Back in Massachusetts
It has been a several months since I was able to post on the blog. The move from Texas to Massachusetts was quite the undertaking, and I hope you understand that it kept me wholly occupied. That said, we are settling into our new home and are happy, relieved, and excited to be back. Yes, there was snow on the ground when we arrived while San Antonio registered temperatures in the high 60s. We absolutely loved it!
On February 3rd, while traveling to Massachusetts, I received the notification, that “Deputy While Immigrant” had won a Literary Titan Gold Book Award. I was totally floored. Worst part: Because of the timing, I was not able to capitalize much from the win as we were struggling to keep our schedule and all the moving parts (quite literally) of our logistics on track.
The first award I received was the Firebird Book Award, then came the Literary Titan. I also placed semi-finalist in the Indies Book Award and runner-up in the Southwest Book Festival. If I keep going like this I will have won more awards than I’ve sold copies of my book. ;-)
Here are some other developments:
A professional review by Kirkus was published and they gave 'Deputy While Immigrant’ a ‘Get It’ rating. Their overall verdict:”An insightful and engrossing account of a German immigrant’s experiences as a police deputy in Arizona.”
In late March, an interview taped earlier this year, with the podcast “Immigrants Making an Impact” was published in English.
The Great Southwest Book Festival named it “Runner Up” in the memoir category.
In the Indies Today Awards Contest, the book placed as “Semi Finalist.”
Finally, Reader’s Favorite publlished their review as well, writing “Author Tom Peine has crafted a vivid and memorable memoir that was a truly captivating experience to read, offering a unique perspective on American police culture through the interesting and insightful lens of a European immigrant. Peine provides an unfiltered look at life that leaves no stone unturned and no emotion unexplored, encompassing the challenges and triumphs of law enforcement.”
What’s next?
Now that we are beginning to settle in Western Massachusetts, I am planning to approach some independent local bookstores to see if they might be interested in carrying the book.
The website requires some updates. There is now an option to purchase copies directly from my distributor rather than going through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The latest reviews and awards are also not entirely included yet. There is work to be done.
I also plan to reach out to our local library and have a conversation with them.
Finally, there is a German Consulate General in Boston. Maybe they would be interested in the story of one of their former citizens becoming a deputy sheriff in the American Southwest.
For now, I stopped spending a lot of money on advertising as that didn’t seem to pay off. The world of Amazon, Facebook, and others is way too crowded to stick out using a tiny advertising budget. Word of mouth is much more powerful. So, please (!) share your impressions of “Deputy While Immigrant” and recommend it to your friends and family if you feel so inclined. Thank you!
My new job working for John Guilfoil Public Relations has me involved with the Utah Chiefs of Police Association (UCOPA). In late March, I attended their annual conference in St. George, UT. The picture shows (from left to right) UCOPA Executive Director Val Shupe, my coworkers Kristen Potter and Katelyn Goddard, and UCOPA President and Lone Peak Police Chief Brian Gwilliam.
I had the opportunity to speak to the attending 240 chiefs and describe some of the work our agency performs for them and their organization.
