regulars, Dave, whose wife has been pressing him to get rid of the stacks he's accumulated. It seemed that would be it until Feng Wu, an adorable Asian of about 20, not confident with English, stopped by and asked if I had any short stories. I showed her A Hitch in Twilight, doubting she would be interested. When I said the first story takes place in Brighton Beach and another in Coney Island, she was sold. She asked for my website and email address. I was so grateful I gave her three first rate books as a gift: Nicholas Sparks' The Last Song, Susan Elizabeth Phillips' romance potboiler Ain't She Sweet, and James Patterson's I, Alex Cross, which Dave had given me. He also donated three pristine hardcover Greg Iles thrillers and three valuable paperbacks. Thanks, folks.
This morning I learned I'd won a contest. Monica Brinkman, host of a blogradio broadcast focused on writing, and author of The Turn of the Karmic Wheel, runs one as a means of publicity. I forgot to ask if it was her book I'd won. I hope so. I've been dying to read it.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://vicfortezza.homestead.com/

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/23

The world hasn't ended and neither has the miserable stretch of weather here in New York. We have an allotment of one or two sunny days per week. I suppose we should be happy, given what the poor folks in the south and Joplin, Missouri have suffered. Nothing is as merciless as mother nature.
Since it was another day of the sky seemingly about to give way any minute, I set up shop at the viaduct on Avenue Z & East 15th, and gazed longingly two blocks to my left at the people passing my usual nook. I had no luck today, but I give thanks to lovely young Audrey, who purchased A Hitch in Twilight yesterday outside the Dolphin Gym at 24th Avenue & 86th Street. Why that corner attracts buyers for that book is a mystery. So few people even stop, and it seems 50% of the passersby are Asian and don't speak any English. Maybe there is some psychic Sicilian residue still in the air of that changed neighborhood.
I got a great email from my old buddy Bobby Buls, a former gold trader at the Exchange. It was commentary on Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu's anger at President Obama's suggestion that Israel return to the pre-1967 borders. It suggested the USA move back to its 1776 borders. Perhaps we should all return to the country of our parents' origin and leave America to the indians. Let's see - Hamas, which has vowed to destroy Israel, dominates power amongst Palestinians. Why not allow them to move the missiles they fire into Israel every day even closer? Will Jews ever be allowed to live in a Palestinian state, as Muslims live in Israel and even serve in its government? Don't hold your breath.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://vicfortezza.homestead.com/

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 5/21

The older one gets, the tougher it is to celebrate a birthday. I turned 61 today. I celebrate the great cards I got from my niece Tanya, who lives in Denver, and my sister, Carmela, who stuffed some cash into it hers. I celebrate the kind Russian woman who purchased a Nora Roberts thriller this afternoon on Bay Parkway, and the young woman who, minutes later, bought a Dr. Atkins cook book and Destination Mars, a beautiful pictorial work. I celebrate a phone call from my mom's former home attendant, Germania, who has not forgotten me, although it has been eight years since my mom's passing. I will be celebrating at 6PM - if the world doesn't end. I celebrate the publication Desert Moon, the Lost Poetry of Victoria Valentine, who through the years has included twelve of my stories in her fabulous publications and published my second novel, Adjustments. The latest story, The Unknowable, a simple slice of life, is included in the fourth edition of Literary House Review, which will be available shortly. It is the 52nd of my stories to see the light of day. It is available online here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-unknowable.html. It's about a ten-minute-read. As always, my other stories can be read, free, here: http://vicfortezza.homestead.com/