Mark Still Gigging Old Crow Book Club

Mark from the Old Crow Book Club looked positively radiant sitting in front of the grocery store. He was hawking the newspaper advocating for the homeless, reading a Dan Brown novel, and smoking a a fancy fat cigar, not one of his usual crap thin Swisher Sweets. No can of malt liquor.

He greeted me warmly and I shelled out a few bucks for the newspaper.

Life has dramatically improved for Mark in the six months since he took up residence in a Safe Rest Village.

Mark filled me on the latest in the village. The “tweakers” were still doing their inexplicable shit in the middle of the night, but he was used to it by now. Most of the tweakers didn't stick around for long.

I asked Mark, as I always do since he secured housing, about the timeline for transition out of the village because eventually he will have to leave. Mark meets with a social worker in the village on a regular basis but nothing like a transition plan has been worked up. It's all pretty vague according to Mark. I find it hard to believe the City kicking him out once his time is up, but, you never know when it comes to Portland's and Multnomah County's policies on homelessness.

Mark asked me I knew of an author named ****.

I had not.

Mark said the man was the author of screenplays and novels. Mark had read two of the latter, supernatural thrillers, and they were pretty good. He'd met the man at a downtown liquor store and the author just happened to be the owner of it. The books were for sale on the counter, Mark noticed the books, as Mark will notice anything literary in his midst, struck up a conversation about them with the author, and the author gave him both books.

A short time later, Mark returned to the liquor store to pick up a pint of Old Crow (naturally) and told the author he'd read both books and really enjoyed them. They discussed the various characters and plots in depth (as Mark had done with me about several of my books) and the author was so impressed and moved that he gave Mark a box of Cuban cigars! And here Mark was now puffing away ever so gallantly like Rich Uncle Pennybags while sitting on a sidewalk.

Mark had given the author a copy of The Old Crow Book Club and furnished its unique backstory and his primary role. Upon Mark's return to the liquor store, the author had read my book and wanted to meet me.

I laughed and said, “Sure! Why not?”

Yes, why not meet new new people, especially if it's connected to books? Why not meet new people all the time? It seems so elementary to foster good mental health.

A thunderbolt of a great notion blasted into my mind:

Let's sell The Old Crow Book Club in the author's liquor store and have it displayed on the counter bracketed by pints of Old Crow! Perhaps even have a tasting! Mark and the store would split the proceeds.

I pitched the idea to Mark. He dug it. He said he'd ask the owner. I loaded up Mark with five copies of the book and said I'd soon make a trip downtown to meet the author.

One of my books for sale in a liquor store? Sure. I've sold thousands of books out of shops that weren't bookstores. The liquor store wouldn't even rate as the most memorable spot.

Nothing would ever top a mortuary. A mortuary! I sold five copies of Sometimes A Great Movie there.