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I know I keep banging on about it like a drummer from a punk band but independent authors simply have to promote their own work. How, is the problem. There are so many ways a writer can dissipate his/her time for very little reward that could have beenspent on our primary function of writing. Some of the promotional activities can also be costly and largely ineffective. Time spent writing never is, as that is how we develop our craft.

Sadly, if you want to make a living and get yourself noticed you have to promote. Last week we took a look at teaser videos that don't have to be hi tech to be very effective. This week let's consider a new opportunity being afforded by Google+ that we can turn to our advantage - the Google+ Community. I believe this feature has enormous potential for the writer.

Ok, so what is a Google+ Community and what opportunities does it offer?

First let's look at Google's definition of a community:

"Google+ communities are places for people to get together and talk about the interests that they share."

Joining a communityis easy. Simply click on the community icon and a list of communities that have already been created will come up. I have already joined several that are of interest to me. I also wanted to see how others organise the communities they have created and what they did to engage with members. For authors wanting to build a readership the key wordis engagement.

If we can engage effectively with a potential readership while in the process of writing our book think how powerful a motivational force that can be. Dickens wrote his novels almost as 'soaps' with an engaged fan base just waiting for the next episode. He didn't simply sit down and decide to write a classic. So that's one possible way we have thought of already - what about offering our book to our community in instalments. First of course we have to create an engaged community!

We may be jumping ahead of ourselves a little. One of the communities I joined recentlywas Indie Readers and Writers . The trouble with these kind of communities and forums is thatthey can oftenbeoverwhelmedby people who use them simply to promote their own work and not to engage in any sort of meaningful way with other members. "But", you may ask, "isn't that what you said we must do, promote our work?" TRUE! Unfortunately blatant self-promotion can often be a complete turn off.

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  Being up front about your intentions

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  Forcing you to be more innovative in engaging your membership in a meaningful way.

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  Is more manageable and enables your community to grow as you write your book.

Creating a community is the easy part. Click on the communities icon and a page like this will appear giving you the opportunity to Join or Create a community.

You need to give some thought about how you will engage your community as this will be the key as to whether your community will thrive or shrivel.

Billy and The Pit of Shadows is a paranormal adventure for children of all ages set in the South Wales Valleys. The main character Billy is nine years old. One of the first things Ididwas identify points of contacts within the story that people might genuinely find interesting because they can relate to it themselves. You must genuinely seek and want interaction with your members .

For example one chapter is set around a school assembly. This affords me the opportunity to engage my community by asking if they can remember anyassemblies thatstand out in their memoriesfor whatever reason. The most embarrassing, boring, funniestetc. The point is I genuinely want to hear about them so I can feature them on my blog. HopefullyI will be able to provide more ideas as I wrestle with the task of creating a vibrant and involved community.

IMHO there is no point in seeking members if you do not have a plan of engagement mapped out. Once you have it is time to start inviting members to the community. Invite friends form Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and, wait for it. . . your blog. This is where YOU get the invite to join. If I am going to conduct a meaningful exercise in assessing the potential of Google+ communities as a promotional tool for authors I need your involvement.

What does this entail:

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  Join the community.

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  Interact and respond to initiatives. e.g the school assembly.

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  Give feedback and suggestions.

Together we can create a model that can become an effective promotional tool for everyone.

One word of warning. The only danger in creating a community around your book is that if it's not that well written or it doesn't grab the reader then the exercise will be counter productive. But it's probably better to discover that sooner rather than later!

The California Gold Rush began 24th January 1848. It was to attract many Welsh people especially those from coal mining communities, who were able to use their skills and expertise to good effect.

Gold was first discovered near a saw mill at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountain where it was literally picked off the ground. As the surface gold became less plentiful, prospectors began panning for gold in the nearby streams and rivers and later as word got out, thousands of people arrived from all over the world and mining companies were established, using more complex methods, such as hydraulic mining.

Life as a prospector was not easy, as with such a large population explosion, there were numerous reports of lawlessness, drunkenness and violence. However, it is also reported that many Welsh-language chapels were established in the gold fields and in the town of North San Juan, a Welsh run Temperance Association was established.

Born on this day 1815 in Denbigh.

