Quest For Coffee Part One


 Hey, folks. Thanks for dropping by. You know, time flies when you’re having fun, and this week has certainly affirmed the saying. There has been a gratifying flurry of activity in the form of “like’s” on my Red Wolf Novels Facebook page, and I’ve been sending out a slew of books from giveaways on Julie's Book Reviews and A Page Away, and another five-star review appeared on Amazon for The Dragon of Doughton Park.
Julie's Book Review
 
                                                                    A Page Away
 
Also, I’ve been writing!

Ooooh, have I been writing. I’m nearly done with part one of Red Wolf Rising, and I’m delighted with what my characters have gotten themselves into so far. I think you will, too.

But… I’ve got a problem.

A biiiiiiiig problem.

My favorite coffee shop closed down a few weeks ago, victim of the mass-closings across the country by Caribou Coffee. Now, I could go on a justifiable rant about the greed of multinational corporations and heartless corporate fat cats, but I won’t. I could blog on and on about the devastating economic impact on the real, hard-working, friendly folks whose livelihood depended on these stores and the uncaring attitude of the corporation for those wonderful people and their customers alike, but that’s not what this is about. This is about me.

It's all about me.
 
 
What am I going to do? I didn’t even drink coffee three years ago when I set up an appointment to interview a friend of mine who worked at a Starbucks. One of the characters in my Red Wolf series (Danielle in The Draculata Nest) was a barista, and I needed some background material. During the interview, I sampled the product. Not bad.

I visited other coffee shops around town and sampled their wares. I got hooked. And one day I stumbled upon a Caribou Coffee right up the street from my apartment. I found my drink of choice, a medium white chocolate mocha with soy, and I found my home away from home. I got to know the baristas. I started bringing my laptop with me when I came in.
 
I wrote the bulk of the second two-thirds of The Draculata Nest sitting in the light open space of that coffee shop, watching the customers come and go and listening to a pleasant mix of musical genres on their sound system. (Those of you who’ve read The Draculata Nest might notice the baristas mentioned in the dedication.) I wrote most of the sequel there, too. I started on the third book.

And then one day, on my way out of town for a road trip to do research for Red Wolf Rising, I stopped by for a drink to go and there was a sign announcing the shop would close the next day. I asked Summer, the manager/barista, why. She shrugged. I asked her what she was going to do, and her eyes misted over as she shrugged again.

Customers were in line behind me so I resisted the urge to leap over the counter and give her a hug. Later that evening I used the wifi in my hotel room to google Caribou, and I found out what was going on. But I was out of town for the store-closing party they had. I never even got to say goodbye.
 

That coffee shop was a huge part of my life for nearly three years. How do I find closure? Where can I find good cup o’ joe? Worse, will I ever be able to write again? My Quest for Coffee continues… in my next post.
 
     Until then… Happy Reading!

     Oh, and of course I need to include the usual, shameless promotion of my books. Four and five-star reviews are piling up for both of them. eBooks are only $2.99, and you can purchase one by clicking on one of the links below the cover image of your choice.

The Draculata Nest -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Click on the link to order:
ebook for Kindle    ebook for Nook    ebook for Kobo    in Paperback
in Charlotte    Smashwords

The Dragon of Doughton Park ----------------------------------------------------------
Click on the link to order:
ebook for Kindle    ebook for Nook    ebook for Kobo    in Paperback
in Charlotte    Smashwords

Comments

  1. James Garcia JrMay 11, 2013 at 9:50 PM

    Hi, John. I'm sorry to hear about this. I don't really frequent any coffee shops, typically just drinking my coffee here at home or at work. What I do feel, however, is the fact that you had some place familiar and welcome and now it's gone, and that sucks! I hope you find another place real soon...
    On the other hand, we writers tend to write better when our souls are wounded. Perhaps there's a bestseller in it somewhere? That might ease your pain, huh? :)
    Take care.

    -Jimmy

    ReplyDelete

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