A MOUNTAIN of B n Bs: Oh yes, staying on THE MOUNTAIN is what it's all about...

I know I've already told you about the little B&B we are staying in: The Mardi Gras is but one of many similar Bed and Baths, or in some cases Bed and Breakfasts that dot the Calliope-like mix of structures on this hill.  


Mountain B&Bs are a mainstay here; many of the shoppers and night clients of THE MOUNTAIN are those staying in these quaint little sleepers.  They've shopped all over Canton during the day, and after dropping their bags in their B&B, are once again ready to take to the hill for some night time fun!  


At the base of the hill, you'll find great places like: The Long Branch Hotel where Tony Lewis runs, what has been voted: one of The BEST Hotels in Canton for the last eight years.  Tony also puts out an excellent breakfast buffet, with all the trimmings for his guests.

Buffalo Girls is as rustic as they come...Old West charm in the middle of the twenty-first century.  That's the point of this place.  There's even a scheduled Shoot Out in front of the porch, usually lined with spectators as THE TEXICANS start slinging led.

As you move up the hill you'll see more and more of the smaller B&Bs.  Right next door to us is The Big Easy, another of the festively decorated B&Bs.  Pink Debbie owns the Big Easy and a few others as well.  She's from Deep Down in Louisiana, where they make Mardi Gras floats and gowns.  Some of those very same gowns are on display in various B&Bs around The Mountain.  The artwork alone on these gowns is incredible!   

This would be the longest blog in history if I tried to put up shots of all the B&Bs here... Instead, I've tried to put in a wide range of styles, since the styles can very from boxy old shot-gun design to something akin to a fort built by Spanky and the gang, or even Butch and his gang--I wasn't thinking of Sundance and Butch, but them too. 

No matter the architecture, it fits with the general idea of The Mountain: FUN.

After all, Mountain B&Bs are about having a nice, comfy, or even cushy place to flop after you've dropped from all the shopping!  

I'm including a list of all the websites and their respective booking sites for you to choose from.  We really hope to see YOU on The Mountain soon!

http://themountainatcanton.com/mountainlodging.htm

http://oldmillmarketplace.com/modules/content/index.php?id=6

http://www.cantonmountain.com/modules/content/index.php?id=4

http://www.cantonmountain.com/modules/mxdirectory/singlelink.php?cid=155&lid=1419

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Posters, reviews & promotion…

Moving right along, we’ve gotten a couple of versions of the promo posters that are going out to bookstores here in the area.  One version has a color sat image with hurricane Rita bearing down on Texas, while the other is in black and white. 

Also, the fantastic London Fashionista Vicki Day reviewed "Tormenta" on her blog , which receives over 9k hits a day.  Of course she is raving about it.  Vicki sat in while I was composing the story on my site, and followed along on the daily, sometimes twice a day entrees as this dark tale poured out of yours truly.  Here’s hoping that all of her considerable contacts across the pond can sway buyers over this way (Hello, New York?)

I’ve no clue what the publisher is planning for promotion; I’ve not met with or spoken to my BA about all that.  However, we’re moving right along with our own brand of spreading the word.  The big task at hand now is getting word around the regional area and I’m pretty sure that’s where most of the work will begin.  No one is talking about NOT going national, or international, should things swell to such ranks.  However, the goal was to achieve 50k readers (people who bought and read a copy) in the greater areas of Houston/Galveston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin/Waco and San Antonio.  With demographics of around 20 million in those areas alone, and with a story based and set in Texas, the rest ‘should’ be quite natural—so long as people know it’s out there…

Of course, all my old gang out in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida are ordering like mad and I’ll be pretty busy the next few days signing copies to send back out to all of you—thanks for those orders, by the way.  I’ll have to set up a signing out there, probably in February, but it’s still too early to set up dates yet.  There’s no telling what this little story will do, but I’m hoping for the best anyhow.

More to come…

S

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