Thomas Gee - Nonconformist preacher, journalist and publisher. 

Gee started in his father's printing office at 14 and later moved to London to improve his skills.  In 1838, he came back to Wales and published many notable works, including the newspaper Baner Cymru, which joined with Yr Amserau in 1859, to become Baner ac Amserau Cymru, a paper that was at the forefront of promoting the nationalist and home rule movements of Wales.  

 "Y Dyn Na Fu Erioed" -  "The Man Who Never Was"

In 1943, the Allies planned an invasion of Sicily, but in order to reduce German defences, it was necessary to have them believe that Greece was the intended location of the invasion.  Therefore, the ministry came up with Operation Mincemeat, in which the body of a drowned officer, carrying documents suggesting that the Allies were to attack through Greece was to be found by the Germans. 

The corpse that was used was that of Glyndwr Michael from Aberbargoed who had died on 24th January 1943.  Michael was an uneducated orphan who had ended up broke and homeless in London.  He had died in an abandoned warehouse, having probably inadvertently eaten bread smeared with rat poison.

In April, Michaels body, disguised as Major William Martin, was released into the sea where the tides took it off Huelva in southwestern Spain.  It was found  by a fisherman and came to the attention of the Germans, who subsequently fell for the deception and the Allied invasion was a success.

Michael had been buried as Major Martin in Huelva's cemetery, but when the body's actual identity was revealed by the British Government in 1998 revealed the body's true identity, a plaque was added to his gravestone, stating " Glyndwr Michael; Served as Major William Martin". There is also a commemorative plaque on  Aberbargoed's war memorial, headed "Y Dyn Na Fu Erioed" ( "The Man Who Never Was")  

 

The founding father of Khasi literature.  

Thomas Jones (24th January 1810 – 16th September 1849) was a Welsh missionary, notable for writing the first books in the Khasi language.  Khasi is the language spoken primarily in Meghalaya state in India by the Khasi people. 

Jones was the son of a carpenter from Montgomeryshire.  He became a Calvinistic Methodist minister in 1840, after which he chose to become a missionary in India. and shortly afterwards set out for India with his wife Anne. After their arrival, the couple set up home in the Khasia Hills, where he learnt the local language in order to preach to the local people.  He was very popular with the natives and built a school for them, where he produced a Khasi dictionary and translated Welsh works into Khasi, which was the first literature written in the Khasi language. 

From the Barkeep's Blog

Llanelli is not usually bothered by snow to any large extent. The palm trees at the bottom of the road, at the junction of West End and New Road lay witness to the warming influence of the gulf stream which hits the south west coasts of England and Wales. It is normal therefore for the snow to pass over "Tinopolis" and start further inland, on the banks of Swiss Valley - perhaps so aptly named.

However, while mydaughterresiding in Crete gloatingly tells me that temperatures are resting at 20 degreesCelsius we are huddling in our house, with blankets and a fan heater, looking out the window upon a mainly white vista.

The central heating boiler churns and groans as it attempts to push water around the house. A few years ago I called an engineer to check the boiler, and as he looked aghast at the contraption. We discovered that it was an old industrial grade boiler probably best suited to small businesses, but capable of circulating around our quirky four storey house. Of course that was before someone added a few radiators back in the dawn of time and I must confess to adding to the problems by adding the basement heaters when we arrived in the eighties. I am no plumber. Sadly the artisans who complied with my request to add radiators followed my enthusiasm rather than examine the actual capabilities of the system and the flow from the pump. This all results in half of the radiators providing an artistic backdrop to a room rather than any actual heat.

My latest engineer took a look at it and stated that he really did not want to touch it, and if he did he felt he would probably have to condemn it! I was satisfied when he agreed to simply test the fumes - and pass it as safe. I know that it is not that economical, however the cost of a new boiler and probable replacement of the whole system means that we currently shiver a little in the winter... summer we can manage fine!!!

And so, recovering from coughs and colds, and sucking on the occasional amoxicillan to kick the whoop in cough, I look out upon the gentle fall of white stuff on the road, mentally pull up the draw bridge, and get on with composing some music and practising the lyre. That's Show Business... Mulled wine sees to be the answer.

