Who's Out There?

I love the idea of complete strangers reading my work -- always have.  It's a great feeling, knowing that someone I've never met could be emotionally moved by something that came out of my imagination.  But I'm curious about one thing: who are these strangers and how did they come across my work?  And how do I find more of them?  In other words, how do I find an audience?  Of course, this assumes that it can be controlled in the first place.  I know it can't.  Having worked in a book store for many years, I've seen authors come out of nowhere to become household names.  I've also seen books that were heavily marketed, but did not sell at all.  So much seems to be about dumb luck.  But is there a way of increasing the chances of having some dumb luck come my way?

I recently read a blog (right HERE) where the blogger claimed he could increase his bits by simply putting the words "Damien Puckler shirtless" on his blog.  Who is Damien Puckler?  He's an actor (you can read more about him HERE), and a great example of how popularity can come in an unplanned way.  Damien was playing a supporting part on NBC's GRIMM, and no one seemed to notice - until he took off his shirt.  Now he has a growing number of loyal fans - and they want more!  And hopefully they'll be seeing a lot more of him soon.  Because Damien's a genuinely nice guy and deserves it, and also because he's attached to a couple of my projects (let's hear it for self interest!).  And this takes me back to my original question.  Can I do something to increase my chances of having a happy accident that will get my work noticed?   For now, I have no idea.  But perhaps I'm off to a good start simply by putting the words "Damien Puckler shirtless" on this blog. :)  Maybe one of Damien's fans will stop by and read something I've written  (once they've grown tired of looking at his abs, I mean).   And then, who knows?  Until then, dumb luck, I await your arrival!

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