Long-time readers of this series know that I despise publicity-tricks. The closest I’ll come is putting my book link at the bottom of my blog posts. I suck at clever things that people do like begging their friends to inflate their amazon ratings, to giving bookshow clinics to flog their books, to floating their wares in blog postings here. It really pisses me off (and probably explains why I’ll never succeed at this) because I find the entire publishing racket an dirty mudhole of false representation. It explains why so many people read so many lousy books, I suppose.

But this one really took the cake.

Maybe you heard about it. Just north of here in Seminole Country, a five year old girl was told to stop praying by a school representative during lunch. Even though there is nothing in the school rules against this, that it’s unsubstantiated, all that, the parents rushed right out and hired lawyers, appeared on all the news shows, even flogged a YouTube video out there. Is this overreaction? Heh. It gets worse.

So Todd Starnes of Fox News writes this angry piece titled Dad: Teacher Told My Kid to Stop Lunchtime Prayer. Big angry words about nasty godless liberals.

But let’s look a little closer. Turns out Starnes has his own book just about to come out: God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values. This sort of thing occurring, just now in total serendipity, would really help stir controversy about his book and boost sales.

Yet even closer. The “Dad” in question here, the one who bellowed like a wounded elephant when his child was deprived, works for the publishing company promoting Starnes’ book. Small world, right? Dad is even promoted in the news release, touting this book.

I’m no mind reader. I can’t tell you what Dad’s motives were and what really happened in that lunch room.

We report. You decide.

>>>MAYBE I SHOULD DRESS UP MY CUTE CAT AND HAVE HER IN A VIDEO, SOCKING OUT SELL-PUSH FOR MY NOVEL. WHO KNOWS? WHAT’S IT TAKE THESE DAYS? ANYWAY, HERE IS THE SHAMELESS LINK TO MY HISTORICAL NOVELS<<<