I could go for a walk... I could add another section to "Walks in Llanelli" with a nice "Snow Section". The dogs certainly consider this a good option - they are restless and going stir crazy, throwing a plastic up into the air and chasing it when not sitting next to the chair and pawing at my leg.

But it looks cold out there...

Maybe tomorrow - I may be feeling a little better then.

or the next day....

The Berwyn Mountain Incident.

On 23rd January 1974 there was a reported sighting of a UFO crashing in the Berwyn Mountains in North Wales. 

Unusual lights were seen in the sky, followed by a startling shaking of the ground.  At first, it was thought that it was an aircraft crashing or a meteorite hitting the earth, but when the police and RAF  found nothing and their searches were called  the following day, speculation started that it was a UFO that had crashed.  There were further rumors of alien bodies being found and that the area had been cordoned off to prevent the public from seeing the wreckage.

However, subsequent scientific enquiries found that the area had experienced a force 3.5 earthquake, which combined with a reported bright meteor had given the false impression of UFO landing.   

Born on this day 1900 in Merthyr

William Ifor Jones - conductor and organist.

Born into a large coal-mining family, Williams went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London after which, he worked with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the British National Opera Company. In 1930, he emigrated to the United States, where he became a conductor with the world renowned Bach Choir of Bethlehem.  

Born on this day 1848 in Treboeth, Swansea.

Daniel James- poet and hymn writer, who is best remembered for writing the words of the hymn "Calon Lan" 

Jones, who is also known by his bardic name of Gwyrosydd, worked as an iron and tinplate worker in Morriston, Landore, Dowlais, Tredegar, Blaengarw, and Mountain Ash.    

Born on this day 1971 in Bridgend

Ian Scott Gibbs - former Wales and Lions rugby union international and Wales and Great Britain rugby league international.

Gibbs was named Player of the Series during the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa and is perhaps best remembered for his jinking run and match-winning try against England in 1999. 

On 23rd January 1853, six crew members of the Rhyl Lifeboat were drowned when their boat, Gwylan y Mor capsized whilst they were going to the aid of a vessel in distress on the Hoyle Bank off the Dee Estuary.  They left 4 widows and 7 children and the current Rhyl crew are in the process of organising a permanent memorial to the men who were lost.

Born on this day 1833 in Carmarthen.

Sir Lewis Morris, was a popular poet of his time who graduated with honours from  Jesus College, Oxford in 1856. He narrowly missed being appointed Poet Laureate, possibly because of his association with Oscar Wilde.

NEW!!! FORT BELAN SLIDESHOW

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The AmeriCymru Trail Tour includes a visit to the beautiful and historic Fort Belan.

From the Wikipedia :- "The fort was built in 1775 for a reported cost of 30,000 (3,029,290 as of 2013),by Thomas Wynn, then MP for Caernarfonshire and later to become Lord Newborough. He was worried about the vulnerability of Britains coastline to attack, particularly because of the on-going American War of Independence. Fort Belan was the only purpose built fort of the American Revolution on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean. It guards a narrow passage of 35 m (115 ft) width."

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The following have already been nominated:-

• Bob Hope
• Ray Milland
• Chief Justice John Marshall
• US Amb. Joseph E Davies
• Frank Lloyd Wright
• Thomas Jefferson
• Anthony Hopkins
• Prince Madoc ap Owain Gwynedd
• Richard Burton
• Bette Davis
• Rev. Robert David Thomas
• Catherine Zeta Jones
• Bob Evans ( Bob Evans Restaurant Chain )

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Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Rorke's Drift.

The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, began on January 11th when the British Army, invaded the Zulu kingdom in an attempt to extend British control in South Africa, as it was realised that this could only be achieved when the Zulu's with its standing army of 40,000, had been suppressed.

 The first major encounter was  the Battle of Isandlwana  January 22, 1879, where a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors, equipped mainly with the traditional assegai iron spears attacked and overwhelmed  a portion of the British army consisting of about 1,800 men and was one of the British army's worst and bloodiest ever defeats.  As the battle drew to a close several Zulu regiments reached the Tugela River chasing the few escaping British and buoyed by their success  crossed the Tugela and attempted to capture the British base at the river crossing  called Rorke’s Drift and which was manned by a single company of 145, mainly Welsh infantrymen.

