Tweed Texas

More Changes

This will be a rather short post but I need to bring you up to date on a couple of things. First and probably more important for my speaking business is that I just changed my phone number and I want to share that with you and potential clients. I moved to Cypress, a suburb of Houston, last October. For the longest I have held onto my Austin area phone number because that is the number my friends and clients were used to finding me. However, having lived in Houston now for coming on a year, my day to day activities clearly revolve more around the Houston area now. It makes sense to make the change. So I made the change. My new number is (832) 281-6100. If you think you might have the occasion to call me, pleas put that number in your phone or at the very least, write it down where you can find it.
  I do want to thank the members of the Dover Club in Houston for their kind invitation to come out and speak to them recently. This is a top of he line networking and referral group. I also got to conduct a workshop in Johnson City, TX at the LBJ Settlement National Park in conjunction with the national park, the Johnson City Public Library and the Writers' League of Texas. My workshop focused on Memoir writing. I had a bout 17 eager and interesting people in my group. Believe me, I had a great time. 
  While I was in the area, I restocked he Nimitz Gift Shop with more copies of Texas In Her Own Words and opened a new outlet at the Berkman Bookstore in Fredericksburg. I also made a swing by Luckenbach. I need to restock the General Store there. I AM bummed that I didn't get to hang for awhile and down a Shiner Bock but I was on a pretty tight schedule. That's what I've been up to. There is more to tell you but that will wait for another post but let me tease you a bit. The Johnson City Public Library chose my book as the book of the month for July-August. So I get to go back in August to conduct two book discussions with the library patrons. I'm excited already.
   Don't forget to note my new phone number. (832) 260-6100 The old one doesn't work anymore.  In the meantime, take care of your precious selves.

The 'Which Way Tree'

  Anyone who knows me knows of my passion for Texas. One of my favorite things to do is explore Texas.  I have been in a love affair with my adopted state since I was barely 18 years old when the US Navy saw fit to send me to Kingsville from New Hampshire.  I have crisscrossed this state at least a dozen times and I never tire of it. I am continually amazed by its geography, flora and fauna and her people.  And as for its history…well…my friend Scott Rylander said it better than anyone has ever said it. He said, “Texas doesn’t so much have a history--it tells a great story.” He’s right. The history of Texas is a great story.

  The story of the Texas Revolution is an interesting story on so many levels. I see it as a tapestry of colorful people, places and improbable events. These were very real people in every sense of the word. They were just as human as you or me. They were afraid of what the future held in store. They knew what it was like to be hungry, to bleed and to take a stand. History is full of little weird anomalies that make you wonder about what was going through this person or that person’s head at a critical moment in time. Those same thoughts struck me recently as I stood under a solitary gigantic oak tree in the now defunct Texas settlement of New Kentucky.

  There is nothing left of this community. Unless you know of its history and location you’d never know it ever existed. Just a few miles west of present day Tomball, TX on FM 2920 there is a tiny park tucked in just off the road. You need to be looking for it if you want to find it. It is New Kentucky Park. What is historically significant about this place is that it is the site of the ‘Which Way Tree’ and a well.

  I pride myself on knowing a good bit about Texas. I’m a voracious reader of Texas books and materials but I can honestly say I was surprised that I had never heard the story before or if I had, I’d mysteriously forgotten it. I’d like to share the story with you now. It’s really not a long story…just a quirk in history but for me fascinating.

  As for the 'Which Way Tree'... During the TX revolution after the Alamo fell, the government and the army fled to the east as part of what we know as the 'Runaway Scrape.' Sam Houston was trying to keep his army together and one step ahead of Santa Ana. The road from Washington-on-the-Brazos forked at the settlement of New Kentucky. Sam Houston's army stopped there around midday April 16, 1836. One road led east to the Trinity and the Sabine rivers. The other road led to Harrisburg (you know it as Houston today). On that site was a gigantic oak tree with limbs pointing to each of the 2 roads. Houston and his men camped under the tree enjoying the protection from the elements offered by its expansive canopy. As Houston pondered his options and strategy, at some point, Sam supposedly looked at the tree and decided to go in the direction of the limb pointing toward Harrisburg. That road led the ragtag little army five days later to victory at San Jacinto and the Republic of Texas was born. The gigantic oak still stands there today in that tiny park. There is also a well that Sam and his men supposedly drew their water.

  As I stood there under that tree, I couldn't help but be moved knowing that Sam Houston stood in that same spot just over 173 yrs ago. I could easily visualize him standing there weighing his options and struggling with a making a decision. As I said those folks were just as human as the rest of us. That unmarked tree is the 'Which Way Tree. It helped Sam Houston determine which way to go. Maybe a minor quirk in our history but something fun to ponder. I can't speak for you but some days I wish I had a 'Which Way Tree' to help me make up my mind.

  The only more significant tree in Texas is ‘Treaty Oak’ in Austin. Someday I’ll tell you about that tree too.  I was there when that loon tried to kill it by poisoning it back in the 80’s. I could easily see the tree from my KVET control room window overlooking Lamar Boulevard. I watched it die slowly every day until heroic efforts were made to save what they could of it. Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Catchin' Up

For some reason I don't totally understand I have been asked several times lately about how my book, Texas In Her Own Words is doing. Well here's what I can tell you.   It's a good time to talk about where Texas In Her Own Words is today. This has proven to be the 'little book that could.' Who knew. We had a wonderful start selling 125 copies at the book release party at Hill's Cafe in Austin, TX. This book has proven to be special even from the git go. The Alamo called a month after it came out and wanted to sell it in the gift shop. They asked me how long it would take to get the books delivered to them. It is exactly 64 minutes from my house to the gift shop...but who's counting?
  After that, doors blew open everywhere. It was like instant validity and credibility for this book. I cannot thank them enough for being such great partners. The market continued to grow for my little labor of love and before long we found the book being sold in such wonderful places as The Bob Bullock State of Texas History Museum, both of the State Capitol building gift shops in Austin, the San Jacinto Monument and Battlefield, the Sam Houston Statue on I-45 in Huntsville just to name a few.
  This has been a remarkable journey for both me and the book. I knew before the book was ever printed how I was going to market this book. I would do the bulk of my marketing through speaking, giving presentations and speeches and then sell in he  back of the room. That has been the key to any success we've had. Understand I truly appreciate any sales from Amazon or Barnes & Nobles for that matter but my passion is speaking...speaking about Texas specifically.
   I started off by speaking to civic groups like Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs and selling the back of the room. Before long people started to come up and ask me how much I would charge to speak to another one of their groups. That completely changed my business model. Instantly I went from being a writer who speaks to a speaker who writes. There is a big difference. I tell people who want to write a book to remember that as an author you will spend 6% of your time writing your book. You'll spend 94% of your time marketing your book. I have been doing this for just over 3 years now and that statistic is dead on. That is the reality.
  Fortunately, I love what I do and plan on continuing with the journey. I am still actively opening new outlets for the book. When I wrote this little jewel, I wrote it for both Texans and non-Texas alike. I also wrote it to be an evergreen. There is no dated material in it. The concepts that went into the making of this book where  170 years in the making. 
  I'll close for now saying that we have been blessed by this book and all the friends and acquaintances we've made a long the way. I thank each of you who have bought Texas In Her Own Words or have invited me to speak for your group. Thank you for your many kindnesses. They have not gone unnoticed. Where do we go from here? Well who really knows. People ask me all the time, 'How are you doin'?" My answer is always the same. "I'm just living the dream." I have you to thank for that.
  I am a speaker and I would love to speak for your group or organization. Contact me through my website...http://www.TweedScott.com  Talk to you soon.