Though I’d rather be on the road working, I find Sundays here in Monroe are vital for a catch-up day. Used not only for the University preparation (which thankfully is soon ending) but also for mapping out my business plan for the week for my writing business, as well as the needful chores of packing, cleaning, etc. for my next days of travels. The day is young yet, but as the weather is stormy, I’m sure I’m doomed to be trapped inside all day. At the end of the day, I may post another entry on this blog.

The last princess of Wales was Gwenllian. I’m working on a song about her for my Celtic program I want to do at schools. Here are the lyrics of the ballad I’ve started. (Please remember that this is a work in progress). You can learn more of Gwenllian here: http://www.ad-je-leaver.freeserve.co.uk/cydgg.htm

Gwenllian: The Last Princess of Wales

Taken from her cradle
By bloody English hands,
After Longshanks killed her father
When he took his final stand

Now a cradle in Snowdonia
Rocks empty in the night
And a little girl is crying
From hunger and from fright,

I hear a ghostly lullaby
In this castle’s lonely halls,
And whispers of a princess
Who few can now recall.

Her mother died in childbirth
Now her father dead in war,
In a monastery banished
And held behind locked doors,

In silent meditation,
And worn beads in her hand,
She passes lonely hours
Banished from her land.

In a monastery lonely
Where stone walls are so cold
A princess prays there weeping,
She’s 55 years old,

She never learned her language,
She never knew her name
Never knew a lover’s kiss
Never knew who was to blame.

I sold out at the Harvey, Louisiana Sam’s Club and had a respectable signing at the Kenner Sam’s Club earlier in the morning. I established new friendships with many of the Sam’s workers. I also sold a few copies (on my own) of my newest Pelican published book, Stories of the Confederate South and even a few copies of my novel, Red River Fever.

I am learning so much and making so many contacts in my first year of this business that I’m sure next year will be easier–not in terms of the hard work required, but in the number of mistakes made/avoided, the amount of time wasted, and in knowing which venues are worth the time and effort of signings. I have certainly learned that some parts of the country (and even Louisiana) have more money and people. As 2007 winds its way to its traumatic and desperate end, and I look at 2008’s calendar, I’m confident that next year will be a better year for me personally, perhaps the best year ever.