by Debbie Burke
Whitefish park and historic train station before Farmers Market
Every Tuesday afternoon in summer, the park across the street from the historic Whitefish (Montana) train station becomes a hive of activity as the weekly Farmers Market sets up. The tree-shaded grass park occupies an entire city block in the resort town. The perimeter fills quickly with food trucks and vendors setting up stalls to sell produce, artwork, handcrafted goods, and…books by local authors.
Shayla Paradeis, the energetic new president of the Authors of the Flathead, came up with the terrific fresh idea of connecting with the community via a stand at the Farmers Market. We introduce people interested in writing to our weekly meetings and invite them to the annual conference. Plus, we members can showcase our books for sale.
The past few Tuesdays, Shayla, Sue Purvis, and I display our books for hundreds of tourists and locals who stroll by, munching on corn dogs, huckleberry pastries, and Flathead cherries. Kids run around playing games and petting friendly dogs while a local musician sings classic rock hits. The atmosphere is carefree and cheerful despite a light haze of wildfire smoke that turns the sun orange.
We chat with visitors from around the US along with other countries. Thanks to Zoom, our meetings are open to interested writers from anywhere in the world.
You quickly learn to spot avid readers. They stop on the grassy walkway to stare at our book displays. Sometimes they hang back for a moment, scanning. Their gaze may home in on Shayla’s eco-spiritual journey of walking across the country five times; or Sue’s memoir of training a search dog to find the lost and herself; or my mystery-thriller series set in Montana. Then they beeline to a certain book, pick it up, and start asking questions.
Their reactions show how important a good eye-catching cover is.
This past Tuesday, we hit the trifecta with one delightful family of enthusiastic readers who bought books from all three of us.
Tourists often want souvenirs of their Montana vacation and books are a good memento to read on the plane. Travelers without extra room in their suitcases picked up bookmarks, saying they’d buy the ebook instead.
A pleasant surprise: we enjoyed conversations with several pre-teen boys and their parents. That demographic isn’t known for being big readers, but these young guys talked with animation about stories, videos, and games they found exciting and interesting. One seemed especially interested in my thriller, Instrument of the Devil, about a terrorist who targets the electric grid. About a half hour later, his dad returned alone and bought the book as a surprise for his son. Sweet!
The highlight of the evening came from two girls, about 10 or 11, who are best friends and share a love of books. Accompanied by one girl’s parents, they stopped and talked with me for quite a while. I asked them what they liked to read. The dark-haired one said, “True crime!” She’d just finished a bio of Lizzie Borden and didn’t believe Lizzie was the killer. Wow!
When I was that age, I found children’s stories boring and always hung out in the adult section of the library. These young readers were kindred souls.
We talked about crime stories in general. The blond one asked what my books were about and showed interest in Deep Fake Double Down, where the villain uses deep fake video to create false evidence against an innocent woman. They thanked me for talking with them, wandered down the aisles, but returned several times to ask more questions.
Finally, the blond came back by herself and wanted to buy Deep Fake Double Down. I asked her if she’d like me to sign it. She practically wiggled with excitement and told me her name is “Paige.”
I’m always surprised but humbled and honored when people react as though my signature is a big deal.
Then Paige paid and additionally handed me a one-dollar bill. She said, “This is a tip.”
I about busted out crying.
Through the lump in my throat, I told her that wasn’t necessary, but she insisted.
If I never sell another book, that experience is payment enough. Thank you, Paige.
Reading and writing are all about connections between people. Nothing can match a face-to-face, heart-to-heart relationship between an author and a reader.
Will I be back to meet more readers at the Whitefish Farmers Market next Tuesday?
You betcha.
* * * 
This little guy is very much alive. Look how convincing he is, though!
Texas indigo snakes—a subspecies of the eastern indigo snake—can grow up to 7 feet long and are found throughout Texas. They’re not venomous, nor constrictors. Instead, they rely on muscular jaws to overpower and swallow their meals head first. Texas indigo snakes even hunt venomous rattlesnakes (they’re immune to the venom).
documented 29 out of 50 different wild ducks played dead when exposed to captive red foxes. This immediate collapse gives the duck a fighting chance should the fox lower its guard. The ducks remained still while the fox carried them back to den to escape later.
Another species of bird that plays dead is the Japanese quail. These animals do so for similar reasons to ducks – to avoid predators, such as cats — and wait for an opportunity to escape. When sleeping, Japanese quail also appear to be dead and can sometimes cause alarm to their owners.
The lemon shark is an apex predator, yet they also play dead. If turned onto its back, the lemon shark will not only play possum, they’ll begin to exhibit labored breathing and the occasional tremor. This is especially interesting, considering the lemon shark lay on the ocean floor and allows other animals to pick the parasites off its body. They have the ability to remain completely still and pump water over their gills to breathe.
This little guy is alive, playing dead.
Native to Japan, the pygmy grasshopper displays a unique version of playing dead when threatened. Not only do they freeze but they spread out stiffened legs as far as possible in all directions. This death stance makes it nearly impossible for predatory frogs to attempt to swallow them. Thus, the frog moves on to easier prey.
This redback spider is alive but playing dead.
And the acting award goes to…
The Central American cichlid plays dead to lure unsuspecting prey. This aquatic predator’s intricate markings give the illusion of a decaying fish. Because scavengers are attracted to an easy meal, they move in. The cichlid springs to life and attacks.
Another animal that plays dead to catch prey is the pselaphinae beetle. Instead of waiting in ambush, these beetles employ tonic immobility so ants can carry them away. Once they get inside an ant’s nest, they spring to life and feed on the ant larvae (the majority of their diet).
Black widows are the most venomous spiders in North America, but they don’t always bite when threatened or provoked. Instead, black widows often play dead. When their lives are at risk, they curl into a ball while releasing silk to aid its movement.
Blue Jays play dead by slumping down, motionless. Sometimes, like their crow cousins, they’ll sprawl out with their wings spread, head flopped to the side. Some birdwatchers theorize this is a form of blue jay sunbathing. Or they’re playing a practical joke since they often surprise people by springing to life if disturbed. When threatened by predators such as cats and hawks, they will absolutely play dead.
Praying mantis are easily recognized by their long narrow bodies, a small head with large eyes, and oversized front legs held upright. To avoid being eaten by the female after mating, the male will play dead. They will only move again once the female has lost interest and left.
Not to worry. She’s alive, just not in the mood.
Thank you for standing in for the human, sweet puppy.
