Hello
Everyone,
Today
is my blog’s second birthday; and so I want to reach out and thank all of you
far-flung friends and strangers who have encouraged me these last two
years. Having come from a performing
background, where the response to one’s efforts is very immediate, it is quite
different communicating in such an indirect fashion. It can get pretty lonesome on this side of
the laptop at times, so your support is dearly appreciated. Muchas gracias, as we say down here in the
Banana Latitudes!
Certainly
the highlight of these past 12 months is the recent publication of a book
containing some of the best essays from my site. It has been doubly rewarding because it is
the first book that Dmitry Orlov chose to publish at his new imprint, called
Club Orlov Press. It was also a great
experience working so rigorously with Dmitry when he spent this springtime down
here South of Many Borders. The
manuscript went through 7 or 8 drafts and the cover took 4 or 5 tries. But we are both delighted with the finished
book. It is mysteriously entitled THE
SEA GYPSY PHILOSOPHER, and if you scroll several inches down this page you can
learn all about it.
The
steady growth of my blog has also been very pleasing to me. After the first year it had received about 47,000
visits and after the second it is now up to 111,000 – so a considerable
increase. And the country count has gone
from 117 up to 140. The fact that this
improvement has been made strictly through word of mouth is quite
heart-warming.
I am
happy to note that my blog remains commercial free - with no google ads and
with no donation tab. For you nice folks
who have inquired, there will be an electronic version of the new book in the
near future. And for those of you who
have been clamoring for an Amazon link to my first book, TALES OF A SEA GYPSY,
I will try to get around to that soon.
It is very different from SGP. It
showcases the offbeat and funny side of my eccentric way of looking at the
world and writing about it.
Thanks
again, everyone – may you all flourish in this upcoming year!
Ray
P.S.
The new essay is almost finished.