Updated July/24/26 to note that a copy of the book is not needed to claim the secret word is found. Too many problems with mailing from France and post office changes and delays. This may change if I can supply books stateside or online.
Questions and answers:
Q: What is this about?
TJ: The Silver Roads in Brittany, is the title poem which describes the discovering and renovating of a house in Brittany, France, and living in the countryside. A poetic, casual pastoral, with musings on life, along with six fables set in Brittany, and one lyrical poem, a marriage poem. The marriage poem, ‘Stay Together’ on page 189, contains a secret word. If you are the first person to find the secret word, you receive $3,000. Now $5,000.00.
Q: So, it is a promotiomal idea.
TJ: Yes. It is a promotional effort. (Not shipping the book as of now)
Q: So, someone needs the book to find the secret word?
TJ: No, it is not necessary to buy the book to find the secret word—the poem is online. I started that way, to require a purchase of the book, but shipping from France is too difficult right now.
Q: Once someone finds the secret word are there any fees at all? Is travel required to show up someplace?
TJ: No, no fees, you do not need to leave your house. The money will be sent by wire only to the finder's account in their name only. No checks, no third parties. So, someone does need internet.
When the person finds the word, they can email me with only the secret word in the subject line and add in the body of the email their name and phone number if they want and attach a picture of their own identifiable self. (Wear sunglasses and a baseball cap if you want, or hold up your cat or dog in front of you. Or put the timer on your camera and stand back 50 feet.)
This email: fellspointpoetrybooks@gmail.com
You know how people can be—they want to know that there really is a secret word in the poem that anyone can find and that a real person finds the word. This will keep real people in the loop, so to speak.
Q: What if someone reads the poem online and discovers the secret word?
TJ: They send an email with the word to fellspointpoetrybooks@gmail.com
Q: Do I need to know about poetry to find the secret word?
TJ: Not at all.
Q: Is the poem complicated? People don’t have time to read complicated poetry. What if I don’t like poetry? What if I don’t like your poetry?
TJ: I will be putting many passages of the book online, so people can see if they might like the book. The ‘Stay Together’ poem is very simple, and only one page. In fact, the poem with the secret word, Stay Together, is only one sentence. But I hope people might read the whole book, too. Descriptions of discovering the house in Brittany, the French countryside, and some fables for life and love.
Remember, one role of poetry is to share understandable things. Nobody wants poetry which is just written for poets.
Q: Why are you doing this?
TJ: I'm just trying to share poetry in a fun way. Poetry is often a tough sell anyway.
Q: Sounds like your poetry is so bad you are almost paying people to read it.
TJ: Close! There are so many books of poetry being published, so many poets, so many different poetry factions and groups, so many opinions, I don’t know what to say.
Q: Are you sure there is no scam in this?
TJ: I expect skepticism. You know, in ancient Greece, poets would make little handmade books and share them with their poet friends. Now, thousands of poets publish books and then try to sell them. There isn’t much of a poetry reading public for all these poets to earn a living by selling poetry. There are awards for poets, even major ones, but poetry books on the average sell very few copies. Of course, a few poets do actually sell their books. There is no scam here.
Q: What else?
TJ: Only the first person to email fellspointpoetrybooks@gmail.com with only the right word in the subject line and a picture of their self--wearing sunglasses or across the street, like I mentioned. $5,000 is a lot to some and nothing to others, and so I want to make this about poetry and interesting ideas and how people discover and feel and think and not all about money, but money, as we know, is important—but let me add, that I know the challenge to find the word and receive money is probably more enticing to most than reading poetry. Lots of people don't like poetry, but everyone likes money!
And, important, only one word a week. I had to change this because people were sending words all day without really thinking. I mean really, how many words are there in the dictionary? Of course, sooner or later a random word will be the right one. And no one wants computer bots to automate sending words all day.
Q: Why a selfie?
TJ: It is a kind of verification. I want to be fair with who is who. And having a copy of the book (no longer applicable) prevents people from just hearing about this project and emailing me random words.
People will want to know that there is a real person with a real name who finds the secret word. That is fair and important. So, the finder of the secret word will not remain anonymous. An anonymous finder would cause much skepticism. Remember, there are no fees, costs, no charges at all to receive the money. The wire account must be in the finder’s name. Again, if people are hesitant to send a selfie--just set the camera on the timer and stand 50 feet away and take a pic or just peer from around a tree--the idea is to keep real people in the loop.
Q: Isn’t this just a game to get people to read your poetry?
TJ: I appreciate your humorous contentiousness. Sure, marketing. Poets publish books on Amazon and sell a few at such and such, and then the next thing they know Amazon book “resellers” are selling the author’s books for almost nothing plus shipping—sometimes on the same Amazon page!
Of course, there are better poets than me who have readers who are quite willing to buy their books, so there is that, too.
People who don’t read or care about books probably won’t ever hear about a secret word in a poem in a poetry book.
Q: How will anyone know if the word has been found?
TJ: Check my website, www.thomasjardine.com
Q: Is anyone excluded from this? What about friends?
TJ: No. No one knows the secret word, so why not allow everyone?
Q: What else is there to know?
TJ: If someone finds the secret word, they can say it aloud all day, but the first person to email me with the right word to fellspointpoetrybooks@gmail.com receives the money.
When writing the poem, which took over 15 years to write including revisions, I had no intention of any such secret anything, but it naturally came into being, almost by chance. I said to myself, look, there it is, so, why not? So, the secret word was not a preplanned idea. I think someone will find the secret word quickly. I think the people at the CIA could find the word in half an hour, and then go have lunch.
Q: What about giving out hints?
TJ: No hints, no clues. I've changed my mind and have posted a video with a clue. See home page with link to video. However, the word is not "Reset." A dozen people have sent "reset" -- they see a few letters and link them together to form a word. Not the way.
Q: How will a person know they have the right word? Are there hints elsewhere in the book?
Q: There are no hints elsewhere in the book, "The Silver Roads in Brittany." A person will know they have the right word. They will be confident they have the right word. I’m actually a dull person with a dry sense of humor. Not much fun. The secret word is not one of the words used in the poem, that would be gaming the system and diminish the challenge.
Q: What else should people know about this?
TJ: I can't think of anything else right now.
Q: Thanks, I think.
TJ: Thank you.
Thomas Jardine
www.thomasjardine.com
The Silver Roads in Brittany
Fells Point Poetry Books
ISBN 978-0-9672437-2-6 189 pages 5.75 x 4
fellspointpoetrybooks@gmail.com