Book Selling

The Alabama Historical Association held its annual meeting April 9-11, 2015 in beautiful downtown Mobile. The History Museum of Mobile provided the hosting facilities. It was a wonderful three days and the meeting was well attended.

The first event on Thursday (April 9) afternoon was a publisher-author round-table. Literally, a rectangled-table. Book publishers stationed themselves at selected tables with an additional seven or eight chairs. Authors took their places and publishers explained how to get published through them. Authors asked questions, of course.

Those of us who knew of the long waits and eventual rejection of manuscripts by publishers already understood the process. But, I guess, it was good to hear directly from these publishers who told us honestly what we could expect. Next year the AHA should have a table for a "self publisher."

After about 15 to 20 minutes the moderator asked the authors to move to another publisher table, and the process began anew.

Of course, books were sold at AHA, too. In somewhat of an ironic twist, one of the many publishers who rejected my latest book (self- published eventually) agreed to sell my book at the AHA meeting. I was grateful for their offer. Didn't sell too many book, however.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015, I was in Montgomery at the annual board meeting of the Business Council of Alabama. I wrote an earlier post about this. Anyway, the subject of my book, former U.S. Ambassador William J. Cabaniss, Jr., was honored at that meeting and he delivered a short talk. Afterwards the Ambassador and I signed books. We sold 100. That was a good day.

Our next scheduled booking signing event will be with the Young Business Leaders organization in early May in downtown Birmingham. We still are working on a book signing event for Washington, D.C.

As a publisher myself, I have three writer working their manuscripts. Two more writers might be contracted within another month or so. One of my sisters has written a marvelous novel which I will publish in May, 2015. I will promote it here on the blog and my other social media accounts.

Stay in touch!

What’s in a Name?

Plano, TX

For several years we lived in Plano, Texas. Back then it was a relatively small town in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Every Sunday at church and during the Prayers of the People, a section of the prayers were for local clergy. One petition called for prayers for “Woody our deacon.”

I was what they call bi-vocational clergyperson. Electronic Data Systems, Inc. was my employer and primary means of support. As far as our church was concerned, I demanded they pay me $1.00 per year because I did not want them to take advantage of me and my services.

At the end of my first year at that church I was thanked for my service and then given an accounts payable check for $1.00 made out to “Woody R. Deacon.”

Boise, ID

One week in February, 1989, I made a sales call to a prospective client in Idaho. Boise was dry and cold that day and evening, as I recall. While eating dinner with my client in a fine restaurant  – my sales manager had not yet arrived because his flight was delayed – my nose began dripping. I kept using my handkerchief but never looked at the transferred content of my nose drippings.

Finally my client asked me to go to the men’s room to stop the bleeding. What? Oh, no! Blood. After more than 15 minutes leaning over a newly red-colored sink bowl, my client came in to find out what was happening. “I’ll call the manager,” he blurted out after seeing my face and the sink. Anyway, the restaurant manager called 911.

The next thing I knew I was on my back bouncing around on a rock-solid stretcher in the rear of a speeding and loud ambulance. Besides the driver there were two other paramedics who attended to my condition, and unsuccessfully so. We arrived at Saint Alphonsus Hospital. It was now 11:00pm and I was taken to an ER area and placed on what looked like a bed-table combo. Not very comfortable.

After a while a physician came to my side, a fine fellow I might add, and diagnosed my problem. He began “packing” my nose. "Packing" is not a very stylized medical procedure. He chuckled. "The dry air did it," he advised. "Many thanks, Doc!"

An administrative person came in to talk with me while I was being “packed.” She wanted to know if I had an insurance card. “Yes, it is in my jacket pocket there hanging on that hook.” She reached into my jacket and then gave me my wallet. I opened it and gave her my blue EDS Insurance card. The name on my card read “W.E. Norman.” She asked “What does the ‘W’ stand for?” Being a humorous person and trying not to act overly concerned about my “packing” procedure, I said “Worth, as in Fort.”

At home about two weeks later I received an invoice in the mail from Saint Alphonsus Hospital. The invoice had the correct street address, but the addressee name was“Fort Worth Norman.”

Birmingham, AL

When living in Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, and Texas, no one ever got my name wrong. But when I moved to Alabama (and make no mistake, I was glad to be back in the South – Texas is Southwest, you know) people could actually read and learn my real name that was printed on my driver's license and what-not, which is Worth Norman. My name always seemed backward to these Yellowhammer folk. “Hello, Mr. Worth. How are you today, Mr. Worth?” I get it. It’s like “Driving Miss Daisy” – sort of.

But, I can take it. When I was in the Marine Corps I was called “Normfats” and my personal physical condition during those years was in no way reflective of that moniker. 

Anglicanorum Transmutatio

The primates or senior archbishops of GAFCON met in London. GAFCON is the Global Anglican Future Conference ( GAFCON website). Simply speaking, GAFCON represents much of the biblically-oriented, traditional, and orthodox Anglican Christians in the world. It is a movement attempting to get the Anglican Communion back in line with the Gospel. Simple, is it not?

The primates met between April 13 and April 17, 2015 and issued a communiqué at its closing. One item was the acceptance of the Most Reverend Foley Beach, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), as a full member of GAFCON primates council. This recognition by the majority of the primates in all of the Anglican Communion is in direct contradiction to a lack of recognition of Beach and the ACNA by the Archbishop of Canterbury whose office is gradually becoming the titular head of the Anglican Communion.

Anyway, GAFCON, in my view, is a worldwide evangelical movement whose purpose is to bring people to Jesus the Messiah as expressed in a traditional Anglican manner.

Because the GAFCON primates’ meeting was held in London, it could be viewed as an “in your face” slam at the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the many liberal-leaning bishops within the Church of England. Indeed, a counter church is in formation in England. Perhaps this new start-up Anglican Church in England will replace the established Church of England - the Parliament could then, out of necessity, dissolve the Church of England. It would be a shame if it came to that, considering the Church of England's history. But, all state churches should disappear.

GAFCON is the operative element in the Anglican Realignment.

See GAFCON communiqué at GAFCON Communique

Ambassador William J. Cabaniss honored at BCA event

On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, my wife and I, along with former U.S. Ambassador Bill Cabaniss and Mrs. Cabaniss, attended the annual board of directors meeting of the Business Council of Alabama. Mr. Cabaniss was honored by the BCA for his service to the State of Alabama when he was in the State House and Senate during the late 1970s and 1980s.

The BCA blog (click on link) summarizes the significance of Mr. Cabaniss's service. Ambassador Cabaniss at BCA

A Beginning

I think it is time to enter the blogosphere. There are several blogs that I have followed, however, I primarily follow other media. Two of my favorite are FIRST THINGS magazine - I read it on Facebook as well as receive 10 printed issues annually - and the internet sensation of Anglican worldwide news known as ANGLICAN UNSCRIPTED.

The First Things editors and writers are both Roman Catholic and Protestant even though the magazine's founder, Richard John Neuhaus, was a Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor who became a Roman Catholic priest. A thoughtful journal that holds back nothing on opinion.

Also opinionated are the two "stars" of Anglican Unscripted. I like to watch Kevin Kallsen and George Conger (an Episcopal priest) engage in their examination of all things Anglican.

So, this is my beginning. This blog will not be a "heavy" blog. I intend for it to be light in its commentary.