The fighting was fierce and often hand to hand, but the British maintained discipline, stood firm and only gave fire when the enemy was right upon them.  They then fought them off with bayonets and as the night dragged, they were reduced to a mere handful of men Then when they were almost out of ammunition, the Zulu, who had themselves taken heavy losses, retreated.  King Cetshwayo was captured in August 1879 and Zululand was broken up and annexed.

The supreme bravery of those 145 men of whom seven were awarded  the Victoria Cross (the largest number awarded to a regiment for a single action) is now immortalised in the film Zulu, starring Michael Caine, Stanley Baker and Ivor Emmanuel.   However, the true legacy of this battle is one of unprovoked slaughter by the British Army.

Born on this day 1937 in Glanamman

Ryan Davies - popular comedian, singer and actor.

Davies was initially a primary school teacher in London before embarking on an acting career, however, it was when he teamed up with fellow entertainer, Ronnie Williams from Cefneithin, as the comic double act "Ryan a Ronnie" that he became a household name.  They were soon spotted by the BBC and were given a comedy show on BBC One, which proved to be very successful. Additionally, Ryan also starred as  Second Voice  in Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, with Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O'Toole. 

Ryan and Ronnie split in 1975 to pursue solo careers, with Ryan continuing to work on television and in films.  Ryan died two years later of a heart attack, aged only 40 and there is a commemorative bust in his honour at BBC Wales in Llandaff.  

The charity concert, Tsunami Relief Cardiff was held at the Millennium Stadium on 22nd January 2005.  It raised £1.2 million for the victims of the Indian Ocean earthquake of December 2004.  

Born on this day 1875 of Welsh parents in Kentucky.

David Wark Llywelyn (D. W.) Griffith - film director, best remembered for his film, "The Birth of a Nation,", which at the time of its release in 1915, was the most successful ever film in the United States and also introduced many innovative filming techniques such as the use of long shots from different angles and alternating close-ups.   The film, however, was highly controversial in the way it portrayed the Ku Klux Klan and African Americans. 

Born on this day 1751 at Glanyrafon near Bryn-crug in the parish of Tywyn in Merionethshire.

David Richards, better known by his bardic name Dafydd Ionawr, who was a well known Welsh-language poet.

Charles Dickens came twice to Wales to give readings, firstly at Swansea on 4th April 1867 and then at Newport on 21st January 1869.  On both occasions, there were huge crowds.

Dickens had visited Anglesey in 1859 as a journalist to the report on the loss of the Royal Charter, which was Britain's worst ever shipwreck and also must have visited Wales during the final years of his life when he went to live in Ross on Wye.  

Born on this day 1944 in Cardiff

Peter Rodrigues - former Wales soccer international, best remembered as the FA Cup winning captain of Southampton in 1976.

Born on this day 1962 in Cardiff. 

Glen Webbe - former Wales rugby international, who is notable for being the first black player to play for Wales.  He also appeared as a contender in the television show Gladiators.  

Born on this day 1866 in Laugharne

Sir Edward John Owen Cox - Australian businessman and politician.

He sailed as midshipman to New Zealand in around 1880, later becoming a merchant in the New Zealand frozen meat trade.   He later moved to Australia, where he revolutionised the transportation of frozen carcasses by cutting them in half and packing one inside the other.

He became a close friend of Australian Prime Minister and fellow Welshman Billy Hughes,  who was instrumental in his appointment as deputy controller of overseas shipping.   

Born on this day 1890 to a horse-racing family from the Cilfeithy Stud Farm in Llandyfaelog, Carmarthenshire.

Jack Anthony - jockey who was three times winner of the Grand National. 

John Randolph Anthony, better known as Jack, was also champion jockey on two occasions and after he retiring from riding, he was twice the winning trainer in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  In 1991, he was included in the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame. 

21st January 1920 saw the granting of a royal charter founding the University of Wales, Swansea.    

 

On 21st January 1808, Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn, died. 

Richard Pennant married Anne Susannah Warburton, heiress to the Penrhyn estate and in 1783 became the first Baron Penrhyn. He owned 8,000 acres of sugar plantations and over 600 slaves in Jamaica and was an outspoken supporter of slavery.  he used his great wealth to industrialise the Bethesda slate quarries, building Port Penrhyn and a rail link from his quarries to the port.  

