Shameless self promotion...hmmm. Here I sit, surrounded by small homemade (computer generated) covers for a small book of quotations from my own columns, which I will take print ready to a local printers for copying and binding. My biggest problem is that troublesome back cover...about the author. Though I have a few good credits, I have a hard time stepping over the not-quite-slain 'never blow your own horn' ghost.

I'm a personal essayist and freelancer, but my favorite writing is that little weekly inspirational piece in my local paper. I've been trying to find a publishing house to publish a longer collection of these columns, to no avail thus far. I recall one of my editors telling me I needed to 'plug myself' a little more. "Make good friends with people at the big publishing houses and any author you know to get a referral to their agent," he said. I have several author friends, but agents are sort of a 'don't touch mine' thing, I've noticed. I prefer not to 'use' my friends, anyway.

However, if I want to get that book published, I've learned that a little 'shameless self promo' is essential, as much as we all hate it. Thanks for this opp. to confess that I'm ready to sign up for vaunting lessons. Merry Christmas, all, I'm off to find a horn.