February 2023 Newsletter: Books or Beer? ????
I'm sure you expected a hard sell for my soon-to-be-released?novel?Sandusky Reckoning ?in this month’s edition. Nah…the ads for my books are below, have at it if you are interested!?
Instead, I want to discuss two things that are on my mind: the month of February and Irish ale.
February
In the American Midwest, February is that uncomfortable weather dead zone between the freezing late winter and the really cold early spring.?
The Super Bowl and the government holiday known as “Presidents' Day” are the only bright spots in an otherwise nondescript month. A month so lackluster that it was allocated the fewest days.
It is an urban legend that Green Day's hit song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" originally featured February, but it was too difficult to pronounce that awkward month in the chorus. Actually, I just made that up, but February would have been a more fitting month for this depressing song.
Groundhog Day is?perhaps the most puzzling “holiday” on the American calendar. Men dressed in tuxedos and top hats roust?a rodent from the ground and then project the end of winter based on its skittishness. And just like that, we have six more weeks of winter. Yes, we are definitely a?“follow the science” culture.
And finally, February includes Valentine’s Day, that sappy commercialized holiday brought to you by the candy, flower, and restaurant lobbies. What, you were expecting a glowing review of Valentine's Day from a cynical suspense author??
Irish Ale
My kids both play hockey. Their home?rink has two sheets of ice, two Zambonis, one modest concession stand, and one?bar. The latter has proven to be a considerable?benefit, taking the edge off the countless hours spent watching the kids practice and play throughout an incredibly long season.
The bar offers a respectable assortment of liquors and craft beers. A local brewery in the Cleveland area, Great Lakes, is usually the featured seasonal offering. With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, Conway’s Irish Ale is currently on tap.
You may have noticed my last name happens to be?Conway, but unfortunately, I don’t receive a?kickback for lending this beer my name. Okay, it probably isn't named after me, since the brewery owners are also Conways and we are unrelated.?Bummer.
The other night I ordered a Conway’s and reviewed my receipt:?$6 American. Maybe a little steep for a pint at a hockey rink, but it was a?craft beer, and we have grown accustomed to paying higher prices for higher quality (and alcohol by volume) beer. The beer was delicious and took about fifteen?minutes to finish.
That naturally got me thinking about the comparative economic value of goods and services, as measured by the time it takes to consume them. Take my audiobooks for the?Sandusky Darkness?series, for example. The combined listening time for both novels is?nearly twenty-one hours. That is 84 times longer than a comparably priced pint of beer lasts (unless one has the drinking prowess of the late wrestling legend Andre the Giant, who once drank 119 bottles of beer in six hours - the bar tab for that must have been astronomical!)
So, in the spirit of undercutting the craft beer industry, I have priced my?eBook boxed set? at $5.99 for a limited time. The choice is yours. $6 for fifteen minutes of imbibing pleasure or $5.99 for twenty-one hours of reading enjoyment. I believe that a reasonable person would choose?both!
If you find yourself torn between my books and a beer for economic reasons, I can help you out! Buy that beer, and I will give you a free eBook copy of?Sandusky Reckoning?on?Booksprout , in exchange for a rating and review!
Thus, freed from the book/beer paradox, you can enjoy my new book and a beer together, just as nature intended...
Take care,
Bryan
Sandusky Burning ?-?Buy Now!
Sandusky Reckoning ? Available for Pre-Order, Publishes March 17????
Book Box Set ?-?Available for Pre-Order! Publishes March 17 ??