On 21st January  1940 the lowest ever temperature in Wales, -23.3°C (-9.9°F) was recorded at Rhayader.

In response to the recent White House.gov petition for the USA to build a Death Star I would like to point out that there is a bloke in North Wales who works for the council who has considerable experience driving one of these contraptions. He used to drive a double decker until he got upgraded.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57564261-1/the-empire-gloats-over-white-house-death-

star-petition/

Born to Welsh parents on this day 1734 in Liverpool

Robert Morris - merchant, benefactor of the American Revolution and signer of the American Declaration of Independence. 

Morris and his family relocated to Philadelphia in 1747, where he soon became a highly successful merchant. His interest in politics led to him becoming a member of the Continental Congress and his money, coupled with his business acumen and contacts meant he was able to provide Washington's army with supplies and arms.

Following  American Independence, Morris remained involved in politics, being appointed the superintendent of finance in which role, he established a national mint and used his considerable wealth to raise funds for the government.

He was later Senator for Pennsylvania but lost his personal fortune as a result of land speculation, being sent to debtors' prison from 1798 to 1801 and never recovered financially.  

On 20th January 1288 Rhys ap Maredudd's revolt against Edward I was suppressed when his final stronghold at  Newcastle Emlyn castle surrendered, forcing him to go to ground.  

Following the death of Rhys's great grandfather, Lord Rhys in 1197, his father ruled over a truncated portion of Deheubarth, known as the Cantref Mawr, which Rhys succeeded to in 1271  and as such considered himself the custodian of Dinefwr castle, the stronghold of Deheubarth.

Rhys's relationship with the prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, was strained and he, therefore, supported the English crown during Edward I's campaigns in Wales in 1276–77 and 1282–3, which following Llywelyn's death, led to him being bestowed additional lands by Edward.  However, to his extreme disappointment, he was not given Dinefwr castle, which led him to rebel in 1287, capturing the majority of Ystrad Tywi, including the castles at Dinefwr and Carreg Cennen.

The rebellion was put down the following year and Rhys was forced into hiding, being eventually captured in 1291 and executed for treason at York in 1292.  

 

The Amlwch riots of 1817. 

January 1817 saw violence, directed mainly against farmers, corn merchants and shippers in Amlwch, Anglesey. 

At the end of the Napoleonic wars, the government brought in the Corn Laws which prohibited the import of cheap corn in an effort to maintain prices for farmers. In 1817, the Anglesey grain harvest had failed following a very wet summer. The result was widespread poverty and hunger for the people of Anglesey. 

Despite the local problems, grain was still available to those in England who could afford to pay for it. Anglesey corn was still being exported via Amlwch port.  It was the transfer of wagonloads of such corn to a ship called “ The Wellington” in Amlwch port which caused the local people to stir.  In the dead of night, a number of men removed the rudder from the ship and hid it at Llanwenllwyfo church 3 miles away.  Meanwhile, in the “Ty Mawr” a public meeting was held to try and resolve the famine problem. It was decided to try and raised £2000 to buy food for the needy, the mine owners were approached but their paltry offer only resulted in further inflaming the situation. 

Over the next 6 days, the mood of the people worsened and two magistrates were dispatched to the town. Their first act was to enrol the help of 30 Special Constables who arrested some of the ring leaders of the disturbances. However, it was decided that only one of the men arrested should be taken to the Court House at Beaumaris. The following day the hiding place of the rudder was discovered but when some of the special constables attempted to take it back to the ship they were pelted with stones and smelter slag. The magistrates wrote to Sir Robert Peel requesting military assistance. Peel decided to ask the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to send a detachment of troops. 

164 men of the Regiment of Holyhead set sail from Dublin. They arrived in Amlwch on 20th February. Within a few hours, the rudder was restored to the Wellington and over the next few days and weeks normality returned to Amlwch. The soldiers eventually left on 29th March.

Between January and April 1962 an outbreak of smallpox in Wales infected 45 people and killed 19 people, six in the Llantrisant and Rhondda and thirteen in Bridgend.  It resulted in over 900,000 people in South Wales being vaccinated against the disease.