I'm similar to London. Though I’m not as ancient, I grew up in a world before mobile phones, the internet, and computers were just getting introduced to me in school. The computers had no Windows or special apps. There was just a black screen with amber colored words. We had to type in a command to do anything. My home phone had a cord, and my family had one black and white television until we splurged for a color one. As I get older, I must adapt with the times to be functional in this world, because change is the only constant thing. London has learned to grasp the inevitable. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know my husband and I went on a Disney Norwegian cruise. We stayed a few days in London before and after the cruise. Since the ship left from Dover, England, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore London. Because we had such little time and so much to see, we took advantage of the hop-on and hop-off buses. Some of the buses have audio commentary, and some have live guides who explain the sites. That is how I learned some of this information. London is the capital and most populated city of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. Yet the City of London is only 1.12 square miles. There are more than 300 languages spoken in London, so it is a diverse city. The tourists think London is large because it is made up of what is called Greater London which is divided into 32 London Boroughs or 33 if you include the City of London. When the bus went from one region to another, the tour guide pointed out a large dragon statue in the middle of the street indicating the new area we were entering. I think this area was the City of Westminster. Throughout London there are indications of how old it is and how modern it has become. Somehow the Brits have managed to make the contemporary buildings, with their unique nicknames (Gherkin, Shard, Cheesegrater), look like they have found their niche among the historical buildings and landmarks. London has had its share of tragedies with bombings in World War I and World War II. They have also had fires and epidemics. Yet many of the old structures still remain. I even saw an ancient Roman wall still intact from the days when Rome had been in control of London. To be a successful author there is more to it than writing a good story. Experts say I should spend 80% of my time on marketing my books, and 20% of my time writing them. The problem is I’m a writer, not a sales person! I had to find a way to cross my old fashioned hurdles of knowing little about social media and learn how use it to work for me. I get a little frazzled at times, because I feel like I’m spending way too much time on the internet marketing my books. So far I'm seeing little results and I'm not ready to make a big financial commitment to pursue avenues that aren't free. Sometimes I want to stop trying, and just be content that a few people have my book in their hands, but that isn’t enough for me. I want people to read my books and ask for more. I hope people will enjoy the escape my books provide for years to come. So I keep attempting to blend my old ways with the new, and in the end, may I be as successful as London has been at doing it.
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